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Puppies are cute, but first time dog owners may not be aware of all they need to know.

What to Know as a First Time Dog Owner

Getting a dog of your own for the first time is a big step. If you're a first time dog owner you need to remember that you're taking responsibility for a living being.
Purebred dogs like these basset hound pound puppies are bred to emphasize traits.

What Is a Purebred Dog?

A purebred dogs is simply a dog bred from parents of the same phenotype while a mixed breed dog is bred from two or more phenotypes.
A boy posing with his dog, a beagle

The Best Family Dogs

If you are looking for a dog who will make a fantastic addition to your family, what you should be looking for is an individual dog with specific canine personality traits that are conducive to family life.
cute scruffy dog up for adoption

An overabundance of needy dogs

My friend Leonora, owner of tiny Samson (my dog Woody’s BFF), is starting to search for a second dog. It’s been over a year...

Are Two Pups Better Than One?

I hear it all the time: “Honey, maybe we should get two! Look how much they love each other! How can we possibly split them...

When One Is Not Enough

For many of us who love dogs, our canine family members are a lot like potato chips - we can't have just one. There...

Basking in Sunshine

In past articles in WDJ, I have advised people who are thinking about adopting a new dog to develop a list of attributes that they must have, would like to have, would prefer not to have, and really do not want at all – and then to use these lists as search criteria. And yet, here we were, not really sure of what we were looking for. Another herding breed? We already have a Kelpie, so maybe, or maybe not. A Bonnie-type terrier-mix? Maybe, but they didn't seem easy to come by.

Successful Dog Adoption, Part 2: What To Do at the Shelter

So – you've made your list of desired qualities and located a well-regarded shelter, rescue group, or breeder, and are ready to start your search. Perhaps you've already identified a prospect on an organization's website. What now? Go meet some dogs!

Successful Dog Adoption, Part 1: Develop an Adoption Criteria

the family doesn't get split in pieces with different people pulling for different dogs

Creating a Great Dog Foster Home

happy in a "forever home" where he is loved

8 Steps to a Behaviorally Healthy Dog

You can start the process of socializing and training at any stage of a dog's life! Making positive associations for your dog is faster and easier for youngsters than adults, but it's always worth trying to teach new ways of thinking that will improve your dog's quality of life and overall happiness.

Dog Breed Stereotypes: Inaccurate and Damaging

Poor agreement was found between visual breed assignments and DNA results in 14 of the 20 dogs (70 percent). Moreover, there was low inter-rater reliability, meaning that the dog experts did not show a high level of agreement regarding breed assignments to the 20 dogs. More than half of the evaluators agreed on the predominant breed in only seven of the 20 dogs (35 percent). These results provide evidence that physical appearance is not a reliable method for breed identification.

Latest Blog

Spay Surgery Is Not Required to Stop Canine Reproduction

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.