Compassion and Justice for All: An Excerpt from Marc Bekoff's The Emotional Lives of Animals
Plus how to include your pet in your wedding photos, Wag in the UK, and more.
First up, a huge thank you to all of you for your enthusiasm for Bark! Fest. It is encouraging--but not surprising--to see how many of you have signed up for some (or all) of the events. It is going to be so much fun! There is still time to register so please feel free to share details of the events with your friends and family.
In this post, an excerpt from the revised edition of The Emotional Lives of Animals, a new episode of The Pawsitive Post in Conversation on how to include your pet in wedding photos, Wag is published in the UK, plus what the book club is reading this month and some recent podcasts with me, including one on why your cat does not want a bath, and one on fearful and anxious dogs, and the full schedule for Bark! Fest. Read on...
Compassion and Justice for All: Why Sentience, Compassion, and Decency Matter--and Why I Get Cranky by Marc Bekoff PhD
""Anthropocentrism is at the root of all abuse of our fellow creatures on earth — the logically unsupportable belief that humans are the only species on the planet worthy of consideration."
— Sir Brian May, founding member of Queen and Save Me Trust
A person would have to be totally out of touch not to know that nonhuman animals (animals) are being wantonly and brutally slaughtered globally in a wide variety of anthropocentric (human-centered) activities. The Anthropocene, often called “the age of humanity” has morphed into “the rage of inhumanity.” To be able to maintain some degree of hope for the future, it’s important to pay close attention to our successes on behalf of nonhuman animals, since it’s far too easy to focus on the challenges and the harm that is still being done. Of course, animals need our help more than ever, but many good things are happening. Compassion fatigue and empathy fatigue can take their toll if we forget to appreciate progress and take care of ourselves.
Perhaps the most important thing is that caring for other animals is increasingly becoming a mainstream concern for a growing number of humans. It is no longer radical to recognize, respect, and want to protect the emotional lives of animals. Further, people increasingly see how we ourselves benefit by acting with more empathy, kindness, respect, and compassion for all the world’s creatures. It can be true that other animals often suffer in silence, since they can’t speak to us directly, but more and more people are learning how to read their behavior and speak for them."
Read the excerpt on my blog: Compassion and Justice for All by Marc Bekoff PhD
It's excerpted and modified from: The Emotional Lives of Animals: A Leading Scientist Explores Animal Joy, Sorrow, and Empathy―and Why They Matter (April 2024).
Don't forget that you have two chances to hear from Marc Bekoff at Bark! Fest. Details are in the link.
How to include your pet in wedding photos with Nicole Ettenhofer (George Street Photo and Video)
There’s a new episode of The Pawsitive Post in Conversation. Listen wherever you get your podcasts, watch on Youtube, or read the transcript on my website.
Kristi and I speak to Nicole Ettenhofer, VP of Growth and Strategy at George Street Photo & Video, about pet-friendly ways to get cute wedding photos with your pet.
As people increasingly consider pets to be part of the family, they want to involve them in their wedding. So what you can you do to make sure you get some great photos that include the pet, without overwhelming them? We begin with a personal story from Nicole that will have you tearing up in a good way, and which shows you can trust her tips to be pet-friendly.
A wedding is a big event and most pets are not used to big gatherings, so we get Nicole’s tips on the preparation that people should do in advance of the celebration. A pet handler can help to make sure things go smoothly, and we talk about the kind of things they should do.
Pets can play a wide range of roles in a wedding, from being the ring-bearer to simply making a brief appearance. We consider the best ways to involve them and how to take the pet’s personality into account. Nicole has ideas for getting your pet to cooperate with having their photo taken, but she also reminds us to make the most of those cute moments when the pet does something unexpected—often these unplanned moments can make the best photos.
And although you might assume that we’re talking only about dogs, cats and bigger animals like horses and llamas also get a mention.
Finally, we talk about the books we’re reading.
Nicole Ettenhofer is the VP of Growth & Strategy for George Street Photo & Video, a national wedding photo and video company based in Chicago, IL with experience serving thousands of customers and offering best in quality wedding coverage at an affordable cost. With over a decade of experience in the wedding industry, Nicole is an expert in wedding trends and couples photography and has helped the company achieve accolades such as The Knot’s Best of Weddings every year from 2020-2024, The Knot’s Best of Weddings Hall of Fame for the company’s commitment to quality and value and WeddingWire’s Couples’ Choice 2024. Before joining George Street, Nicole served as a thought leader within the event and hospitality industry for over 20 years. As for her personal life, Nicole resides near Denver, CO with her husband and two dogs and is an avid hiking enthusiast.
Wag in the UK
My book, Wag: The Science of Making Your Dog Happy, was published in the UK last week.
In case you're thinking "wait, wasn't it already?", previously the Canadian version was available in the UK. This is a British version. It's available from all good bookstores, including Amazon and Bookshop UK.
Animal Book Club August 2024
"Grounded in science and full of fun, this compassionate and accessible book will appeal to everyone who loves dogs."--Zazie Todd PhD.
This month, the Animal Book Club is reading Dogs Demystified: An A-to-Z Guide to All Things Canine by Marc Bekoff.
From the publisher,
"An all-encompassing and fun reference from an award-winning scientist and dog lover
Dr. Marc Bekoff is an expert at turning cutting-edge science into practical, reader-friendly information. The encyclopedic entries in this book cover everything related to dog care, dog-human relationships, and dog behavior, cognition, and emotions, making this the accessible book that every dog lover should have. In concise, readable A-through-Z entries, Bekoff covers it all, from aggression to pack formation to zoomies, and explores why dogs do what they do; exactly how to meet any dog eye-to-eye, nose-to-nose, and ear-to-ear to understand their world better; and how tuning in to a dog’s unique personality leads to happier dogs and happier human companions."
Dogs Demystified is available from all good bookstores including my Amazon store.
If you'd like to join the book club, ask to join on Facebook and give the passcode parkin.
Cats don't want a bath...
I spoke to Tracie Hotchner on Cat Chat about the fact that your cat does not want a bath. Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or here: No thanks--your kitty does not want a bath.
You might also like another recent Cat Chat where I talked to Tracie about how to teach your cat to sit pretty.
Fearful and anxious dogs on Backyard Pet Talk
I chatted to Shannon Riley about my new book, Bark! The Science of Helping Your Anxious, Fearful, or Reactive Dog, on the Backyard Pet Talk podcast. We talked about my background, why I wrote Bark!, and what I most want you to know from the book. Listen wherever you get your podcasts or here.
Bark! The Science of Helping Your Anxious, Fearful, or Reactive Dog is available for pre-order now from all good bookstores and Amazon.
And finally… don’t forget to check out the schedule for Bark! Fest, the book festival for animal lovers, and sign up.