https://thepettimes.com/ Pet life, beautifully explained. en-us https://thepettimes.com/articles/wildlife-photographer-of-the-year-2026-elephant-calf/ https://thepettimes.com/articles/wildlife-photographer-of-the-year-2026-elephant-calf/ Thu, 15 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT A mother elephant carrying her lost calf took the top prize at Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2026. Here are the winning photos, and the stories behind them. https://thepettimes.com/articles/apologize-to-dog-rebuild-trust/ https://thepettimes.com/articles/apologize-to-dog-rebuild-trust/ Thu, 08 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Stepped on a tail, snapped after a long day? The instinct to grab your dog and smother them with apologies backfires. Here's what dogs actually register as 'sorry,' and how to rebuild trust the way they understand it. https://thepettimes.com/articles/dog-as-daily-stress-antidote/ https://thepettimes.com/articles/dog-as-daily-stress-antidote/ Thu, 08 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT The stress relief happens by accident every time you come home. Here's how to stop leaving it to chance and actually dose it, backed by what petting a dog does to your cortisol. https://thepettimes.com/articles/dog-urine-lawn-spots-nitrogen-fix/ https://thepettimes.com/articles/dog-urine-lawn-spots-nitrogen-fix/ Thu, 08 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT The brown spots aren't caused by acid, and no pill you feed your dog will safely stop them. Here's what actually kills your grass, and the yard-side fixes that work. https://thepettimes.com/articles/dog-walking-rules-your-neighbors-wish-you-knew/ https://thepettimes.com/articles/dog-walking-rules-your-neighbors-wish-you-knew/ Thu, 08 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Most walking etiquette comes down to one skill: reading whether the other person actually wants to meet your dog. They usually don't, and that's not personal. Here's how to be the neighbor people are glad to see coming. https://thepettimes.com/articles/finding-right-cat-vet-guide/ https://thepettimes.com/articles/finding-right-cat-vet-guide/ Thu, 08 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT School rankings and shiny websites tell you almost nothing. Here's what actually separates a great cat vet from a merely credentialed one, and how to find yours. https://thepettimes.com/articles/itchy-dog-symptom-not-diagnosis/ https://thepettimes.com/articles/itchy-dog-symptom-not-diagnosis/ Thu, 08 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Fleas, allergies, ringworm, a growth, they can all look like the same red, itchy patch. The skill isn't spotting the itch. It's figuring out which of four buckets it belongs to, because that's what decides the fix. https://thepettimes.com/articles/litter-box-covers-your-cat-wont-boycott/ https://thepettimes.com/articles/litter-box-covers-your-cat-wont-boycott/ Thu, 08 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Before you buy the mid-century litter cabinet, find out whether your cat even wants a lid. A cat-first guide to covers, enclosures, and all-in-one boxes, plus the research on covered versus open. https://thepettimes.com/articles/multi-dog-household-what-starts-fights/ https://thepettimes.com/articles/multi-dog-household-what-starts-fights/ Thu, 08 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Most multi-dog households run happily. When they don't, the triggers are surprisingly predictable, and the research on who fights, and why, tells you exactly where to intervene. https://thepettimes.com/articles/skip-the-airport-dog-road-trip-guide/ https://thepettimes.com/articles/skip-the-airport-dog-road-trip-guide/ Thu, 08 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT When air travel turns into a mess of cancellations and cargo horror stories, a well-planned road trip is calmer, safer, and more fun for your dog. Here's the whole system, from lodging to the truck-stop dog run. https://thepettimes.com/articles/train-every-dog-for-a-muzzle-before-they-need-one/ https://thepettimes.com/articles/train-every-dog-for-a-muzzle-before-they-need-one/ Thu, 08 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT The stigma around muzzled dogs is a public-relations problem. The bigger problem is timing: almost everyone waits until a crisis to introduce one, which is the exact moment the training cannot work. https://thepettimes.com/articles/turn-your-dog-into-a-welcome-houseguest/ https://thepettimes.com/articles/turn-your-dog-into-a-welcome-houseguest/ Thu, 08 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT The dog who has a flawless 'stay' at home falls apart in someone else's living room, and it is not misbehavior. Trained behavior does not automatically travel to new places. Here's how to prep a dog who is genuinely welcome as a guest. https://thepettimes.com/articles/van-life-cat-gear-adventure-essentials/ https://thepettimes.com/articles/van-life-cat-gear-adventure-essentials/ Thu, 08 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Full-time van life is the ultimate stress test for cat gear, and most