Stop looking for (or giving!) health and training advice from strangers online!
Tobacco and carrots are not good for deworming a dog. This and other advice that you get from online forums and message groups is probably best discarded in favor of advice from a reputable source.
Home-to-Home Fostering
The best alternative I’ve ever seen to rehoming dogs through shelters is called a home-to-home model. A new and ideal name for what rescue groups have been doing forever.
Digital Memories Can Hurt – But Time Heals
There’s every chance that you, like me, get regularly smacked in the face by a Facebook “memory" of your beloved heart dog who passed some time ago. It’s just as likely to make you smile as bring tears to your eyes.
Aggression at Dog Parks
We’ve all got stories about terrible things that we’ve seen or heard about that happened at a dog park. I would argue that there are just as many potentially aggressive humans at these parks as there are dogs who exhibit aggressive behavior.
Spring Allergy Challenges
It’s spring-time allergy season around here. My own incredibly itchy eyes would fully inform me of that fact even if Woody's constant licking didn't.
How to Improve Your Dog’s Leash Manners
I occasionally teach a “leash manners” class at my friend’s dog-training center. In the first class, their hands are all over the place, and cues are, “NO! NO! STOP it!” I almost always see a tiny improvement in week two.
Global Pet Expo
Expos are where pet products companies come to set up elaborate booths to show what they are making and selling these days. All the pet food companies, gear makers, and veterinary pharmaceutical companies will be there with gigantic, elaborate booths.
Is That Dog Fortunate or Tragic?
What about the dogs who accompany unhoused people? Some may see dogs in rough conditions. Others may see dogs who are seemingly completely content to be with their owners 24/7.
Hands Off!
If you like dogs, it’s just a pleasure to pet them, boop their snoots, and smoosh their jowls. However, not all dogs are as into being petted as their owners would like. We need to learn to respect their boundaries and enjoy the time they deign to be petted.
Give Them Time!
When you bring a dog home from a rescue or shelter – or anywhere, actually! – give them space and time! Be friendly and encouraging, but don’t loom or fuss over them.
How Often Do You Walk Your Dog?
Failing to take your dog on walks can be detrimental to your dog’s physical and emotional well being.
An Open Letter to Craigslist and Facebook:
Please stop helping people sell dogs on your sites. Oh, I know, you say you don’t allow these sales – that these activities are prohibited by your terms of service – but you do absolutely nothing of value to stop them.
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.