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NOVEMBER 2019 / SOUTHERNLIVING.COM
32
PETIQUETTE
The Power of Play
Help pets stay out of mischief with
games designed to keep them occupied
BY GRACE HAYNES
Tank is living up to his name (he topped 60 pounds by the time
he was 7 months old), and he’s still a little clumsy. However, his
owners, Cat and Taylor Johnson, are former collegiate athletes
(Taylor even played Minor League Baseball) who enjoy group
outings. “We’re still working on the ‘athlete’ part of Tank. It will
take a while for him to grow into his lanky body,” says Cat. In the
meantime, nothing keeps this energetic sheepadoodle from
playing with his friends at Peachtree Hills Park. When he’s
tuckered out, Tank plops in front of the TV to catch up on the
Johnson family’s favorite sports team, the Atlanta Braves.
PET OF THE MONTH
Doodle in Training
Cheer along Atlanta’s fluffiest puppy
HOW TO KEEP THEM BUSY
Cut down on boredom
by providing fun activities
to channel some of the
restless energy of pets
that are left at home. Dr.
McGowan suggests toys,
like food puzzles, to keep
them mentally stimulated.
“Many pets will nap after
playing brain games,” she
says. You can find food
puzzles at stores or make
one yourself. Try hiding
treats inside a cardboard
tube (from a toilet paper,
wrapping paper, or paper
towel roll).
BORED DOGS ARE
LOOKING FOR TROUBLE
“When they’re at
home by themselves,
some dogs will shred
the couch because they
suffer from separation
anxiety, but more often,
they’ll do this because
they’re bored and tearing
it up is fun for them,” says
Dr. Ragen T.S. McGowan,
a research scientist at
Purina. “A lack of activity
options when they’re
left alone can lead to
this sort of destructive
behavior.”
GIVE BACK
A portion of the proceeds
from this bed goes to
help shelter pets through
P.L.A.Y.’s Warm Bellies
Initiative. STANDARD BED
IN HOUNDSTOOTH, from
$95; petplay.com
FUN FACT
Leading Lady: Did you know that Dorothy’s
trusted sidekick, Toto, was played by a female
cairn terrier named Terry in the 1939 version
of The Wizard of Oz?
QUALITY TIME: Having dinner
with family at the dog-friendly
Treehouse Pub in Atlanta
HEY, GOOD LOOKIN’! “Tank has
never met a mirror he didn’t
like. He loves checking himself
out,” Cat says. å
INSTAGRAM: @unleash_the_tank
BREED: Sheepadoodle (a cross
between an Old English sheep-
dog and a poodle)
AGE: Turning 1 next month
NICKNAMES: Mr. T or the Tankster
