Nuzzle up to muzzles

Let's face it, muzzles tend to offend many pet owners, says Kim Fish, hospital manager at Seville Animal Hospital in Seville, Ohio. Clients often cringe when seeing their pets restricted in any form and consider muzzles as a punishment, she says. Still, muzzles are necessary sometimes. For those times, Fish tries to make the muzzle as appealing as possible. "I bought patches of smiley faces, flowers, and peace symbols and ironed them onto our muzzles," she says. "My staff loves using the friendlier muzzles, and the clients love hearing us say that it's time to put on the 'party hat.' Both are less offensive to the eyes and ears."