Companion Animal Psychology Turns Ten

Celebrating ten years of inspiring people to have happier pets.

Companion Animal Psychology turns ten and the photo shows a dog eating a cake, next to a bowl of mandarin oranges
Photo: Nadezhda V. Kulagina/Shutterstock

By Zazie Todd PhD


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Ten years ago today, I wrote the first post on this blog.

At the time I didn’t really know how it would go, whether anyone would be interested to read it, or if this was a topic I would be interested in enough to keep blogging over time. Little did I know…

Here I am, ten years and 709 posts later, still blogging, because I still feel passionately about helping people to use reward-based training methods and provide more enrichment for their dogs and cats.

Along the way, I’ve written two books. Wag: The Science of Making Your Dog Happy was published in 2020, and Purr: The Science of Making Your Cat Happy will be published in May of this year. Both are published by Greystone Books, and Purr is available for pre-order now from all good bookstores. (Please pre-order if you are interested in it!).

The Animal Book Club is about to read its 54th book.

I’ve gained a brilliant Special Correspondent in my friend and colleague, Kristi Benson, whose posts manage to be both thoughtful and funny (her next post is coming soon, by the way).

And now there’s also The Pawsitive Post for those who want more science, more intel, and regular events whether they are webinars, journal club, or just a friendly chat with like-minded folk.

A ginger cat asleep on a blanket by a window with a bowl of daffodils
Daffodils are the flower of a tenth anniversary. (Note that they are poisonous to cats and dogs).
Photo: Victoria Kondysenko/Shutterstock

When I reflect on the last ten years, I think the best thing I have gained from writing this blog is the community of people I’ve met. I feel very lucky to have come to know so many of you, whether via social media, email, or in person. It makes me happy to know how many people are dedicated to being kind to animals (and kind to their people too). 

So thank you to all of you for your friendship, support, and encouragement over the years. I couldn’t have done this without you!

And thank you to everyone who signed up for Reading Cats and Dogs: A Conversation with Lili Chin, Sassafras Lowrey, and Zazie Todd, to help me celebrate. I thought it was a lovely event! If you missed it, you can still watch the recording.

I have a short survey for readers of this blog and would be grateful if you would complete it, whether you are a regular or occasional reader. You’ll have the option to leave your email address and be entered into a draw to win one of two USD25 Amazon vouchers (or equivalent at Amazon Canada or UK).  I'll do the draw on April 16th.

And if you’d like to support Companion Animal Psychology through another year, you can do so via a monthly or one-off contribution at Ko-fi.  

Thank you! 


Look out for some more anniversary posts coming soon. And in the meantime, don’t miss out these special anniversary discounts:


For more on Companion Animal Psychology at 10, see:

 

Zazie Todd, PhD, is the award-winning author of Wag: The Science of Making Your Dog Happy and the forthcoming Purr: The Science of Making Your Cat Happy. She is the creator of the popular blog, Companion Animal Psychology, and also has a column at Psychology Today. Todd lives in Maple Ridge, BC, with her husband, one dog, and two cats. 

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