The Pekin robin, Leiothrix lutea, is a sparrow-size songbird also known as the Pekin or Chinese nightingale due to its lyrical song. Though it bears the same name, it bears no relation to our native Robin of the thrush family – the name robin originates with the yellow or orange breast feathers. Continue Reading

If you read Part I of the Reading Labels article (and we hope you did), you probably wondered what else we could possibly have said on the subject. Hopefully, after reading this concluding chapter you understand why we begat this magnum opus… and also why we could have said even more! Continue Reading

There are thousands of ways to build a diet; the first ingredient tells about as much of the story as the first chapter in a novel. Continue Reading

Pets are more than just pretty animals on display in a cage or aquarium. One of Total Pet’s missions is to show what we can learn from their presence in our lives if we just take the time to observe their behaviors.

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Sometimes you’re forced to take a look at nature and just wonder. Wonder why, how, and when Mother Nature got so darn creative. Continue Reading

At its most basic definition, nature can be defined as all natural things that exist and have existed on earth from the beginning of time – from the simple self-replicating cells of the primordial ooze to the complex organisms of the present time, nature has found a way to perpetuate itself in a continuum of amazing changes that are the result of environmental changes and amazing circumstance.  Continue Reading

During the summer we can see bats in our nighttime skies almost every night. Unfortunately, through ignorance and humankind’s destructive expansion, hundreds of bat species are in trouble. We need to find a way to coexist with the other animals on Earth. Life on Earth can’t be just about us. Continue Reading

All foods spoil, though some degrade faster than others. This is a fact of life. Still, there are people who would disagree with this incontrovertible statement. We’re not sure, but these may be the same people that believe the world is flat. Continue Reading

Total Pet learned about Mary when she submitted photos of her pets Maverick and Diamond just after we wrapped up our final print edition of Total Pet Magazine. We found her story to be so heartwarming that we needed to spend a little more time with Mary and her family. Stories like this don’t often get reported… but we always need to hear more about people like Mary and her special pets. We asked Mary to share her story. Continue Reading

The ad goes like this… A man and his beautiful dog (note the flowing, supple coat) are running on a beach, again looking very healthy mind you, and the voiceover says that if you want your dog to live two years longer, you need to feed your dog brand X. Two years longer than what? The ad shows a young adult dog in good health. Would they show a one-eyed, three-legged mangy senior dog licking slop from a bowl? Would they ever show a dog eating their food that was not young and gorgeous? When we were young we could eat Styrofoam and still look young and vibrant. What does this commercial demonstrate? Where are the concrete facts? Continue Reading