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Last month, I mentioned how concerned my son was when he heard I had made the decision to adopt one of the bully-breed-mix puppies I had been fostering. He's accustomed to me pretending that I don't like puppies (Ew

For over three months, I had possession of a year-old American Black and Tan Coonhound or coonhound-mix whom I called Maebe. I absolutely loved that dog, and cried when I dropped her off for transport to her new home. AND I'm thrilled and tearful - in a good way - that she found a great new home. That's the bittersweet experience of fostering.

Why do puppies chew? They chew to explore the world, and to relieve the pain and irritation of teething. But they also chew because it's a natural, normal activity for all canines, young and old. While puppies do eventually grow up and get past the stage where they feel compelled to put their teeth on everything they see, mature dogs also need to chew to exercise their jaws, massage their gums, clean their teeth, and to relieve stress and boredom.

When it comes to love, dogs offer all of the devotion with none of the guile. They won't sign up for a secret account on Match.com, or see another owner behind your back. And that flirtation with the pet sitter … well, it's harmless. After all, there's a reason dogs have a reputation for being faithful friends. Reciprocating, though, can sometimes be a challenge. Dogs, you remember, approached our hearth; it has been in many ways a rather lopsided arrangement in the love department since the dawn of time. And with our busy lives and competing priorities, we humans have altogether too few opportunities to return that cupidity in kind – although, given how utterly and completely most of our dogs rely on us, that's a tall order under even the best of circumstances.

You will never find a more ardent lover of off-leash dog walking than me. But I'm lucky: I have access to thousands of acres of "wildlife area" near where I live. It's not quite a state park, but state-managed land where certain types of hunting are allowed in various seasons. Dogs can be off leash there much of the year, except for a short period in spring, to allow the many species of ground-nesting birds to lay their eggs and raise their young. When that happens, I either leash up my dogs, or go elsewhere. As much as I love walking my dogs off leash, and as well-mannered as they are, with near-perfect recalls, I'm not ever going to be one of the many people I see who walk their off-leash dogs past the signs that appear there every spring saying, "Dogs must be on leash from March 15 to June 30 for the nesting season." I appreciate and respect my access to that land the REST of the year; I don't want to risk losing access to it EVER.

Increasing research proves that animals, including domestic dogs and cats, understand what it means to have an ailment, and can in fact self-medicate with remedies found in nature. Ever catch a dog eating grass, and immediately try to stop them? This is mysterious behavior, since we know grass makes dogs vomit 8 out of 10 times. But what if that's the whole point? As savvy pet owners, we ought to utilize more natural remedies for our pets because they are good for them, effective, and on some level, our pets actually seem to know them better than we do.

Do dogs feel pain? Veterinarians didn't always think so. Fortunately, now vets know that human medications like NSAIDs (Rimadyl, Metacam) and opiates (Tramadol, Amantadine) work wonders for dogs, too!

I've read articles about people who got hit by a car and killed while trying to help a wounded or simply frightened animal on the highway. I've warned people against doing this - stopping their cars and getting out on a freeway to try to capture a panicked dog. And yet, when a scared dog is running in front of YOUR car, how do you not stop and try to help?

veterinary dentists say they are responsible for far more than their share of broken molars in dogs who chew them. Large bones

There is an article on the WDJ website right now about recalls that is available to subscribers and nonsubscribers alike. I'm glad it's available to anyone who is interested, because it contains information that I wish every dog owner would read and embrace. It's by trainer Lisa Lyle Waggoner, and it's about how to build a consistent rocket recall" response in from your dog. I've used the exercises described in the article over the years with my dogs

Competing with our Sheltie Asta at her first agility trial was an answer to our prayers. After her diagnosis, we lived with months of uncertainty about what type of life she might have. Following her lovely debut, a friend aware of Asta's condition commented on how normal" it all looked. But our path to that first agility competition was anything but "normal" because Asta has a mental illness."

I own two dogs. One is Otto, my heart dog. He's a largish mutt, about 7 years old, well-trained, well-behaved, and well-socialized. He serves very effectively as a watchdog, letting us know when anyone enters our front gate – and when UPS has a package for us. Or anyone else on our street. Barring his suspicion of UPS, he's a joy to live with.The second dog I own is Tito, also about 7 years old. He's a probable Chihuahua-mix, having been purchased (by a relative) as a purported purebred puppy from a likely puppy mill. His start in life was a little rough, and he bounced from one relative's home to another, picking up issues" along the way. But he's an astute observer of behavior