Happy Thanksgiving!
This Thanksgiving, I’m grateful that my dogs are all still present and that we’re all healthy enough to enjoy our traditional Thanksgiving day hike...
A Dog Owner’s Risks and Responsibilities
I do things with my dogs practically every day that would make other dog owners frown with disapproval – and my friends and neighbors...
Behavior-Modifying Drugs Save Many Dogs Lives
I’ve seen some incredibly dramatic transformations when dogs were medicated for their chronic fear or anxiety.
When the cost of pet health insurance rises…
I just received the annual renewal notice for my senior dog’s pet health insurance policy, and, sadly, made the decision not to renew it....
Boone & The Squirrel: Recall When Your Dog is Distracted
Dog trainers like to say that our dogs do what works for them. The thought behind that concept is that dogs are extraordinarily good...
Dog Breed Biases: We All Have Them (Admit it!)
Are there breeds you love and breeds you don’t get the appeal of? I think we all do – though I would be the...
Dogs Know When We’re Stressed: Here’s How
It always makes me happy when scientists substantiate something about dogs that any loving dog owner already knows – but it’s icing on the...
“Two cups a day!” How much are you REALLY feeding your dog?
Ask any owner who feeds kibble to their dog how much they feed to their dog, and you will invariably get the amount expressed...
Are Dogs Good With Chickens?
When I was about five years old, my parents moved our family from the San Francisco Bay area to a rural farming area about...
Canine Adolescence: The Great “Unconsidered” Life Stage
The other day the New York Times published an excerpt from canine behavioral researcher and author Alexandra Horowitz’s newest and most excellent book, The...
Otto is still here
Last week, I was 100% sure I would be having Otto euthanized at today’s appointment with a veterinarian who provides hospice and home-euthanasia services....
End of life decisions
Three years ago I wrote a blog post about “how to know when the time is right for euthanasia.” A the time, I had...
Latest Blog
In the Aftermath of a Dog Attack
Whenever there is a high-profile dog attack, it seems everyone with a dog weighs in with their opinions about the dog, the dog’s origin, the owners, the specific situation, and the resolution of the event. We were just presented with an opportunity to use an upsetting high-profile incident as an educational tool. Someone sent us a link to a March 17 Instagram post by Sean Lowe, an American TV reality show personality. In the post, Lowe sat with his wife by his side and described two incidents involving their dog Moose, a 7-year-old Boxer the family adopted three months prior.