“A warm, engaging, deceptively simple tribute to innate wisdom. May we all learn from such loveable teachers.”
— Dennis Palumbo – screenwriter My Favorite Year, author the Daniel Rinaldi mysteries
“A beautiful, heartfelt, and entertaining book, that gives the reader a deep understanding of the profound relationship between the human psyche and the souls of the other animals with whom we share this planet.”
— Linda Buzzell, co-editor Ecotherapy – Healing with Nature in Mind
From the Author:
- Dating Advice from a Crazy Dog Guy“Oh no, you’re not one of those, are you?!” We all know the phrase “crazy cat lady,” conjuring images of bathrobed bitties sprinkling cat chow into bowls as hordes of filthy yowling tabbies descend. And we hear more and more of “crazy cat guys” too. But there’s not much talk ... read more
- Unconditional Love – As Taught by the Four-Legged MastersAnother Valentine’s Day is upon us – a day when it often appears that everyone else in the world has a perfectly happy committed relationship based in deep, abiding, and playful love. In other words, a day when most of us writhe in disappointment. It’s not that we’re saying we’re ... read more
- Straying into a Better New YearHow would you like you like to spend 2016 as contented, as centered, as… your dog? As a psychotherapist, I spend a lot of time dealing with people and our big-brained problems. On most issues, like how to create a telephone that uses 3D touch to show birds ... read more
From 
- Doctor Johnson and Mister Garrick … can anyone actually own anyone…My human friend Handsome loves exciting entertainment. He loves fun bright music, he watches movies with lots of car chases and horses and guns, and especially loves those with monsters created in laboratories and people who turn into wolves. Oh and does he adore that TV show with the dragons ... read more
- ROhit1996 asks: A girl has been living in my house as a paying guest for a month. I like that girl so much, and I think she is also likes me. But one day I found out that she already has a boyfriend. I was disappointed, and tried to forget about her, but I can’t. I like that girl so much I want to live with her as a partner for a whole life. But because of her boyfriend, I can’t tell her my emotions. She told me that she is moving from here in one week, and now I can’t imagine a day without her! I enjoy her company so much and I want that company for life time. What should I do?!Hi ROhit1996 – I love it when I get romantic stories like this! And I know there’s one person who’d love it even more than I would… That Girl! Now you’re absolutely right that you need to be very careful about how you treat her. She’s a paying guest ... read more
- Free pack asks: Hi I am in love with this guy who is 23 and I am 25. He has commitment issues . When I told him that I wanna marry him by within two years, he said no he cannot, he has ambitions and wants to settle down first, but he cannot let me go. He also said three years, but still he is scared of the marriage thing. His parents like me and they don’t want him to let me go . But he surrounds himself with stupid things. Now there is a lot of negativity between us, and I am insecure about what would happen if he walks out of my life. We really love each other, but we both are scared of our age difference. We’ve dated for a year.Hi Free pack – So you know how people talk about “human years” and “dog years?” They say we dogs age seven years every time you age one? Well, if you ask a veterinarian, they’ll tell you that’s not exactly right. Actually dogs mature much faster than humans ... read more
- Old_Regret asks: I’ve been in a relationship for about a year and 6 months now. We were very happy, but in recent days we have been fighting – on some very silly things and sometimes some serious things also. I can’t stand to see her upset. We are really trying hard not to fight with each other. But always something happens and it ruins everything . We both just can’t live without each other. But we can’t spend our whole life fighting with each other either. These all things are disturbing both of us. Please suggest what should I do!Hi Old_Regret – I do this website because I like giving people helpful advice. But I can only do that in a broad sense. I can’t work with the tiny details that happen in the moments of conversations, simply because that’s impossible with the timing. It sounds ... read more
- Rash asks: I’ve been in a relationship for the past 2 years with my boyfriend. But we are so different from each other. I like to share some special moments with him like dates, dinner, lunch, movies and all, but he never asks me for this. This makes me soo upset and unhappy in my life. I’m thinking about breaking up because I know he will never change. What should I do?Hi Rash – I think I’m a bit confused. If you guys don’t have dates, dinners, lunches, or movies together… what exactly is your relationship? If you’re living together I guess that’s something, but even then it sounds to me like two roommates who don’t really like each ... read more
