Albuquerque Journal Articles

Last in a series Fear is a miserable emotion. It happens in-the-moment, before there is time to think. And it can be dangerous. Whether a threat is real or imagined you need to either get the heck outa there or drive off a scary monster – who might retaliate. Stimpy had trembled and hidden from visitors, but later chased those beasts while snapping at their heels. He’d improved. While his good leader Amy entertained guests, he stayed busy in the other room extracting bits of sustenance from challenging food toys and puzzles. Not bad. Amy now wanted Stimpy by her…

Third in a series Which of these statements is true? (a) Some dogs try to dominate their people and need us to keep them in line. (b) Dominance behavior among dogs happens but is sexual in nature. (c) It is a rare dog who tries to bully a human. (d) Alpha rolls work on dogs because they are innately knowledgeable in the Greek alphabet. (e) None of the above. Stimpy, the alpha-rolled heel nipper, feared annihilation by anybody other than his person. In his anxious mind, they could all be mass murderers. What started as trembling and hiding from strangers,…

Second in a series Remember what happened to Stimpy, the ankle biter? He was alpha rolled and pinned to change his behavior but, call me crazy, I’ve never known bullying to help anyone get well. The disconnect for Amy (Stimpy’s person) and her visitor was believing that dogs need to be dominated to learn their rightful place as our subordinates. Unbeknownst to these folks, as they swapped jokes on the couch, Stimpy’s dread had him hiding in the shadows. His burst of bravado as he ran, snapping and growling at the heels of the departing visitor was not about him…

First in a series Folks like you and I are tethered to our pets by an emotional commitment to their well-being. If they have symptoms from any body part, including their brains, we want them to get well fast. The Internet offers prodigious quantities of quack remedies, especially for behavior disorders. Think twice about quick and dirty corrections. People do dumb stuff. Mistakes are part of life but ‘first do no harm’ should apply to everybody. Stimpy was a 3 year old terrier mix I saw for his worsening aggression toward visitors. He wasn’t always that way. He had been…

Question: I am worried that my inside Chihuahuas and my Pug/Pekingese dogs eat rocks and if the rocks will hurt them? How can I stop them from eating the rocks? Dr. Nichol: I worry about anybody who eats rocks. Rather than a You Tube challenge to boost their middle school cred (cq) or a display of inner toughness, your dogs are actually trying to feel better. But the risk of a bowel obstruction is serious business. I’ve removed rocks, toys, and other swallowed junk by endoscope and by surgery. We treat these as emergencies. Without speedy intervention the resulting loss…

Question: As a 76 year old single woman I have adopted a wonderful sheltie/shepherd mix female, very active 15 week old puppy. Arthritis and age have begun to make 2 hour, twice a day walks detrimental for me. Would it be healthy for her if I replace exercise with tricks that she and I would do together? I work at Heart & Soul Animal Sanctuary. Dr. Nichol: Your shiny new puppy sounds like a delightful bundle of excitement and mischief, a lot like my family’s amped-up young herding dog. Mick (Jagger) Nichol requires full time employment. Dogs are highly social…

Last in a series
Ignore bad behavior? Am I crazy? Sally and Raymond, like a lot of us, loved their dog like a little person in a furry suit. In many ways, that’s healthy for pets and for us but different species have different behavioral genetics.