A affordable option to incorporate Fear Free into your pet’s routine also keeps vets happy

Here’s a follow up to an idea that I posted to Facebook in March. 

We all know how vital the notion of having the most helpful and awesome tools are to interacting effectively, efficiently and safely with the pets in our life. The same is true for thinking about the economy of it all. Stuff is expensive. 

I frequently keep commercially available baby food pouches on hand and use (upon family’s consent) as a tool with pets to provide a distraction from unpleasant things during vet visits. They’re also useful when traditional treats (reinforcers) aren’t enough I need to employ a high value reinforcer to get the behaviors I want and need from a dog or a cat, and my hands need to stay clean. 

Reusable baby food pouches are a great option that is consistent with a set of strategies that encompass the Fear Free philosophy, and they meet the requirement of being affordable while being able to deliver whatever tasty, puréed/slurried food reinforcer a pet deems to be one that is super-high value. 

Another really important aspect of these pouches is they address a hurdle that many families face: staying adherent to a pet’s dietary restrictions. Many pets have health issues, for example IBD/IBS or kidney disease, that necessitate special diets—even prescription food. Most prescription diets are available in canned varieties and can be used to fill the pouches, though in a pinch, surely kibble could be crushed up and soaked in warm water to soften and create a mush that can be loaded into them. 

In any case, it’s not a tough sell to see why you need to get your hands on these inexpensive tools, regardless of the Fear Free interaction you want to nail, yes, even during training. They’re customizable, easy to clean and disinfect, and reduce the load on landfills.

Click here to obtain yours. 

With over 20 years of experience, Lorrie Shaw is a Certified Professional Pet Sitter, Certified Fear Free Professional–pet sitter, and owner of Professional Pet Sitting. A specialist in ancillary pet palliative and pet hospice care, she’s also a member of Doggone Safe (where she completed the Speak Dog Certificate Program), as well as the International Association of Animal Hospice and Palliative Care, Pet Sitters International, Pet Professional Guild, International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (supporting member) and Ann Arbor Area Pet Sitters. Lorrie can be found at lorrieshaw.com. She tweets at @psa2

Tack-sharp exchanges between caregivers, loved ones during a pet’s fourth life stage beg for understanding

I often come into a family’s life at a time that’s fraught with fear of the known and unknown, sadness, murky territory.

Did I mention tension? 

That kind of strain is so pervasive in the area of the fourth life stage and end-of-life. And when it involves our pets, it can be very complicated. No matter if there is one human involved, or multiple members of a family, the tension is expected. It’s an understandably scary time. In my years working with families finding themselves walking in what some have initially characterized as quicksand, bearing witness to words being tossed like the harshest of barbs is par for the course. 

Recalling a stern warning from the instructor at the helm of the professional end-of-life doula training that I took part in years ago, I thought, ah... I recognize that.

“You should not be tolerating verbal abuse in the course of your work...” 

And the instructor is absolutely correct: as a professional, as a human being, I need not indulge other’s inclinations to dole out verbal abuse toward me. That kind of thing is never okay. And it’s not accepted. But—yes, though it can be seen more of an excuse, rather than an explanation in some cases—I feel it’s important to stop and look at an exchange that falls short of what someone might normally expect from themselves with some context. And without ego. 

Let’s face it, none of us are perfect. And when we’re in a stressful situation, especially navigating a pet’s fourth life stage, we need to cut ourselves and each other a little slack. There are going to be barbs carelessly tossed about in a tense moment, whether that’s toward a loved one or even a member of the professional team on board to support us.

And so, I take the words from one wise human who learned them from another before her as an offering: the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg “...it helps to be a little deaf”. Though she noted this sage advice in the context of marriage, I find it very useful in my work with families who are navigating their pet’s twilight or fourth life stage. The families find it useful, too. 

