Editorial

You may have seen it coming. As I shipped last month’s issue to the printer, I was contemplating the fate of the many, many great dogs currently waiting for homes at my local shelter. I didn’t mention that I was especially tempted by one particular little dog – one of many, true, but one who stood out to me for some reason as an especially bright diamond in the rough. I’m not sure the shelter staff saw what I saw; every time they saw me take the dog out for a walk they’d sort of shake their heads. “She’s a handful,” was the most they’d commit to.

Though I said that I’d share a story, in this issue, about a raid on a so-called “rescue” organization that was hoarding and neglecting dogs, I am not yet free to discuss it. The moment I can, I will, and I’ll explain then why I couldn’t talk about it now. For now, I’d just like to say that I wish I could award medals for bravery and compassion to the dedicated people I know who work in animal protection. The pay is low, the hours are long, the thanks are few, and the things they see on a daily basis are deeply disturbing.

some are puppy mills) and not all obey state laws about health certificates. Some circumvent these laws by having adopters meet the transport vehicle in a parking lot just over the state line.

"Please advise your readers to work with a local rescue organization

About five years ago, my then-next-door neighbors decided to get a dog, and not just any dog. They’d spent years dreaming about and planning for the day they’d have both a landlord who allowed dogs and the time to spend with a dog. Now they had both, and they wanted to get a miniature Poodle, preferably female, and “apricot” colored. And they wanted to know if I knew any Poodle breeders.

Hannah was easily distracted by the treats that the new parents liberally dropped for her as they attended to the crying baby. It's a winning tactic for counter-conditioning a dog who is anxious about a baby. Whole Dog Journal contributor Lisa Rodier recently sent me a note about her friend Samantha Fogg

but he was so well-behaved with adults that I never dreamed he'd be deeply uncomfortable around my precious baby.

I now know that I failed Rupert on many levels. I never socialized him with kids and babies; when he was frightened of strange people or loud noises

his long tail thumped against my side as I carried him to a small

I traveled to another indie

I wish they would stick to reviewing cars and vacuum cleaners and stay away from dogs. That was my first response to the short articles about pet food that appeared in the March 2009 issue of Consumer Reports. People keep asking me about the articles - maybe because WDJ has been described as the Consumer Reports of the dog world? That used to make me happy, but now, I don't know.

Otto. I'm still wading through the responses

Our resident training expert, Pat Miller, often sends me dog-related news articles; she’s practically a one-woman canine news service! A couple of months ago, she sent me a disturbing article about a dog who was euthanized after attacking his owner, who had been trying to clip his nails. We agreed that we should remind our readers why they should regularly trim their dogs’ nails – and how to use positive training techniques to teach their dogs how to absolutely love the process. Her instructive article appears on page 3.

sensational