You may have noticed that the April 2021 cover looked a little more packed with article descriptions than usual. We’ve been tinkering a bit with the editorial mix and bringing some added value to your subscriptions with more authors and more articles in each issue. We’ll keep giving you the sort of in-depth information you count on WDJ to offer, but present you with more tightly focused articles, too.
As a long-time subscriber to the New Yorker, I will be the first to admit I can’t find the time to read all the very long articles they publish, but I can generally give the shorter ones a scan. I save their back issues – particularly the ones that contain articles on topics I really am interested in – but the stack keeps growing, and the clock never seems to offer any extra time to catch up! I don’t want to put the same burden on WDJ readers!
This issue contains articles by new contributors: Eileen Fatcheric, DVM, a veterinary writer, and Jennifer Berg, a certified professional dog trainer.
Dr. Fatcheric, a veterinarian and an avid agility competitor from Syracuse, New York, wrote two articles for us in her debut: one about gabapentin, a pain reliever that’s grown increasingly popular with veterinarians due to its effectiveness, low cost, and lack of side effects; and the second about cleaning your dog’s ears to prevent ear infections. We’re pleased to have Dr. Fatcheric’s clear and concise contributions.
Jennifer Berg’s dog-training business is located in Regina, Saskatchewan, and is called Oberhund. In addition to her group and private dog-training classes, Berg offers consultations on dog-park design. She’s working on an article for our next issue on how owners can reduce conflicts between dogs at dog parks to keep their dogs safe.
I took the photos that accompany Berg’s article in this issue about safely introducing dogs to paddlesports. Since my own two dogs already have a lot of experience in a canoe and on paddleboards, I needed a model. I considered using the 10-month-old mixed-breed dog I am fostering, but she has been with me for less than a week and has been through numerous changes recently (shelter, adoption, return, shelter, and now, my house for fostering). So, instead, I asked my friend Jessie, who owns one of my former foster puppies, 2-year-old Nova; they have modeled for me for other articles. All I can say is, thank goodness we followed all of Berg’s suggestions for introducing Nova to paddleboarding equipment on dry land. As it was, we had some surprises when we got to the water. See Berg’s article if you plan to paddle with your dog this spring or summer.