There are a few things that I keep in mind as I walk with a family during their pet’s fourth life stage. They really help me maintain perspective and guide these families. There’s a fair amount of fear about the known and the unknown for what lies ahead, not to mention anticipatory grief. The differing vantage points and relationships with each loved one, including the pet, have weight—no one wants to see a loved one struggle or suffer. Past experiences in coping with diagnoses, doctors, death and grief are unquestionably influential. Caregiver burden can most definitely allow those sharp words to escape more easily. 

No one is immune to these emotions and biases.

The most crucial thing I keep at the forefront as I’m encountering a stressful exchange between loved ones, I remember that everyone involved cares very much about the pet at the center, and wants the best for them. That’s something that I wholeheartedly remind families when they feel the sting of wayward comments from members of their tribe. In most cases, it’s better to give that person a pass, let the comments slide and offer some grace and tenderness. (And as a second strategy, use some thoughtful, genuine curiosity. That other person likely needs to be seen, heard and acknowledged.) After all, none of us are immune to needing a healthy dose of that in the midst of an important time of life like our pet’s fourth life stage.

Lorrie Shaw has trained as an end-of life doula and earned her certification in Pet Loss and Grief Companioning in 2017, which qualifies her to work in a professional capacity with families coping with the emotional toil with pets in end-of-life, as well as individuals seeking professional Companioning in their journey through pet loss and grief. She's a member of the International Association of Animal Hospice and Palliative Care, National End-of Life Alliance and Association for Pet Loss and Bereavement. She can be found at lorrieshaw.com, and tweets at @psa2.

Storm warning 'Bombogenesis' poses special challenges to families with pets

Over the past few days, here in Southeast Michigan, we've been hearing murmurings of a rare winter storm event -- Bombogenesis -- that will evidently matierialize later this weekend. It seems important to highlight the inherent challenges this weather event can pose to sharing life with pets, along with some ideas to keep everyone safe.

• Bring your outdoor pets inside.
• Check for breaches in your yard fencing and inspect the latches on your fence gates before letting your pets loose in the backyard.
• Keep the deadbolts on your home's doors locked to guard against the extreme wind blowing the doors open, allowing pets to escape.
• The noise from the wind can trigger a sense of unease with some pets. Consider playing background noise like talk radio or soothing music to buffer anything going on outdoors. Synthetic pheromone products like Feliway for cats and Adaptil for dogs can help promote a sense of calm.
• During times of noisy, turbulent weather, pets have a higher incidence of becoming confused or frightened of escaping their homes. Ensuring that a pet's microchip information is updated (with your current address and contact info) is crucial, as is having your pet wear a secure collar with tags bearing their name, your current contact info and rabies tag. Don't forget to use that smartphone and snap some up-to-date photographs of your pet. 
• Exercise a heightened sense of caution with regard to your pet's outdoor activity. Check your property for downed power lines each time your pets go outside, and be very vigilant for dangers like these while walking your dogs, regardless of where you are.
• Explore back up plans for pet-friendly lodging or boarding options beforehand should you lose power for an extended period of time, and have your pet's vaccination records, food and other essentials handy should you need to leave home in a hurry. 

Lorrie Shaw is a Certified Professional Pet Sitter, Certified Pet Loss and Grief Companion, and owner of Professional Pet Sitting, where she specializes in ancillary pet palliative and pet hospice care. She's also a member of Doggone Safe (where she completed the Speak Dog Certificate Program), as well as the International Association of Animal Hospice and Palliative Care, Pet Sitters International, Pet Professional Guild, International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (supporting member) and Ann Arbor Area Pet Sitters. Lorrie can be found at lorrieshaw.com. She tweets at @psa2.

Disrupted sleep cycles can be a result of and a clue into how much stressful events affect dogs

“Bumble has been behaving oddly the past few weeks, and I’ve been concerned about that, given that she’s so young and has been healthy. She’s been urinating in the house, and at times seems so touchy. You know her pretty well -- any ideas??”

This was an email that I got a few weeks ago, and the question, well, it’s not all that unusual.

