Don't you just love when you see a little puppy . . . but he has giant paws? You usually see this in bigger breeds, and you know that that little pupper will grow up to be a big ol' doggo. Like Newfoundlands, for example. And even if it's not a puppy, there's something […]

Michel Berner, owner of Mira Vizslas, near Fairchild, Wis., moved from Milwaukee to the Eau Claire area a little more than 10 years ago. She is active regionally and nationally and has donated hundreds of hours to various Vizsla clubs, doing everything including serving as an officer and a director, judging hunt tests, editing newsletters, creating web […]

One of the first things most people think about when adding a dog to their family is getting him trained. After all, training will make your new best friend well behaved, whether he's a family pet or destined for the competition ring. You have a lot of choices when it comes to training these days, […]

The Maryland Senate Finance Committee has scheduled a hearing for Thursday, March 29, which will prohibit retail pet stores (defined as any “for profit establishment open to the public that sells or offers for sale domestic animals to be kept as pets”) from selling any dogs or cats.  Instead, they would only be allowed to […]

Whether it's a therapy dog visiting residents of a nursing home or a service dog assisting a disabled veteran, canine companions can vastly improve a person's quality of life. Thankfully, society is increasingly recognizing the benefits pets can provide for our mental health. But what about the function of pets for people facing mental health […]

Connecticut House Bill 5566, which is scheduled to be considered by the Joint Judiciary Committee on Monday, March 26, seeks to make it an infraction for an individual to knowingly misrepresent a pet as a service animal or being trained to be a service animal. The American Kennel Club (AKC) supports House Bill 5566 and […]

On Wednesday, the Ohio House Government Accountability and Oversight Committee advanced a bill that makes numerous changes to the state’s laws regulating high volume dog breeders. As passed by the committee, House Bill 506, sponsored by Representative Brian Hill, is an effort to update the laws in a reasonable manner.  We thank Representative Hill for […]

One study explores a dog’s ability to recognize and respond to human distress, in this case, crying. Psychologists exposed 18 pet dogs, of varying ages and breeds, to four distinct human encounters, each lasting 20 seconds. Each dog owner and a stranger pretended to cry. Then each owner and a stranger hummed “Mary Had a […]

The joy of four furry legs outstretched, flying like a superhero over a Bar Jump. The intense energy of a dog zig-zagging through a series of Weave Poles. The heart-stopping second that a dog stops at the edge of the Seesaw just before it tilts down. The exhilaration of a dog agility run simply has […]

House Bill 79, sponsored by Representative Barbara Sears of Lucas County, removes the term "pit bull" from Ohio’s statutory definition of dangerous dogs.  All Ohio residents are encouraged to contact the Speaker of the House and their legislators to ask them to support this important measure and end 20 years of discrimination against responsible dog […]