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Two adorable dogs relaxing on the furniture while guests at the author's house.

Our Dogs Without Us

We think our dogs need or constant and very personal attention. However, they often carry on in contentment while they wait for us to return.
German shepherd dog with aggressive expression.

No Comment: High Profile Dog Biting Incidents Bring Baseless Speculation

High profile incidents of dog aggression and biting often lead to speculation as to what caused the incident. However, as those speculating are unfamiliar with the dog, its handling, and its health this often leads to baseless blame.

Discontinued? Nooooo! 

Things started devolving a few days ago, when I was busy watching my almost-2-year-old dog Boone chase a herding ball around my two-acre property....
Itching is the number one symptom of allergies in dogs. If your dog has seasonal allergies, think ahead and take action before she starts destroying her skin in a vain effort to relieve the itch! Photo by photo-vista.de, Getty Images

Fall Allergies – and Planning Ahead 

My dog Otto (now resting in peace) used to get a flare-up of allergies every spring. His body knew before any human in our...
Chase was an absolutely adorable, whip-smart, and deeply troubled dog when I met him. Fortunately, he found a home with a couple who had the time and money to invest in a good trainer and a great veterinarian, who prescribed the behavior-modifying medication that helped Chase become a happy and much-loved dog. Photo by Nancy Kerns

When Your Dog Is On The Same Meds as You

Somehow I know only peripherally posted this meme on social media post recently: “Raise your hand if you and your dog take the same anxiety...
It looked like Junior had superballs stuck on the back of his hocks. In horses, we’d call this “capped hocks,” but I have never seen it in dogs, much less a puppy.

Foster Dogs Are Like a Box of Chocolates

Early in July I mentioned a litter of puppies I was fostering for my local shelter, and mentioned one pup I was particularly worried...
Boone now associates our older grandson with unpredictable adventures – and he’s there for it!

Appreciating Our Dogs

I was looking through my Google photo storage, trying to find a picture to go with an article about a veterinary topic for WDJ....
Perhaps the most interesting thing about Boone’s DNA test results is the fact that he doesn’t look anything like any of the breeds detected by any of the companies. Most people think he’s some sort of Doodle!

Comparing Results from Mixed-Breed DNA Tests

I recently received the results of my dog Boone’s mixed-breed DNA test from Darwin’s Ark, a nonprofit scientific research organization (which I previously wrote...
Woody is super patient with kids and all small creatures. When his space is invaded, he deploys his long tongue, which usually gets kids to back off an inch or two. I don’t worry about these two being together out of my sight.

Turn Your Back for Just a SECOND

The difficulty and importance of supervising kids and dogs. We’ve had lots of articles in WDJ about kids and dogs: choosing when to get a...
Who goes looking for an aggressive, unfriendly dog to adopt? Few people want to take home a project on purpose. Photo by Anita Kot, Getty Images

Long-Term Sheltering in No-Kill Shelters

When you have a career that involves dogs, everyone you know sends you memes and articles about dogs. Unfortunately, those little gems, meant to...
Shelters and rescues – and obviously, their canine wards – benefit from enriching activities and handling provided by volunteers. But some shelters are concerned about increasing their liability exposure from having volunteers in their facilities. Photo by Camille Tokerud, Getty Images

A Budding Crisis in Animal Shelters?

The potential for the loss of liability insurance is closing shelter doors to volunteers. As many of you know from personal experience, volunteers in animal...
Kate, the first puppy to show symptoms, was already underweight when she first showed symptoms of parvo, so her weight loss looks rather shocking. Fortunately, she’s on the road to recovery. Photo by Lisa Pound, Durham Doggie Posse + Kittens!

Parvovirus and Foster Puppies

With just a couple of exceptions, every time I have fostered a dog or litter of puppies, I’ve done it for my local shelter....

Latest Blog

How to Improve Your Dog’s Leash Manners

I occasionally teach a “leash manners” class at my friend’s dog-training center. In the first class, their hands are all over the place, and cues are, “NO! NO! STOP it!” I almost always see a tiny improvement in week two.