I decided to call Bumble’s human, rather than email back, since it seemed like the best way to get to a solution. We chatted for a bit, talking about what was going on in her family’s life, and then I asked some more questions that ranged from if there were any changes in the dog’s appetite, her water intake, bowel movements, any disinterest in her usual favored things or activities, apprehension with other pets -- any small detail. A couple of things had accompanied the inappropriate elimination, including some sleep changes and being withdrawn at times. She even snapped at the vet staff -- something that was very uncharacteristic of her, as she loves going to the vet -- to have an exam to get to the bottom of any possible health issue behind the behavior changes. Plowing forward, I helped Bumble’s human whittle down things even more: was there a pattern to these things happening? When did they start? Does the intensity increase at any time?

In the end, we figured out that, after an unfavorable interaction with another dog that occurred weeks before (Bumble was bitten and required a few stitches and an antibiotic for a bite wound to her leg), she hadn’t been herself -- that’s the time that the behavioral changes started. Putting everything together, it all made sense. But one thing -- the sleep changes -- were especially telling.

A recent study on how stressful experiences affect a dog’s sleep drive home this point. Researchers from the Family Dog Project wanted to see if stress affects sleep, and just how much. The results, which were derived from observing 16 dogs, divided into two groups (one-half having a good interaction, the other an unfavorable one) over a period of days. You can learn more about the study by clicking here.

We know that sleep is important for a lot of things, and during all stages of life. It’s especially vital when we are trying to heal from an injury (as in Bumble’s case) or navigating a stressful period. A secondary issue that Bumble’s family faced is that they were losing sleep because of Bumble’s tendency to be restless at night.

After implementing some strategies that I suggested (with her vet’s input, blessing and oversight) to help Bumble manage the after-effects of the traumatic event that she encountered, the sweet pooch was able to settle into a more normal routine and get back on track.

The takeaway: when a pet is expressing behaviors that are new to us, and troubling or less-than-we-expect from them, we can’t opine that they are doing so out of spite, or anger or other very-human reaction. Pets are great communicators, and if we are paying close attention to the details, we can often get to the root of what is going on. We also can’t discount the importance of sleep, for every member of the family.

Lorrie Shaw is owner of Professional Pet Sitting, where she specializes in ancillary pet palliative and pet hospice care and is also a Certified Pet Loss and Grief Companion. She's a member of Doggone Safe (where she completed the Speak Dog Certificate Program), as well as the International Association of Animal Hospice and Palliative Care, Pet Sitter International and Pet Professional Guild. She tweets at @psa2.

Despite advances in veterinary care, there are limits and that can carry an increasing emotional burden

Health care has been a hot topic in the recent election, and it's no wonder: the cost has risen along with the advances that have been made in medical treatment. Those of us who share life with pets know that the same holds true in veterinary medicine. While the basic medical care and preventative services are fairly affordable, treatment for other things like chronic conditions, surgeries, alternative treatments and care by a veterinary specialist cost more and for some families, they can be out of reach. 

Pet health insurance can help defer the financial burden of medical care. As someone who did not take advantage of that option as it had gained popularity during the latter part of my pet's lives, I admit that I wish I had. I had put away extra money for their care and was able to manage paying for four hospitalizations—which included two surgeries—as well as some alternative treatment to complement the traditional treatment plans to address their needs. If I hadn't, I assure you that would have informed my decision-making processes differently. That was something that was never lost on me. I was aware that my financial situation could have changed at any moment. 

The autonomy that I had with addressing my pet's medical needs didn't afford me having a casual attitude about it. In truth, quite the contrary—I feel that it kept my feet on the ground in terms of gauging what was happening, and made me very conscious about where my pet's limits (and my own) were in terms of medical intervention throughout their life. This was most important during their hospice and end-of-life. 

I had to constantly check in with myself: Just because I could afford the care, was I making the decision because it was mindful one for them, or was I doing so purely from an emotional standpoint? Being actively engaged in keeping an honest eye on any changes I noticed, checking in with myself/my loved ones/my vets about how I was feeling (and how everyone was feeling) about handling things helped me arrive where I needed to be with treatment options.