- Cubcub asks: I had planned to go to another country with my best friend. Then I thought she would take her college studies here, so I processed my papers also to be a working scholar on a university because I thought we won’t be going. But things changed, my bff is going to go abroad. The problem is I am confused which should I choose – my scholarship here (which is very tiring and I am staying at my aunt and uncle’s house which is strict) or to resign here and grab the chance to go to another country, have a job, and earn income, which would really help my family?Hi Cubcub – We dogs aren’t all that smart, really. And unless there’s a really clear difference between two choices (live in a dungeon being tortured or move to a pastoral home all-expenses-paid), it’s hard for me to choose for someone else. But we pups are VERY ... read more
- have been in a relationship for 2 years. And I really love him. But during this time, he once cheated on me and never accepted it. That’s the reason I could never forgive him. Now he has become what he is supposed to be but I have become extremely insecure. I cannot blindly trust him anymore. I always feel that he might leave me or cheat on me again. And I try controlling it, but sometimes I burst out. Now something happened and I kind of blamed him that he is doing this things behind my back. He is extremely hurt. And broke up with me. He has blocked me from everywhere and is shutting me off. I want him back cause I really do love him – what should I do?Hi Anoushka. 1998 – This is always a very difficult situation. It’s hard enough to open yourself up and trust someone when they haven’t done anything wrong, but it’s really hard when they have. Now if there weren’t three particular words in your question, I’d have some ... read more
- Sruthi asks: My best friend is also my ex. His best friend is the girl who proposed to him. She really hates me. And today she called me the worst words ever. I feel like I’m gonna kill myself. I asked my ex if he didn’t care about me, and he didn’t even reply. What should I do?Hi Sruthi – Okay, first thing you should do – DON’T kill yourself! If we can get that worked out, the rest is far simpler!! So here’s the simple fact – she’s jealous of you. There’s no other reason why she’d bother you. I hate jealousy. ... read more
- Pennelope0214 asks: My family have been very strict, orthodox, protective people, like cross the limit kind. I wanted to leave my home because of that over-protectiveness, which I did last year by moving to college in another city far away. I have an elder brother; we didn’t used to talk but before moving he explained to me that he never liked my lifestyle due to which he was always irritated (my “lifestyle” meaning I use a little makeup). My mother is a very rude person, she’d call me dirty names when I did something bad. Even though I know they both love me. My brother didn’t know about that incident I told you about, where the man tried to cut my throat. I told him a few days back after the function in our college where another guy (who was my date, I didn’t know him but his friends and my seniors said he is nice) kind of harassed me which I told my brother. After all this he asked me to stay away from every guy and if he finds out something relating to any guy and me, he will do something bad. Yesterday we had another function, prom night. My mother kept in calling me saying she needs to talk to the college authorities, is it a university to study or just parties? When I came back I called my brother, and he said which guy did you go with? I said no one. He reprimanded me saying I am lying and he knows me, there must have been a guy. I cut the call. I am tired of living my life. I thought maybe when I’d move out things will change but no, that isn’t happening. This summer break I have to go to my brother’s for my internship and I am tense since I have to be there for one and a half month. He’d talk about that throat incident, boys and put on restrictions on me all the way over again. I don’t want to face him. I made a mistake telling him about the incident. I don’t want to go there or anywhere. I thought he’d understand what I’ve been through and would support me.Hi Pennelope0214 – I agree fully with you – the way your mother and brother are acting shows they love you, and it’s not at all coming in the way you need right now. There may come a day in the future when you move away and ... read more
- GIGI asks: I have a boyfriend. Whenever he has problems, he likes keeping to himself. Lately he has been having problems which I don’t know of; of course he wouldn’t tell, he only told me that he needed space. This is the first time this is happening between us, because we only started dating recently. Right now we don’t talk except in person. He always avoids my calls. I texted him one day and told him I would let him be. I promised to give him the space he wanted. And now I miss him so much, and I want nothing but to talk to him. I don’t know if I should call him? I am scared of being rejected.Hi GIGI – Of course I relate to this one a lot. Every dog feels shut out from their humans’ world a great deal of the time, usually most of the time, with no idea why. It can be heartbreaking, such as when I can see he’s sad ... read more
