The overwhelming joy of having pets is unfortunately accompanied by the inevitable sadness that comes with ending their lives. As humans, we must be witness to the death of our family member, our pet. And unlike the movies, rarely is it that they gently fall “asleep” for eternity. Instead, dog owners are in the unique […]

On October 21, the Town of Yarmouth (Maine) approved several changes to its dog ordinance, incorporating many recommendations provided by AKC Government Relations. Earlier this month, AKC Government Relations (AKC GR) published notice regarding proposed changes to the town of Yarmouth’s Chapter 309 “Dog Control Ordinance”, and highlighted many of AKC GR’s recommended amendments to […]

Each fall, in different parts of the U.S., residents experience an abundance of acorns and other types of tree nuts falling to the ground. Every two to five years, mast years occur, meaning trees produce a larger-than-normal amount of fruit, seeds, or nuts. As a result, along with hickory nuts and walnuts, acorns will suddenly […]

The earliest dog foods were our leftovers. The earliest commercial dog foods were made from ingredients deemed unfit for human consumption. That’s changed. Now, dog foods are increasingly competing with human foods as consumers of “human-grade” ingredients. This makes our pets’ environmental pawprints much larger than in the past; in fact, in the book Time […]

It was a routine vet visit for Oliver, Julie Carter’s 3½-year-old Golden Retriever. At least, it was until the vet listened to Oliver’s heart and uttered the sentence that would change her life: “He has a heart murmur.” It was February 2018, and Carter had also brought in an interesting article from the Morris Animal […]

Like a case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the leash-aggressive dog is calm, cool, and downright polite when walking among people or around dogs off-leash. But hook on a leash, and he lunges, barks, and snaps at the sight of another dog. Has this scenario reduced you to mapping out walks where you know […]

On Tuesday, November 30, the Berlin Town Council will receive public input at a 7pm hearing regarding changes being proposed for its animal ordinance.  The town’s ordinance committee presented a draft to the Town Council on October 19, that would amend the rules on leash and restraint requirements for dogs, by amending the definitions for […]

The Colorado Springs City Council has proposed an ordinance to ban the retail sale of cats and dogs at pet stores in the city. The council will hold a meeting on November 9 at 10:00am where they will begin considering the newly drafted ordinance. The ordinance would continue to allow pet stores to operate but […]

Sela Cooper, a 16-year-old from Tennessee, has accomplished big things with her Vizsla, Jersey (Mesa's Little Jersey BN RI NAJ BCAT ACT1 ACT1J DJ DN DDS DDBE CGCA TKE VHMA). Cooper got started competing in dog sports in 2019 with Fast CAT and she and Jersey were instantly hooked. The two now also compete in […]

In the last issue, we featured articles on preparing your kennel and dogs in case a disaster happens. This month, we discuss how to help your dogs cope in the event you have to relocate due to a disaster and tips for easing the transition back to life post-emergency. Disaster often strikes when we least […]