Sometimes forging ahead with treatment is a no-brainer. Other times, it's murky as Hell and overwhelming. There are also plenty of nuances in between. 

I did understand that at any time, I might hit a point when I wasn't able to consent to proceed with treatment due to financial constraints, or because the pet in question simply wouldn't tolerate it—truly a helpless feeling. In fact, both factors were the case with Silver, my 19 year-old cat, who passed this past summer. 

But one thing that I tried to keep in mind as we navigated this time of life is that medical intervention, medication and alternative therapies have limits, as do pets. (And so do people.)

One might discover that it's simply the end of the road, and continuing with treatment or supportive care isn't even an option. It can be a prompt from the pet—yes, I'm ready. And one shouldn't be ashamed to discover that can be coupled with their own ...I'm ready too. The circumstance of deciding, after a decline, to have a pet helped along with their vet's assistance before they go into serious crisis would be the best thing is plausible. Perhaps the pet's safety while family is away at work and school is of considerable concern. Though veterinarians strive to make palliative and hospice care plans as simple and streamlined to carry out, the fact is that in some cases, they're not always something that a pet owner can manage—for many reasons. Sudden serious illnesses and accidents occur, and treatment costs can be prohibitive. Families that I've assisted during pet hospice and otherwise have faced these scenarios, and a couple of them are familiar in my own experience.

So, while keeping in mind that yes, while there are more treatment options and resources than ever that can be tapped into when it comes to our pets, there is a plethora of reasons why utilizing them isn't feasible. When the pet's best interest is at the center of a decision, there is no shame in that, nor should there be judgement from any angle.

With over 20 years of experience in pet care and the past 8 of those focused on animal hospice, Lorrie Shaw holds a certification in pet loss and grief companioning, is a Certified Fear Free Professional–pet sitter, and CXO of Telos Companion Animal Services, LLC. In April 2023, she graduated with honors from Animal Hospice Group’s certification program, earning her Certified Animal Hospice Practitioner credential. She can be found at lorrieshaw.com

A gradual approach can help pets and humans adjust to daylight savings time

Before too long, we’ll be relishing longer days, and warmer temperatures  -- but first we’ll be adjusting our clocks. This coming weekend, we’ll be setting our timepieces forward for daylight savings time (DST). Though that task doesn’t seem challenging, we’ll be slogging through the first few days of having lost that hour of sleep. So tough, right?  For many households, it’s not just the biped members of the family that will need to adjust: our pets will right there along with us, and that can throw a wrench into things.

Despite the fact that pets are not on a circadian rhythm as we are (though cats are crepescular), they are very much in tune to our schedules and habits, no matter what those are.

Though mine is very much a household without canines for now, I had to laugh every year during those first few days after daylight savings time when Gretchen -- who was always the kind of dog that was all too happy to sleep in -- would raise her head and give the look of, ‘Just 10 more minutes, please…’

In any case, in my house, the change can make for a rough handful of mornings of early appointments if I don't prepare.

With that in mind, I try to make things easier on myself as a caregiver and on my senior cat, Silver, who needs medication before I head out for the morning. Here are my strategies for staying on track this time of year.

Take a gradual approach

Usually a week or so before we’re due to ‘spring forward’ forward each year, I prepare by tweaking my usual wake time by 15 minutes every other day so that I can adjust, and help my charges do the same. By the time we spring forward, the hour difference poses little problem. Most folks will attest that their pets know when it’s time for dinner, and that they pick up on any deviation. Incorporating the same 15-minute adjustment over a week’s time can help make that transition seamless, too.

Use the extra daylight to your advantage

The longer days, especially once the change occurs, can be an asset. I use that to encourage some additional physical activity (or mental stimulation, given a pet’s abilities) for my charges, which helps them to wind down more easily at bedtime and ease into dreamland. Settling down at night after the time change can be especially difficult, and young companion animals, as well as those in advanced age really need adequate sleep. Consider getting in a hearty walk before sunset, or introduce novel games to stimulate both the brain and body. Fun stuff, like a satisfying chew toy or stuffed Kong are great for any age group of dog. Cats love to have constructive things to do too and a light snack delivered via a foraging toy can help.


