The Pet Parent Hotline | Pet Parent Advice & Support for Overwhelmed Pet Parents

Author: Amy Castro

You thought a pet would be the perfect addition to your life. Instead, your bank accounts drained, your dog wont stop barking, your cats peeing everywhere, and your house is such a disaster you cant have friends over. Youve shelled out for trainers and followed your vets advice, and youre still up at 2 a.m. scrolling for answers and wondering how long you can keep trying to meet your pets needs while ignoring your own.Many pet podcasts dish out pet care advice like youve got endless time, money, and a perfectly behaved golden retriever straight out of a Disney movie. This one doesnt. Its for real pet parents who love their pets and need help managing the behavior, the budget, and the mayhem without losing their minds or giving up on their pets.Im your host, Amy Castro, pet industry pro, animal rescuer, and trusted advisor to thousands of pet parents whove been exactly where you are.After personally fostering more than 4,000 pets and helping their pet parents go from overwhelmed to capable and confident, Ive learned one thing: youre not a bad pet parent; you just havent gotten the right pet care advice, tailored to your real life. So, this podcast brings you pet parent education with no-fluff tools, real talk, and plenty of laugh-out-loud moments to help you feel seen, supported, and back in control of your life and your pets. Every week, Ill answer your pet care questions and break down expert advice on everything from dog training mistakes and cat litter box problems to pet cost hacks for saving money at the vet and at the pet store on pet food and pet supplies. You'll walk away with bite-sized, doable steps that really work for your budget, your schedule, and your perfectly imperfect pets.So you can stop chasing your tail . . . and finally, enjoy your pets and your life again.
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Language: en-us

Genres: Education, How To, Kids & Family, Pets & Animals

Contact email: Get it

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Should You Get A Dog For Your Dog, Or Is It a Big Mistake?
Sunday, 15 February, 2026

Should you get a dog for your dog… or are you about to double your stress, noise, behavior issues, and vet bills?Many pet parents see a bored, clingy, or “lonely” dog (or other pet) and assume the solution is a companion, a boyfriend, girlfriend, sibling, or built-in best friend. But adding another dog doesn’t automatically make life easier. It can just as easily increase barking, trigger resource guarding, amplify anxiety, and create daily management problems you didn’t have before, especially if you don’t actually know why your dog is acting that way in the first place. In this episode, veterinary psychiatrist Dr. Rachel Malamed, DVM, DACVB, CABC, MBA, breaks down when getting a second dog truly helps, when it backfires, and how to tell whether your dog actually needs a companion or just better enrichment, structure, or training, or time with their favorite person - you!BY THE TIME YOU FINISH LISTENING, YOU’LL DISCOVER: • What “my dog is lonely” really means and how to assess it correctly • The most common ways a second dog makes behavior issues worse • The 3-part filter to use before bringing home another dog: capacity, compatibility, and motivationIf you are even considering adding another pet to the family, especially dog number two, pause and listen to this first.CONNECT WITH DR. RACHEL MALAMEDWebsite | https://www.behaviordogtor.comFacebook Group | Pet Psychiatry and Behavior Support for Pet Parents Instagram | @dr.rachelmalamedI was a guest on the That’s Good Parenting podcast talking about how to bring a pet into a busy family without turning your house into chaos. Listen here: petparenthotline.com/thatsgoodparenting Support the showExpert Pet Advice for busy pet parents! Love the show? Leave a 5-star review so more pet parents can find us, and share this episode with someone who needs it. Follow:🌍Official Site |📱Facebook |📺YouTube | 🍏 Apple |🎵Spotify Pet care gets crazy when you're facing behavior issues, rising costs, and confusing pet advice. You need real pet parenting solutions, pet behavior help, and pet budgeting tips you can use every day. Each week you'll hear pet parenting advice plus expert guidance on dog and cat behavior, dog training, nutrition, stress-free vet visits, and routines that make life easier. We'll help you manage puppy biting, cat aggression, separation anxiety and cat anxiety, emergency vet decisions, and show you how to stay ahead of issues that create stress for pets and their pet parents. No fluff, no guilt, just practical pet care advice and pet cost hacks to save money, avoid pet parent guilt, and enjoy life with pets. Follow to stop chasing your tail and start enjoying your pets again. Contact: Amy@petparenthotline.com ©Ⓟ 2025 Amy Castro