You've got your passport ready, hotel booked, and bags ready. Now, there's just one thing left to do: find a kennel where your dog can have a vacation of their own while you're away. Choosing a trustworthy kennel is a multi-faceted process. It's more than typing "dog boarding near me" and seeing what comes up. […]

Etiquette describes the requirements of behaviors according to the conventions of society. This includes proper conduct that is established by a community for various occasions in everyday life. The recent COVID-19 pandemic forced all of us to alter some form of basic conduct. We stopped hugging and shaking hands when greeting each other and had […]

As a child, Dresden Graff remembers being terrified. First, there was the fear that loomed over him in Baptist school: What if I'm gay? What will my parents think if they find out? Then, there was the scarier question: How would my parents handle me coming out as transgender? Coming into his own identity as a teen was […]

Immediate action is needed by animal owners and animal-related businesses in St. Landry Parish to oppose an overreaching proposed animal ordinance.  Among other problematic provisions, the proposed ordinance would: Trample the privacy rights of animal owners and animal-related businesses. Define any owner of two intact animals of the same species as a “breeder” and define […]

As a breeder, you know how important it is to match puppies with the best possible homes, whether they are destined to be show dogs, working dogs, sport dogs, or companions. And of course, you have to decide which one to keep for yourself! You watch them carefully from birth and get to know each […]

Nancy Wargas lives in Simpsonville, SC, where her primary focus is loving her seven Anatolian Shepherd Dogs, two cats, chickens and a parrot. She has raised Quarter Horses, sheep, goats, chickens and Anatolian Shepherd Dogs on Long Island, NY, and in Rowland, NC. She is an AKC Breeder of Merit, who has bred Anatolians since […]

Chollie was a gift meant to ease grief. That’s one of the first things I learned about my friend Gail Sheehy’s Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. After losing her Tibetan Spaniel in 2007 and her husband Clay Felker in 2008, Gail welcomed Chollie into her life at just the right moment. After two sad and lonely […]

If you live in a region with harsh winter weather, then you may want to consider a spitz breed. Many of these dogs were bred for life in arctic climates and originated in Scandinavia, Russia, North America, and Asia. The word “spitz” in German means "pointed." Physically, most spitz breeds have a wolf-like appearance that […]

The adorable Bichon Frise is among the canine kingdom’s great survivors, relying on charm and intelligence to weather history’s ups and downs. Bichons Frises have withstood world wars, revolutions, and the fall of empires by eagerly adapting to whatever challenge fate has sent their way. Early Beginnings as a Noble Companion The informal grouping of what […]

Update June 13, 2021: Wasabi the Pekingese won Best in Show at Westminster in 2021. Learn about Wasabi's first big win at the AKC National Championship in 2019: Anticipation is a double-edged sword: The more you expect from a situation, the greater your disappointment if those hopes are dashed. But the opposite is true as […]