house-cat products would fail it in a week. Seven pieces of adventure-cat equipment that actually hold up on the road, plus how to use them safely. https://thepettimes.com/articles/car-barking-train-in-the-driveway-not-the-road/ https://thepettimes.com/articles/car-barking-train-in-the-driveway-not-the-road/ Wed, 07 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT A moving car is the worst classroom in the world: triggers arrive at 40mph, you can't control the distance, and you're driving. The fix is to never train there. Plus the medical cause everyone mistakes for reactivity. https://thepettimes.com/articles/cat-gifts-that-actually-get-used/ https://thepettimes.com/articles/cat-gifts-that-actually-get-used/ Wed, 07 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT The holiday cat aisle is designed to make you feel something at checkout. Your cat has different requirements: scratch, hunt, chew, and get high. Six gifts that do a real job, and the buying detail nobody tells you. https://thepettimes.com/articles/dog-ownership-health-benefits-science/ https://thepettimes.com/articles/dog-ownership-health-benefits-science/ Wed, 07 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Harvard Medical School once pulled together hundreds of studies on what living with a dog does to the human body and mind, and the list is startling: lower blood pressure, more exercise, fewer doctor visits, longer life. But the active ingredient isn't the dog. It's the relationship. Here's the science, and the catch. https://thepettimes.com/articles/dog-seasonal-allergies-manage-the-itch/ https://thepettimes.com/articles/dog-seasonal-allergies-manage-the-itch/ Wed, 07 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Environmental allergies in dogs are getting worse, not better, and the goal most owners chase, zero itching, is the wrong one. What actually helps, from paw wipes to the newest targeted drugs. https://thepettimes.com/articles/halloween-dog-hazards-worse-than-chocolate/ https://thepettimes.com/articles/halloween-dog-hazards-worse-than-chocolate/ Wed, 07 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Everyone guards the chocolate. Meanwhile the sneakier Halloween hazards, a sweetener now hiding under a friendlier name, a cracked glow stick, an open front door, are the ones sending dogs to the emergency vet. Here are seven, ranked by how badly they can bite. https://thepettimes.com/articles/people-food-cats-can-share-vet-safe-list/ https://thepettimes.com/articles/people-food-cats-can-share-vet-safe-list/ Wed, 07 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT A short, protein-first list of people foods that are genuinely fine for cats, the hard no's that never are, and the 10 percent rule that keeps 'a little bite' from becoming a problem. https://thepettimes.com/articles/best-vet-tiktok-accounts-free-advice/ https://thepettimes.com/articles/best-vet-tiktok-accounts-free-advice/ Tue, 06 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Vet TikTok is a free education layer for pet parents, as long as you treat it as triage and not a diagnosis. Nine accounts worth a spot on your feed. https://thepettimes.com/articles/can-an-ai-device-actually-train-your-dog/ https://thepettimes.com/articles/can-an-ai-device-actually-train-your-dog/ Tue, 06 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT A camera-and-treat machine that trains your dog while you're out sounds like a shortcut. Here's what the technology genuinely does well, what it can't replace, and where Companion's device actually landed. https://thepettimes.com/articles/cant-tell-dog-pregnant-by-looking/ https://thepettimes.com/articles/cant-tell-dog-pregnant-by-looking/ Tue, 06 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT The 'signs' people watch for are late, unreliable, and easy to confuse with a false pregnancy. Here's the honest week-by-week timeline, the tests that give a real answer, and how to tell the real thing from a phantom one. https://thepettimes.com/articles/caring-for-blind-and-paralyzed-cats-gear-that-helps/ https://thepettimes.com/articles/caring-for-blind-and-paralyzed-cats-gear-that-helps/ Tue, 06 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT The influencer behind @cappybears made her disabled cats internet-famous by treating their care as ordinary. Here's what actually keeps a blind or paralyzed cat thriving, and the handful of products that do the heavy lifting. https://thepettimes.com/articles/carry-your-injured-dog-off-the-trail/ https://thepettimes.com/articles/carry-your-injured-dog-off-the-trail/ Tue, 06 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT A rescue harness is the piece of hiking gear big-dog owners never pack until it's too late. Here's how the Pack-a-Paw works, how to size it, and why it belongs in your pack. https://thepettimes.com/articles/catnip-nonresponder-cats-silver-vine-toys/ https://thepettimes.com/articles/catnip-nonresponder-cats-silver-vine-toys/ Tue, 06 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Catnip response is genetic, and roughly one cat in three simply doesn't have it. Here's how to test your cat in five minutes, what