Dog people, have you found The Forever Dog book by Rodney Habib and Dr. Karen Shaw Becker yet? This #1 New York Times bestseller is an excellent source of knowledge to help our dogs stay on the planet longer. And Susan Thixton of Truth About Pet Food endorses it, too!
This book shares the “Surprising new science to help your canine companion live younger, healthier & longer!” Truthfully, who doesn’t want that?
The authors sure did their homework! They included tons of studies to back up suggestions to help keep our dogs healthy and happy. Even if you don’t read the scientific studies, you will find “Longevity Junkie Takeaways” scattered throughout the chapter.
In the chapter, The Science of Aging, the authors share the differences in pet food quality and how those differences impact our dogs’ health. They remind us,
“It’s no secret why ultra-processed foods are so popular. They are convenient, just like fast food is for human consumption. Be we have to ask: How much have we sacrificed health for convenience?”
And throughout the book, they share incredibly useful information about good food and supplementation.
But they go farther than talking about just food. Equally as important, they gently ask us to create a healthy emotional environment for our animals.
As an animal communicator, I deeply resonated with and got a little teary-eyed when I read Dr. Becker’s thoughts. Because this is what I try to bring into all my animal communication sessions. Dr. Becker explains,
“It’s completely normal for dogs to growl when they feel scared or threatened; they are communicating. Yet most people tend to punish puppies when they growl.
“Training and teaching are two different approaches to help your dog learn what you’re asking for, what you want. Training doesn’t consider the animal’s individual emotional experience, whereas teaching takes into account the best way for the student to learn…
“Imagine being adopted by foreigners when you were young, then being screamed at in a strange language or physically punished when one of them tried taking things from you and you merely defended yourself…
“We expect them to act like human children who went to finishing school to learn perfect manners…when we haven’t done our part to get them through even one Montessori class of puppy kindergarten, much less pull our weight in the homeschooling or active listening departments.”
As you might have guessed, I love The Forever Dog’s focus on what our dogs (and all animal companions) need environmentally and emotionally as well as nutritionally.
If this resonates with you, get The Forever Dog!
And if you want to have a deeper conversation with your animal companion, I’d love to help!
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