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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....

The Dog Days of Summer

I hope you and your companion animals all survived Independence Day, the least favorite holiday of many of us dog owners. I live close...

Your Kindness Is So Appreciated

As one could predict, I was a bit of a mess last week. Making the euthanasia appointment for my beloved Otto, and being with...

Tribute to our Fallen Leader

I first spotted Otto in a jail-mugshot-type photo on my shelter’s website in June 2008. My husband had just agreed that we were ready...
dog chasing cars

Car Chasing

Phoebe, my little foster mama, is a car-chaser, and, unfortunately, we have a perfect property for her to practice her passion. I live on...
mother dog feeding puppies

Oh, Mama

I didn’t plan to foster this year – not until Otto has passed. But a friend, the vet tech from my local shelter, called...
shelter puppies

Please Stop Saying “Kill Shelter”

Seen on my local Nextdoor page: “Is this your dog? If so, contact me ASAP. I do not want to take her to the...

Latest Blog

Accepting Your Dog

Years ago, I had high hopes for participating in dock diving sport with my now-9-year-old dog, Woody. But it turned out that my high-jumping, strong-swimming dog absolutely hates getting water in his ears!