to buy if they're a non-responder, and why the prettiest toys still work on them. https://thepettimes.com/articles/eco-anxiety-sustainable-pet-parenting/ https://thepettimes.com/articles/eco-anxiety-sustainable-pet-parenting/ Tue, 06 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Loving the planet and loving a pet can feel like a contradiction, all that waste, all that guilt. But perfectionism isn't sustainability, and burning yourself out helps no one. A calmer way to be a green pet parent. https://thepettimes.com/articles/everyday-noises-stressing-your-dog/ https://thepettimes.com/articles/everyday-noises-stressing-your-dog/ Tue, 06 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Owners brace for thunder and the Fourth of July, then miss the beeps and hums that stress their dogs every single day. Research says we underestimate it, and sometimes we laugh at it. https://thepettimes.com/articles/foster-pet-tax-write-off-guide/ https://thepettimes.com/articles/foster-pet-tax-write-off-guide/ Tue, 06 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT If you foster through a registered charity, the IRS lets you deduct a surprising amount, from puppy food to a slice of your utility bill. Here's exactly what qualifies, what doesn't, and the one rule that decides whether it's worth it. https://thepettimes.com/articles/fostering-pets-in-college-how-students-make-it-work/ https://thepettimes.com/articles/fostering-pets-in-college-how-students-make-it-work/ Tue, 06 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Between exams, tight budgets, and a nonexistent schedule, college looks like the worst possible time to care for a rescue animal. Three student fosters explain why it's secretly one of the best, and how they make it work. https://thepettimes.com/articles/gemma-correll-pugs-mental-health-art/ https://thepettimes.com/articles/gemma-correll-pugs-mental-health-art/ Tue, 06 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Illustrator Gemma Correll built a following drawing her own depression and anxiety, and a life around a trio of rescue Pugs. The two aren't separate hobbies. They're the same coping system. https://thepettimes.com/articles/survivors-and-their-pets-orgs-that-wont-separate-them/ https://thepettimes.com/articles/survivors-and-their-pets-orgs-that-wont-separate-them/ Tue, 06 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT For many people fleeing domestic violence, the hardest thing to leave behind is an animal. A guide to the national and local organizations that shelter survivors and their pets together, plus where the law still falls short. https://thepettimes.com/articles/what-dogs-actually-see-on-the-tv-screen/ https://thepettimes.com/articles/what-dogs-actually-see-on-the-tv-screen/ Tue, 06 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Two-thirds of us leave the TV on for our dogs. But a dog's eyes turn the same screen into a different picture, in different colors, at a different frame rate. Here's what they actually see. https://thepettimes.com/articles/why-your-dog-sniffs-you-when-you-get-home/ https://thepettimes.com/articles/why-your-dog-sniffs-you-when-you-get-home/ Tue, 06 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT That intense once-over when you walk in isn't clinginess, it's your dog reading a scent-newspaper of your entire day. Why they do it, why cutting it short frustrates them, and when sniffing is too much. https://thepettimes.com/articles/beis-pet-carrier-airline-specs-check/ https://thepettimes.com/articles/beis-pet-carrier-airline-specs-check/ Mon, 05 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT BÉIS made pet carriers that finally look good. But the bag never decides whether you board, the airline does. Here is the spec check to run before you buy, and an honest read on all three pieces in the line. https://thepettimes.com/articles/cat-scratching-furniture-where-the-post-goes/ https://thepettimes.com/articles/cat-scratching-furniture-where-the-post-goes/ Mon, 05 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Cats scratch in specific places for specific reasons. Read the spots they have already chosen, and the fix stops being a fight. https://thepettimes.com/articles/dangerous-dog-law-bigger-dog-blamed/ https://thepettimes.com/articles/dangerous-dog-law-bigger-dog-blamed/ Mon, 05 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Dangerous-dog cases almost never turn on what your dog did. They turn on how big your dog is and what people assume about the breed. Here's what actually happens at the hearing, and what your rights are. https://thepettimes.com/articles/does-your-anxiety-travel-down-the-leash/ https://thepettimes.com/articles/does-your-anxiety-travel-down-the-leash/ Mon, 05 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT A pile of studies keeps finding the same thing: anxious people tend to have anxious dogs. Before you blame yourself, know that the 'causal arrow' points in more than one direction, and that gives you somewhere to start. https://thepettimes.com/articles/dog-gas-swallowed-air-remedies/ https://thepettimes.com/articles/dog-gas-swallowed-air-remedies/ Mon, 05 