Room to rest

In plenty of households, it's common for pets to share their human's bed. While there certainly isn't anything wrong with that, it's not out of the question to draw the line in some respects, either, especially if the transition to daylight savings time is causing a disruption in sleep. Ensuring that your pets have an alternate place of their own to rest their bones if they are finding it difficult to settle in (or having a chew party) at bedtime can be helpful. Click here for more ideas on helping you and your four-legged friends get some shut eye.


Lorrie Shaw is a freelance writer and owner of Professional Pet Sitting. Shoot her an email, contact her at 734-904-7279 or follow her adventures on Twitter.

The choice in substrate for your bird's enclosure can keep them healthier

Having lots of hands-on experience with exotic birds, I can tell you they're not only a lot of fun to spend time with, but require a lot of your time and diligence, just like any other pet.

Whether you're talking about parrots, cockatoos, macaws – even parakeets – being able to keep track of how they're feeling and cleaning up after them easily is a must. (Yes, they're all messier than you'd think!)

As a caregiver, this is especially important. Having that well in hand enables me to spend more time with them doing equally important things, like creating foraging toys for them, preparing fresh meals and interacting.

Enclosures vary from bird to bird, and that has a lot to do with affordability, and the size of the animal. One thing that they all have in common is that there is some sort of tray on the bottom to catch droppings and of course the food that invariably makes its way down, which is covered with some sort of substrate. 

There are many choices that one could pick from to line the tray, and in all my years as a pet sitter, I have seen them all.

Even though birds usually can't have direct access to the substrate (there's usually a bottom grate that separates the inside of the cage from the substrate's tray), whatever is lining the bottom should be safe and ideal for the health of your pet.

Not all products are created equal

Kitty litter is one of the worst choices for substrate. The clay variety produces particulate and dust, which can cause respiratory issues in avians (and other health problems as you'll read later), while clumping litter can be especially dangerous if it somehow injested into the G.I. tract. Also, many litters are scented, which is unhealthy for birds. 

Sand is not recommended as it can be ingested, but mostly it's difficult to clean. Also, it's a mess to deal with.

Wood shavings and chips might seem mindful, but one drawback is the potential for natural toxic substances in varieties including cedar, pine and redwood to sicken birds. 

Walnut shells and corncobs are popular natural alternatives, but unfortunately they make excellent breeding grounds for fungi, mold and bacteria. Some varieties of mold, like aspergillus can be deadly to birds. Also, these products are easily ingested and can cause an intestinal blockage.

Paper pellets and pulp bedding share an inherent downside that all of the other choices also possess: they make it difficult to do "poop patrol" – something that I can tell you as a caregiver is a vital part of my job. Checking the amount of droppings per day, along with the consistency and appearance of the waste is so important in understanding if something is amiss with a bird. 

Additional concerns

Kitty litter, walnut shells and corn cobs produce a lot of particulate in a bird's environment, and is something that could contribute to the development of a rhinolith. 

Rhinoliths (the Greek stem of the word refers to the word "nose"), commonly referred to as nose stones, are caused by material that accumulates between the nares (the nasal-like openings) and the hardened flap of keratin just behind them, called the operculum. Nose stones can cause problems in the tissue and worse, malformations of the bone. Unfortunately, they need to be tended to by a veterinarian experienced with birds. Dr. Leila Marucci, DVM, D-ABVP details this condition on her blog and offers tips on prevention. Click here to read more. 

The best option 

My favorite choice for bird cage substrate is good, old newspaper or paper bags. Both lay flat, make the droppings easy to see and removing soiled layers is a cinch. As the least expensive options, they're easy to obtain and you'll be repurposing perfectly useful material at the same time. 

Lorrie Shaw is a freelance writer and owner of Professional Pet Sitting. Shoot her an email, contact her at 734-904-7279 or follow her adventures on Twitter.

