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I’m infamous among my friends and colleagues for asking people if they are aware that their dogs are overweight. It’s because I have seen firsthand how fat dogs suffer in their senior years when they are too heavy to exercise without pain! And their burden of carrying extra pounds makes the ordinary aches and pains of arthritis even worse. AND YET, I have to give myself a stern talking-to from time to time about helping my older dog stay trim.

I took my two dogs—Woody, age 9, and Boone, age 3—to see their vet a week ago. I wasn’t looking forward to being chided for allowing him—nay, facilitating him—to gain a few extra pounds this winter. But I wasn’t at all expecting the health problems that my vet found.

Of all the “third rail” topics concerning dogs, here’s one I never could have guessed would make some people incensed: A passerby putting a bag of dog poop in their garbage can. Ack! Apparently, this makes some homeowners angry enough that they put signs on or next to their garbage cans, set up security cameras in order to identify and eventually confront the offenders, or threatening penalties for the alleged “theft of services” (using someone else’s garbage service).

I had the opportunity to read a pre-publication proof of WDJ contributor Kathy Callahan’s newest book, co-authored with Helen St. Pierre, and I can’t recommend the book strongly enough. Old Dog, New Dog helps dog owners anticipate the potential pitfalls of bringing a new young dog into a home already inhabited by a senior dog—and adroitly steer around them in order to seamlessly create a joyful, trauma-free blended canine family.

The “bird flu”, or avian influenza, has been around for a long time; it’s circulated in wild birds since the late 1990s. But like all viruses, it mutates over time—and influenza viruses are known to mutate very quickly. What’s more, some emerging strains are deadlier than others.

If I’m going on a walk with dogs (my dogs or anyone else’s!) I pretty much always bring a bait bag and treats along—though I am also prone to putting freeze-dried treats in my coat, vest, and/or pants pockets, and have lost more than a few pockets and garments that way.

I’ve given a few private lessons to a client who received an 8-week-old Golden Retriever puppy as a Christmas present. This man is retired, a recent graduate of cancer treatments, and lives alone. His young adult children apparently thought he needed a companion and bought him the puppy as a gift.

A good friend recently gave notice that he wanted to retire from a job he’s had since he was just a tiny puppy. My dog Woody’s best friend Samson, who has never weighed as much as five pounds, has been going to work with my friend Leonora since he was a 3-week-old foster puppy—and recently, he started telling Leonora that he doesn’t want to go to work any more.

I have been aware of the American Kennel Club’s Canine Good Citizen program for ages, and I always imagined that my dogs would rather...

Could you evacuate your home 15 minutes from now, with everything you would need to live with your pets in a hotel for a few days, weeks, or months? What if you had an hour’s notice?

While estimated numbers for 2023 and 2024 won’t be available for another year or two, there is plenty of anecdotal evidence that the number of euthanized pets will be far higher than the lowest historic counts.

I’ve been traveling over the holidays and am still far from my home and my dogs, so I don’t have much to write about. But I would like to send you all some well-wishes for the new year