Cat expert explains why your cat is always acting weird
By Melissa Hart Samantha Bell’s Hollywood apartment is a cat’s dream home, filled with elegant scratching posts, plant-festooned cat trees and tasteful baskets holding feather wands and catnip mice....
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‘Unstoppable’ pack of disabled dogs proves the power of kindness
It’s an overcast day at Surf City shopping center in Huntington Beach, with a hint of salty spray in the air. The outdoor seating area that overlooks the iconic pier begins to fill with hungry patrons,...
View ArticleWhen divorce happens, who gets to keep the pet can cause a custody battle
Nicole Simon and her now ex-boyfriend got an Australian cattle dog mix, Murphy, from a friend of one of her clients. Simon, a hairstylist, was in the relationship for six years. But toward the end, she...
View ArticleHow to weigh the pros and cons of buying pet insurance
By Lois M. Baron People buy pet insurance for peace of mind. But in truth, insurance coverage comes with so many variations from so many different providers that you can’t sign on any old dotted line...
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Need a place to take your dog for exercise? There’s an app for that
Some pet owners have mellow dogs. Others have exuberant pups with energies that border on maniacal if not properly channeled. To any and all dog owners, the mobile app Sniffspot offers a private...
View ArticleWant to capture your pet’s personality in a photo? The Salty Dog knows how
At The Salty Dog Studio in Costa Mesa, Katelin Journigan will capture the sweet, charming and sometimes goofy facets of your furry friend’s personality. Inspired by her own silver Labrador, Captain,...
View ArticleWhy I chose in-home pet euthanasia for our beloved dog
His breathing grew ragged. He’d lift his head, fighting for air, his flanks heaving like furry white bellows. Our 16-year-old husky mix dog Sirius White was nearing the end. Nine weeks earlier, the vet...
View ArticleWhat to do if you and your pet cross paths with a coyote
You’re walking your dog early in the morning, as usual. But as you amble up the sidewalk, you spot a furry brown shape up ahead. You tighten the leash, worried about an aggressive stray dog. Then you...
View ArticleHere’s why foxtails can be dangerous for pets
Whenever warmer weather rolls around, pet parents have to deal with the bogeyman of the outdoors: foxtails. These anxiety-inducing plants are the portion of a weedy grass that contains the grass seed....
View ArticleHere’s where to hike with your dog in Southern California and how to do it...
Taking a hiking adventure with your dog can make for a bonding, energizing and just plain fun experience for both of you. But hiking with a dog involves a little more than just heading to a park with a...
View ArticleThis grief therapist draws on her own experience with loss to help others
Claire Bidwell Smith is no stranger to grief. She lost both of her parents to cancer at a young age — her mother when she was 18, and her father when she was 25. “I entered into my adult life with a...
View ArticleHere’s help for deciding who should make end-of-life healthcare decisions
By Andrea Richards Have you decided who will make tough choices for you, if you can’t make them for yourself? According to a 2020 survey from the National Poll on Health Aging, more than half of older...
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What some caregivers have learned caring for ill loved ones
“It’s not the most comfortable moment that I’m having, but there are these radical lessons.” That’s how performer/writer Chris Wells describes the experience of moving with his husband from New York...
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12 things to help you find community and combat loneliness
By Andrea Richards The global pandemic intensified what was already classified as an epidemic of loneliness in America. A 2021 study commissioned by Cigna concluded that more than half of adults in the...
View Article7 things I’ve learned about how to live happily in retirement
Long before I had any thoughts of retirement, I enjoyed a busy career as a journalist. On a rare night off, I was invited to a writer friend’s house; she was a superb hostess with a cranky, charismatic...
View ArticleHere’s a checklist for getting your financial affairs in order
What’s the missing piece in your peace of mind? If you’re worried about what happens as you age, or when you’re no longer able to handle your own affairs, or even when you’re no longer around, it’s...
View ArticleHere’s how the feeling of awe can improve your wellbeing
This spring, on a whim, I brought home 12 narrow-leaf milkweed seedlings from a Rivers & Lands Conservancy membership event and planted them in my front yard. They are a key plant in the...
View ArticleWhy it’s time to face up to your hearing loss
Why was everyone always mumbling, like they had marbles in their mouths? Why did my husband and son constantly complain that I cranked the sound too loud on the television? Couldn’t they tell there was...
View ArticleWhy it’s never too late to protect against skin cancers
A tsunami of grief washed over Margaritaville earlier this year, and it had nothing to do with that lost shaker of salt. Musician Jimmy Buffett, who for countless fans was the embodiment of beach sun...
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Looking for a workout that benefits your body and soul? Try a dance class.
After moving to Los Angeles from Texas in 1987, Laura Canellias “stumbled” into a salsa club, made some new friends and found a new passion. About a year later, Canellias, who had taught ballroom dance...
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