Animals process visual input at a rate that differs from humans, according to study

The sensory systems of animals play a crucial role in the way that each animal interacts, whether that is intraspecifically (as in locating a mate or fighting over food) or interspecifically, where animals of different species might compete for resources, like light, or if they are engaged in a predator-prey interaction.

The latter is a good example of how the limitations of sensory systems work within the construct of different species: having the ability to track fast-moving objects like prey, or avoid being an unwitting target becomes essential.

Sensory limitations and spacial acuity in animals have been studied before, but the temporal resolution at which the information that an animal perceives hasn't garnered as much scrutiny. The way that animals process information over fine time scales is basic to how they survive in their habitat.

Researchers from the School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland and Universities of Edinburg and St. Andrews set out to study how temporal information (how time is experienced) might be affected by body size and metabolic rate in vertebrates. In a paper titled Metabolic rate and body size are linked with perception of temporal information, scientists give us an idea of what goes on inside the brains of animals as they process what they see.

By using critical flicker fusion (CFF), the research team was able to measure how the brain processes the information.

In a previous piece, I highlighted how members of different species — dogs, cats and birds — perceive refresh rates of televisions and computer screens. Canines require about 70 images per second, birds need roughly 100 of them and we humans only require 16 - 29.

With that in mind, it could give a little context to how animals coordinate visual information — just one part of how sensory systems work in animals.

As the study illustrated, there are two factors that significantly impact how an animal reacts to what's going on around them — body size and metabolic rate.

The findings indicate a couple of things:

• An animal's perception of time depends on how fast their nervous system can process information in order to react to its environment.
• Detecting and processing visual information at a high rate would be key for animals that need to respond to visual stimuli swiftly to avoid falling prey to a predator, or to capture prey. Most often these animals have fast metabolisms and are at the lighter end of the weight scale. (Think winged creatures.) The researchers hypothesize that creatures at this end of the spectrum perceive time at the finest of resolutions. In essence, movements and events will appear to unfold more slowly to them.

There's one thing that stuck out in my mind and could be a plausible driving force for the differences amongst the species: Animals, all having different nervous systems, have evolved to adjust to the changes in their respective environments with something in common — conserving energy.

A hummingbird, with their small stature and own methods of locating food, for example, would need to have a higher perception rate than that of the much-larger elephant, as the latter finds their own food sources much differently and would waste a lot of energy by trying to dart around quickly.

Dogs take in visual information about 25% more slowly than human, seeing a light flash about 75 times per second, which translates into time moving at a slower pace for them. Cats see the light flash around 55 times per second.

The implications that this might have on canine training and how we communicate with dogs, if any, is certainly intriguing.

I don't know about you, but the next time I spy a dog stalking a squirrel in their backyard, I think I'll have more of an appreciation for how each animal is experiencing the situation.

Click here to read more on the study.



Lorrie Shaw is a freelance writer -- most recently as a contributor on MLive -- and owner of Professional Pet Sitting. Shoot her an email, contact her at 734-904-7279 or follow her adventures on Twitter.

Omelets are fun, homemade comfort food for exotic birds year round

Exotic birds are interesting, intelligent creatures and are no different than other species of captive pets in that they gain pleasure from eating.

It's not hard to get them to eat by and large, though some birds not exposed to a varied diet from a tender age can be quite fussy. Much like their exotic mammalian counterparts, they have preferences when it comes to food, and care needs the taken with their diet to ensure that it's balanced. Too much of one thing and not enough of another (including exercise) can lead to dietary deficiencies and obesity, which in turn can lead to illnesses like heart disease.

Fresh vegetables and fruit, nuts and some seeds are beneficial to maintain not only physical health, but when they are offered in ways that enable birds to forage, they gain the benefits derived from that activity. (Click here for more on creating edible foraging toys for birds.)

Omelets are a great way to include a bird's favorite grains, legumes, seeds, fruits and vegetables in one meal that is yummy, warm and offers the soft, moist texture that many birds crave. Texture is important, too.