- Rep asks: I’m presently in a relationship, a very lovely relationship thus far. Very recently we talked about our future, and he is not planning to settle down, even in the next six years and truthfully I can’t wait that long. This very period, a guy I know from church has been asking me to marry him. I don’t really know him but he says he has been observing me for over two years and wants to spend forever with me. I really don’t know what to do. I know that, as it stands now, I don’t have a future with my boyfriend, but at the same time I don’t really know this guy who’s asking me for marriage.Hi Rep – I’m awfully sorry about the situation with your current boyfriend. That’s a hard one – especially as he sounds like he’s being very honest with you, so you don’t get to snarl and growl about what a horrible jerk he is! He’s just telling you ... read more
- PerryB asks: I had a crush on a guy I go to school with. I told him and we talked it over, and a few weeks later he said that he had developed feelings for me and he asked me to be his girlfriend. Shortly after, we became intimate. Then, after about a week of us being a couple, he texted me and told me we have to break up, that things between us had gone too far. I was crushed, and I haven’t been to school ever since, but I have decided to go back after a week of being locked up in my room, since I want a future for myself. But I don’t know how I should react when I see him at school, since there is no way I can completely avoid him. Please give me some advice on what I should do.Hi PerryB – Humans are such a strange species. You guys have such incredible gigantic brains, which accomplish so much, but this also means you worry tons about things we dogs would never give a thought to. Now maybe this guy didn’t mean to hurt you. But ... read more
- Praneet30 asks: At first my girlfriend she said she hates her ex, and they didn’t talk; then after some time she said she wanted to talk to him once, to end things once and for all. After that they started talking once or twice a month. This has been going on for more than 2 years. Recently she asked him to pick her up and then they went someplace. Her excuse was that she wanted to clear her mind. So should I trust her and stay with her, or leave her?Hi Praneet30 – Your letter reminds me of years ago, when my human friend Handsome still smoked cigarettes sometimes. Every once in a while he’d decide he wanted to quit them. And so he’d cut down the number he’d have per day, and then he’d cut down to ... read more
- Elsa asks: My boyfriend went silent on me for two days; he did not answer my texts or my calls. We had not disagreed in any way before. I asked him if he had any problem and he only answered that he is fine, and then went quiet. I insisted and politely asked him to talk to me about anything. He promised to call which he didn’t. I was to travel to his place over the weekend; when I asked if he’d be around he just replied that he will be traveling and did not explain anything. I got worked up and agitatedly asked what this was all about. I asked if he was tired of me and immediately he became angry, insisting that I don’t trust, and demanded that he needed a break. It’s now been a week, and we have not talked. I still love him and I really want to know why he changed all of a sudden, if he has left forever, or he needs some time. But at the same time, I feel like giving him the break he needed because I never did anything wrong to cause this, except for the mistrust he claims after I asked what was wrong with him. Please help me. what should I do? Should I call and apologize or should I wait for him to make the move?Hi Elsa – I have to be honest with you. I’m a big fan of apologizing, but I don’t know how in the world you could apologize to this guy – you don’t even know what it was he’s saying you did wrong! What would you say, “I’m ... read more
- Kimwelzzz asks: Currently I’m dating a girl, but we can’t be at peace and nothing is the same because she talks to her three exes, and they told her she took their love for granted and claimed they’ve never loved anyone else like they loved her. Now she feels messed up because she doesn’t know what to do. On the other hand, the same situation happened to me, but with just one ex. And what I did was hurt him and choose her, but now she can’t do the same. Nothing is okay. She’s blaming herself for everything and is going through a lot, so I had to give her space and time but I’m afraid of what she might do when she’s alone. What’s best for her?Hi Kimwelzzz – I’m always struck by that idea, that because one person loves another more than they’ve ever loved anyone else, it’s that other person’s obligation to commit to them, and love them back. I mean, sure, it’s nice to love someone who loves you back, ... read more