The Free School for Dogs

06/19/2026

This is K9 Valor. He saved 47 soldiers. He survived a su***de bomber, then went on to stop three more, fighting tooth against knife. In the end, he placed himself between an explosion and his handler.

The blast shattered half his face. He lost his left eye and ear. He was flown to Germany, where surgeons worked to rebuild his jaw.

At the Pentagon, he was honored with a standing ovation that lasted over eight minutes.

A true American hero🇺🇸

06/04/2026

Every day I hear from pet parents who are doing everything right — feeding fresh food, avoiding toxic medications, steering clear of chemical flea and tick preventatives, and using herbs and mushrooms to support their dogs.

But their dogs still aren’t well.
It doesn’t make sense at first — until you dig deeper.
And that’s exactly what I did.
And what I found shocked me.

The Truth I Uncovered:
Pet parents are unknowingly giving their pets synthetic additives and isolated compounds — hidden in so-called “natural” or “holistic” supplements, treats, and even food.

These ingredients are not only ineffective — they are harmful. And they’re everywhere.

Get the full list here:
https://angelaardolino.com/podcast-downloads/

06/02/2026

Take time out to recharge

05/30/2026

Most pet parents focus on what’s in their pet’s bowl🥣, but this conversation shows that what the food is stored in matters just as much!

Materials like glass, food grade ceramic, and stainless steel sit at the top because they’re inert and don’t interact with food, while plastics fall into a spectrum depending on their type, quality, and condition. More stable plastics like #2, #4, and #5 can be reasonable options, but they’re still not completely inert, especially over time with exposure to fats, heat, and wear. Lower-quality or unknown plastics ( #3, #6, 7) raise more concern due to additives and higher potential for chemical migration, particularly when containers become scratched, cloudy, or degraded. Silicone is stable for short term use, but capable of absorbing oils and odours with long-term use.

One of the most practical takeaways is that storage habits matter: keeping kibble in its original bag and placing the whole bag inside a container helps reduce direct contact and preserves freshness. It’s nearly impossible to eliminate plastic entirely, but reducing long-term exposure from everyday storage is possible.

05/24/2026

A new peer-reviewed study in Frontiers in Veterinary Science found that 2 out of 3 dogs with lymphoma were exposed to benzene at DNA-damaging levels, and nearly 9 out of 10 were exposed to xylene. But here’s what most people miss: over half of healthy dogs had similar benzene exposure, and nearly all dogs had xylene exposure too.

This isn’t rare, it’s everyday life. These chemicals, released from products like cleaners, air fresheners, candles, paints, furniture, and even gas stoves, are commonly found in indoor air and can damage DNA in lab studies. Most dogs are living in a constant background of exposure we rarely think about.

The good news is you can reduce it.🙌 Focus on your indoor air, improve ventilation, use an air purifier with activated carbon if possible, avoid synthetic fragrances, switch to simpler low-toxin products, and eliminate smoke exposure. It’s not one big toxin that matters, it’s the constant low-level exposure over time.

And while reducing exposure is step one, supporting your dog’s ability to handle what they’re still exposed to matters just as much.

If you want a science-backed detox support option, Liver Lift™ is a daily, multi-pathway formula designed for pets living in today’s chemical world. It supports liver detox and bile flow, kidney filtration, lymphatic movement, gut binding, antioxidant regeneration, and nervous system regulation.

👉 Comment CLEANUP and we’ll send a link your way.

05/22/2026

From dr Ruth roberts
For anxiety

If you have ever typed "natural calming for dogs" into Google, you know what comes up. A wall of products all claiming to be the one. Calming chews. Pheromone collars. Essential oils. CBD. Herbs. Supplements with fourteen ingredients you cannot pronounce.

Most of it comes with zero guidance on how to actually use it.

So today I am breaking down what I really do in practice, the way I would walk through it with a coaching client.