These tasty warm offerings are a cinch to make, they're inexpensive and can be made ahead days in advance and refrigerated for convenience. The latter is a boon, especially if you have a caregiver come in to tend to your bird while you're away, as one of my clients does.

Starting with a fresh whole egg and the method below, you can whip up an omelet using your bird's favored ingredients or as some people do, use a product called Crazy Corn that's made with nuts, peppers, whole grains, pasta, papaya, banana chips, pineapple and vegetables, which is cooked first. (I've actually tasted a little precooked, refrigerated Crazy Corn to ensure it was still fresh for a bird before serving it to them, and it's easy to see why birds like it!)


Exotic Bird Omelet

Toss 1 clean egg, shell and all into bowl and crush up with a fork
To that, add 4 tablespoons of your bird's favorite veggies, fruit, cooked beans, legumes and grains (or cooked Crazy Corn Mix) and microwave for 4 minutes* or until puffy & cooked dry. Allow to cool until just slightly warm, cut into wedges and serve. Refrigerate leftover wedges in an airtight container and serve within 3-4 days. Reheat portions in the microwave 5-6 seconds, testing for hot spots to serve warm to your bird daily.

Crazy Corn or the other products in the company's line (click here for their website) can be cooked months in advance and frozen in small batches for ease of preparation.

*microwave wattages vary, this time is approximate so your appliance may take more or less time.


Lorrie Shaw is a freelance writer -- most recently as a regular contributor for The Ann Arbor News -- and owner of Professional Pet Sitting. Shoot her an email, contact her at 734-904-7279 or follow her adventures on Twitter.

Play is important in the development and training of pets, and finding what is a motivator is the key to using it optimally

Play is something that we often forget about participating in as we age. We usually are reminded of how good it feels to partake in it when we have children, or for a lot of us, when we have pets.

With that in mind, it's helpful to turn the tables and be mindful of how beneficial it is for our pets.

As ethologists have learned from discoveries in their research, play isn't just a fun thing to do — it's vital.

You see, as humans, during the process of play we learn, grow, think, reason, step outside of our comfort zone and acquire new skills in the process. We know from research that's been done that this is the case with animals, too.

Learn more about how play is integral in brain development and enhancement by clicking here.

And, as Jaak Panksepp, Ph.D. — an author and researcher — indicates, depriving young animals of play puts them at a disadvantage: it affects the maturation of the brain. His research showed evidence that the simple act of play increased brain-derived neurotrophic factor, or BDNF, a protein linked to brain maturation.

It's easy to engage in play with puppies and kittens because they so willingly initiate it. But it's equally important to keep the ball rolling as a pet ages.

There are all sorts of games for dogs that are easy, inexpensive, fun and beneficial to play, and options are limitless, just as they are when thinking of the needs of cats.

Identifying your pet's play preferences can be helpful, as they can vary from not only species, but from pet to pet. Breed, age and physical capability can also influence the way a pet plays.

Some dogs are chewers, others love to hunt for things and still some others love to problem solve or even play with puzzle toys. You might even consider activities like nose work or agility for your pooch to give them a healthy outlet.

Cats have play preferences like birding, stalking or hide-and-seek.

Even birds like to — need to — play.

Human-pet play is an invaluable source of enrichment for a pet, and as I always remind when thinking about enrichment for your pet, "Spend half as much money, and twice as much time."

This type of play is different than self-directed play or interaction between other animals. One difference is that we use language to communicate during a fun activity, using repetitive phrases and gestures. Think about how this correlates with training.

Play has been an integral part of unfolding my now 14 year-old dog, Gretchen, and is one of the most important forms of interaction between myself and the animals in my care. By paying attention to and honoring how they play and engaging in a fun activity with them, I can quickly ascertain what motivates them, what they find off-putting and developing a bond with them.

What are your pets favorite games?

Lorrie Shaw is a freelance writer and owner of Professional Pet Sitting. Shoot her an email, contact her at 734-904-7279 or follow her adventures on Twitter.