Ex-reporter finds new calling: pet expert

OCEANSIDE — The 1990s ushered in Ace Ventura, pet detective. Today, there is a new hero in the person of Arden Moore, a former investigative reporter turned pet expert.
Moore’s nose for news has served her well. Her cookbook, “Real Food for Dogs” was featured in The New York Times shortly after the March 2007 tainted dog food scare.
Since then Moore has turned her sights on another timely issue: first aid, CPR and safety instruction for pet owners.
The course teaches procedures including nose to tail assessment, restraining and muzzling a dog, and rescue breathing. Students also learn how to manage conditions such as choking, bleeding, shock, seizures, heat and cold injuries, stings, and insect and snake bites.
“When you walk away, you’ll feel empowered,” Moore explained. “When something happens to our pets, seconds count.”
Moore spent the first part of her career as an investigative reporter for newspapers in Indiana and Florida. In fact, she worked alongside another reporter who shared her love of dogs at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He was John Grogan who later wrote the bestseller “Marley and Me.”
Moore left the newspaper business in 1997 and became a health writer for the book division of Rodale Press. At night, she moonlighted for a new magazine published by Rodale titled, “Pets: Part of the Family.”
“There, I realized that I could tap my love of writing and interviewing to help people become healthier and to tout the power of pets,” she recalls. “Pets and people — that’s what I am all about. In fact, I can’t remember a time when there wasn’t at least one tail-wagger in my life.”
Her own family of rescued pets includes dogs Cleo and Chipper, and cats Zeki and Murphy.
Moore moved to Oceanside in 2000 where she continued to excel in her new career as “America’s Pet Edu-Trainer.”
She has penned 20 books on dogs and cats, and serves as editor of Catnip and Fido Friendly magazine.
Moore has also been featured on CNN-Headline News, NBC’s The Today Show, Fox News, Martha Stewart Living, The George Lopez Show, HGTV’s Smart Solutions and AP World Television. Each week she hosts the “Oh Behave!” show on Pet Life Radio where she’s interviewed celebrity pet owners from Betty White and Jennifer Aniston to Rachael Ray.
In April Moore became a certified PetSaverTM instructor at the Carlsbad-based Pet Tech, Inc.
She immediately put her knowledge to use when one of her dogs ripped a toenail completely out, which resulted in profuse bleeding. Moore applied her training by remaining calm, stabilizing the pup and safely transporting him to the vet — who was impressed.
“You have to use your head,” she said. “You have to protect your hands, and you have to come from the heart.”
Thomas Somes, founder and president of PetSaver was also impressed but not surprised.
“We are excited and happy to have Arden join the Pet Tech family of instructors,” he said. “She’s a very dynamic enthusiastic, passionate pet lover and I know she brings that into all of her first aid classes.”
In addition to first aid and CPR, Moore will discuss prevention and special needs of senior dogs. Classes run about 6 hours, and are available in one- or two-day sessions. The fee ranges from $110 to $150.
To schedule a PetSaver class, e-mail [email protected] or call (760) 433-3480. For more information visit fourleggedlife.com.
A confessed “party animal,” Moore created the first bicoastal National Dog Party Day which will take place June 24 in New York City and San Diego. The celebration will include dog party games and cake baking contests. For more information, visit dogpartyday.com.