Dr. Sophia Yin, an applied animal behaviorist, was one of the first to join my public outcry over then-popular dog trainer Cesar Millan's emphasis on forceful, aversive dog training and misleading messages about dog behavior. In a 2005 My Pet World column, Yin said of Millan: "He seems to have found success by forcing dogs into what he calls submission. What's he's doing, though, is forcing dogs -- it's not about dominance or submission; we're forcing them because we can."



On Sept. 28, Yin, 48, who authored handouts, DVDs and books for professionals as well as pet owners, committed suicide in her Davis, Calif., home. The veterinary and dog training world was left stunned.



In a 2006 column, Yin told me, "What he (Millan) says he does is to make himself a pack leader. That's not the case. What he's really doing (called learned helplessness) is like if you're afraid of spiders and freaking out because they're all around you. But you're being forcibly restrained. You finally realize you're helpless; you can't do a thing about it (and) you finally give up. But that doesn't mean you're any less anxious. In fact, you're likely to be more afraid. Forcible techniques don't help, except to intensify fear."



Yin conceded that even some professionals continue to use forceful techniques with dogs. In 2005, she told me, "I want to change the way some veterinarians, technicians, dog trainers and groomers deal with their clients; it's animal abuse and it's wrong."



In 2009, Yin released a 470-page book (including 1,600 color images and an instructional DVD), "Low Stress Handling, Restraint and Behavior Modification of Dogs and Cats" (CattleDog Publishing, Davis, CA; $118). By offering gentle alternatives to forceful methods, countless veterinarians, veterinary technicians, groomers and dog trainers no longer scruff cats by the neck or forcibly turn dogs on their backs to simply clip their nails.



Yin was tenacious in her determination to even change techniques she once learned as "best practices" to incorporate a more humane and thoughtful approach. Yin was on the road constantly, speaking at veterinary, dog training and animal welfare conferences around the globe to communicate her messages.



Another passion we shared was early socialization classes for kittens.



"Of course, cats can learn at any age," Yin began in a conversation from 2009. "But they're sponges when they are very young -- and like dogs, that's ideally the best time to start. We can easily train cats to love going into their carriers."



Her suggestions? "Leave out the carrier, sprinkle some of the meal outside the carrier, but then put the entire meal in there. Soon, put surprising treats inside. It won't be long before the cat will even be sleeping inside the carrier.



"In the kitten classes," she added, "we also teach the kittens to like (taking) pills, using one of those devices called a pill gun. We put some moist food or baby food on it. The cat will learn that when he sees this, he's getting something really good."



Earlier this year, Yin said, "Science demonstrates that motivation matters most. Dogs and cats will want to do whatever it is we ask if it's fun and we find a way to motivate them."



On Sept. 30, the veterinary world experienced another stunning loss. Dr. Lorie Huston, 54, of Providence, RI, lost her battle to liver disease. Huston was managing the disease well, and looking forward to continuing as president of the Cat Writers' Association. She was perhaps the first veterinarian to pounce on the idea of authoring pet blogs as a way to communicate with the general public. Huston was a pioneer with a pet blogging community called BlogPaws. She also wrote a blog called Pet Health Care Gazette, and was a blogger for Examiner.com and petMD.



Few veterinarians will ever enjoy the public reach of either Yin or Huston. After receiving the Winn Feline Foundation Media Appreciation Award at the BlogPaws conference in Lake Las Vegas, NV, this past May, Huston noted on my national radio show, "Steve Dale's Pet World": "What we know now about cat health is more than we knew even only a few years ago as a result of Winn funding. And blogs from Winn, and if also maybe my own blogs can make a small difference to help people better to understand their cats and dogs, I've achieved a little something."



Huston's and Yin's contributions were hardly small or little; they were giant.



(Steve Dale welcomes questions/comments from readers. Although he can't answer all of them individually, he'll answer those of general interest in his column Send e-mail to PETWORLD(at)STEVE DALE.TV. Include your name, city and state. Steve's website is http://www.stevedalepetworld.com; he also hosts the nationally syndicated "Steve Dale's Pet World" and "The Pet Minute." He's also a contributing editor to USA Weekend.)



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