Foundation first.​ Anxiety is rarely a brain-only problem. Inflammation in the gut sends signals straight to the brain through the vagus nerve, and about 90 percent of serotonin is produced in the gut. If we are medicating the brain and ignoring the gut, we are treating the smoke instead of the fire. Step one in every anxiety case I work is real food. The Original CrockPet Diet provides whole-food nutrition that supports the gut-brain axis from the ground up.

Daily wellness stack. ​Holistic Total Body Support is my whole-food glandular multivitamin. It contains the magnesium, B vitamins, and adrenal-supporting nutrients that anxious pets often run short on. Magnesium in particular supports muscle relaxation, sleep, and nervous-system function — and most kibble-fed pets do not get enough of it. Pair HTBS with a high-quality omega-3 (Calamari Omega-3 is what I use) for brain and nervous-system support.

CBD for situational and chronic anxiety. I have a relationship with EarthBuddy and use their products for my own dog. The quality criteria I look for in any CBD product:
Third-party tested
THC-free
Dosed by body weight, not "one chew per day regardless of size"
Given with a meal containing healthy fat — absorption is significantly improved this way
CBD is not magic, but used consistently it is one of the most reliable tools in my toolkit.

05/21/2026

I’ve written about this in the past. Now here is someone else’s story

🐾 Not every dog wants to be touched — and that's okay.

Dogs are not public property, and we should never assume that an unfamiliar (or even familiar) dog is inviting interaction just by being present.

The golden rule: don't approach unknown dogs. Give them space, stay relaxed, look slightly away, and let them come to you.

And even when a dog does approach you, sniffing, standing nearby, or coming close is NOT necessarily an invitation to pat them. Wait for clearer signals — loose, relaxed body language, leaning into your leg, gentle eye contact, a nudge, a paw, or a play bow. Those are consent.

Once you have those signals, you can ask their guardian if it's okay to interact. Keep it brief, and pause to check if they want to continue.

🚫 Avoid: patting on the head, pushing your hand in their face, hugging, or overwhelming them with too many people or too much intensity.

⚠️ Signs a dog is uncomfortable: lip licking, yawning, looking away, moving away, ears pinned back, tail tucked, whale eye (whites of the eyes showing) — and of course snapping or growling, which is an immediate request for more space.

This applies to children too — teaching kids that unknown dogs are not to be approached is one of the most important lessons we can pass on.

I've put together an infographic breaking all of this down — save it and share it! 👆

And if you want to go deeper, I've also made a video exploring whether people should even have the expectation to pat an unknown dog — and why "asking first" doesn't always make it okay 👇
📺 https://youtu.be/K2D8cOGUhs4

05/19/2026

🐴 A HISTORIC DAY FOR HORSES 🐴

After decades of operation, Canada’s largest horse slaughterhouse — Bouvry Exports in Fort Macleod, Alberta — has officially closed its doors for good.

This was the facility where thousands of horses each year drew their final breath: retired racehorses, faithful ranch and trail companions, family pets sold at auction, and wild mustangs. Many shipped across the border from the United States, held in feedlots, then slaughtered for the horse meat markets in Japan and Europe.

For years, brave activists, undercover investigators, journalists, and everyday horse lovers refused to stay silent. They documented the suffering, held protests, gathered petitions, and kept the pressure on. Today, that tireless work has delivered a real victory. 💔🤍

The Canadian Horse Defence Coalition has confirmed: Bouvry Exports is permanently closed and no longer accepting horses for slaughter.

This moment belongs to every person who has ever gazed into a horse’s eyes and seen a soul staring back. To the rescue groups who outbid kill buyers at auctions. To the volunteers who stood in freezing weather with signs. To the investigators who never looked away.
But the fight is far from over. 🐴

Horse slaughter continues at Viande Richelieu in Quebec. Live horse exports to Japan by plane still happen. And there are real concerns that slaughter operations could expand elsewhere to fill the gap.

So today we celebrate this hard-won victory.
Tomorrow we keep fighting — until every horse is allowed to live out its days in peace.
Every horse deserves a pasture, not a slaughterhouse. 🤍

What are your thoughts on this victory? Share below 👇

📰 Source: Canadian Horse Defence Coalition / World Animal News