Guides
Plain, practical guides to the everyday jobs of living with a dog or cat, from measuring for a harness to lifting hair out of the carpet. For anything about your pet's health, ask your veterinarian.
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How-to
How to Prepare Your Dog for a New Baby and Their First Meeting
A timeline for expecting parents with a dog: move walks, meals and attention early, set nursery and couch rules, build a retreat, practice stroller walks step by step, plan the first meeting and know when to call a trainer or behaviorist.
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How-to
How to Prepare Your Cat for a New Baby: Before and After the Birth
A month-by-month plan for expecting parents with a cat: who scoops the litter during pregnancy, moving the box and bed early, crib and nursery rules, baby sounds and smells, a retreat your cat can always reach and the first weeks home.
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How-to
Potty Training a Puppy in Winter: Cold Mornings, Snow and Dark Nights
Cold mornings, snow and early dark can stall a puppy’s housetraining. Here’s how to keep it on track: a cleared spot by the door, a trip routine that works in the cold, a winter schedule, salty paws, accidents, and what to do when your puppy refuses to go out.
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Comparison
Pet-Safe Ice Melt vs Rock Salt: Is It Really Safer for Dogs?
Pet-safe ice melt is usually gentler on paws than rock salt or calcium chloride, but the label has no set standard and some formulas can still upset a dog’s stomach. Compare the options side by side, see what to check on the bag, when sand or a shovel beats any melt, and how to rinse paws after walks.
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Checklist
Pet Emergency Kit Checklist: What Your Dog or Cat Needs to Evacuate
Everything your dog or cat needs to evacuate with you: records and ID, two weeks of food, water and medicine, a carrier or harness per pet, sanitation and first aid, plus where pets can stay and when to refresh the kit.
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Guide
National Parks With a Dog: Where Dogs Can Go, Rules and What to Bring
Most national parks welcome leashed dogs on roads, in campgrounds and at picnic areas, but not on most trails. See how the rules differ across 11 parks, what the B.A.R.K. Ranger principles mean in practice, why your dog never waits in the car and what to pack.
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Checklist
Multi-Cat Household Setup: How Many Litter Boxes, Bowls and Beds
Two cats need three litter boxes, and the same one-per-cat-plus-one rule covers feeding stations, water bowls, scratchers and resting spots. See where each one goes, how to tell bonded cats from rivals, the quiet signs a home is too crowded, and a walk-through checklist.
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Checklist
Moving With a Dog: Weeks Before, Moving Day and Settling In
A checklist for moving to a new home with a dog, in the order you’ll need it: ID and records weeks ahead, a steady routine while you pack, a safe plan for moving day and the drive, house and yard checks on arrival, and the first weeks of walks and time alone.
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How-to
How to Measure a Dog for a Bed: Curlers, Sprawlers and Crates
Measure your dog in the position they actually sleep in, then add room to stretch. This how-to covers curlers and sprawlers, outer size vs the sleeping area inside a rim, measuring a crate, car or corner, and what to do when your dog falls between sizes.
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How-to
How to Make Your Home Senior-Cat Friendly: Litter, Beds and Perches
When jumping gets harder, an older cat needs everything on one easy level. Here's how to rearrange the litter box, food and water, beds, perches and scratching for a stiff senior cat, what to change first, the mistakes to avoid and the changes to report to your veterinarian.
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How-to
How to Make Vet Visits Less Stressful for Your Dog
For a dog who shakes, pulls for the door or won't get out of the car at the vet: happy visits, handling practice at home, what to tell the clinic, waiting in the car, a lick mat for the exam and when to ask about medication.
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How-to
How to Make Vet Visits Less Stressful for Your Cat, Start to Finish
A calmer vet visit for a nervous cat, from booking a quiet time and lining a top-opening carrier to waiting in the car, an exam in or beside the carrier, pre-visit medication and the other cat who hisses when you get home.