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Before you change your dog's food, change how they eat it. Most canine flatulence comes from gulping air, not from diet alone. A vet explains the real causes, what to give a gassy dog, the foods that help versus hurt, and when the smell is a warning. https://thepettimes.com/articles/dog-greetings-six-second-rule/ https://thepettimes.com/articles/dog-greetings-six-second-rule/ Mon, 05 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Researchers who watched dogs meet at the park found the healthy hello is fast, boring, and often doesn't happen at all. The animal fumbling the introduction is usually the human on the other end of the leash. https://thepettimes.com/articles/dog-not-trolling-play-or-message/ https://thepettimes.com/articles/dog-not-trolling-play-or-message/ Mon, 05 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT The slipper heist, the beg-to-go-out-then-right-back-in, the strategic fart. It feels deliberate, even a little mean. But dogs can't plot mischief the way we imagine. Here's what those 'trolling' moments actually are, and the one time they're worth a vet visit. https://thepettimes.com/articles/jess-rona-at-home-dog-spa-picks/ https://thepettimes.com/articles/jess-rona-at-home-dog-spa-picks/ Mon, 05 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Groomer-to-the-stars Jess Rona's real between-appointment routine is cheaper and simpler than the salon: seven maintenance products that keep a coat healthy without a standing blowout. https://thepettimes.com/articles/learn-your-dogs-normal-at-home-vitals-check/ https://thepettimes.com/articles/learn-your-dogs-normal-at-home-vitals-check/ Mon, 05 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT You don't need to diagnose your dog. You need a baseline, so when something's off, you catch it early. Here's how to take your dog's temperature, pulse, and breathing rate at home. https://thepettimes.com/articles/mucus-in-dog-poop-read-the-company/ https://thepettimes.com/articles/mucus-in-dog-poop-read-the-company/ Mon, 05 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT A slick coating on your dog's stool is normal plumbing, not a symptom. What decides whether this is a shrug or a vet visit is what shows up alongside it: the color, the other signs, and how long it has been going on. https://thepettimes.com/articles/pet-toy-declutter-fewer-toys-more-play/ https://thepettimes.com/articles/pet-toy-declutter-fewer-toys-more-play/ Mon, 05 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT A mountain of toys doesn't make your dog or cat play more, it makes them tune out. Here's how two decluttering pros and a smarter rotation habit turn an overflowing bin into a collection that actually gets used. https://thepettimes.com/articles/puppy-born-with-worms-deworming-schedule/ https://thepettimes.com/articles/puppy-born-with-worms-deworming-schedule/ Mon, 05 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Deworming isn't a one-time fix you reach for when something looks wrong. Vets assume every puppy is already infected, and the calendar matters more than the product you pick. https://thepettimes.com/articles/running-with-your-dog-do-it-right/ https://thepettimes.com/articles/running-with-your-dog-do-it-right/ Mon, 05 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Running with your dog is a conditioning project, not a personality trait. A vet-backed guide to breed, age, heat, gear, and the pace that keeps their joints intact. https://thepettimes.com/articles/stem-cell-therapy-dogs-what-it-cant-do/ https://thepettimes.com/articles/stem-cell-therapy-dogs-what-it-cant-do/ Mon, 05 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT The most oversold treatment in veterinary orthopedics is also a legitimate one. What stem cell therapy does for canine osteoarthritis, what it does not, and the single question that decides whether your dog is a candidate. https://thepettimes.com/articles/cat-color-vision-toy-buying-mistake/ https://thepettimes.com/articles/cat-color-vision-toy-buying-mistake/ Sun, 04 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Cats do see color, just not the one you keep reaching for on the shelf. The fix is not a better shade of red. It is understanding that hue was never the variable that mattered. https://thepettimes.com/articles/cat-wont-eat-unless-youre-there/ https://thepettimes.com/articles/cat-wont-eat-unless-youre-there/ Sun, 04 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Social eating is real and mostly harmless. But there's a line between a cat who likes company at dinner and a cat who can't eat without it, and the second one is a welfare problem hiding inside a compliment. https://thepettimes.com/articles/custom-pet-gifts-that-dont-look-tacky/ https://thepettimes.com/articles/custom-pet-gifts-that-dont-look-tacky/ Sun, 04 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Most personalized pet products land somewhere between kitschy and cursed. These don't. A curated guide to custom portraits, jewelry, and home pieces that actually look good, plus the lead-time math that keeps your gift from arriving in January.