This & That

I’ve been a bit busy lately, trying to juggle a lot of different plates — which, if you’re a klutz, as I am, can be pretty stressful. The largest bits of crockery flying through the air are: The Blog As some of you were nice enough to notice, my blog has a new look, which…

Chips & tags & puppy dog tails

It’s prime tourism season here in Tucson, which is why I wrote my recent 36 hours in Tucson: Canine Edition series, and why, on my last’s month travel segment on KVOA TV, I suggested locals stay at home and take advantage of our prime pup-friendly places. (I hesitated to say “take a staycation.” After reading…

How to find a good dog groomer

Now that I’ve scared you with all the horrible things that can go wrong with professional grooming, it’s only fair that I offer some advice about how to avoid these, er, hairy situations. To wit: Get a reference Yes, this is a no brainer, but sometimes it’s easy to be fooled by an appealing ad…

Dog grooming gone bad

Hairwise, Frankie is pretty low maintenance. I tend to take him to a groomer only for nail clipping and anal sac expressing (I’ll discuss the former soon but have spent way too much time this past month writing an article about the latter, so am on a dog butt break). Recently, however, I decided to…

The Kindness of Strangers

It’s easy to become cynical about human nature. Just open the newspaper to any random page and you’ll likely find a story of cruelty and stupidity. And even the well-intentioned can be overwhelmed by the difficulty of improving the world. Most of the readers of this blog, say, would love to help dogs, but may…

You’re shedding me!

Sorry, but it’s true. There’s nothing you can do to keep your dog from shedding. Nor should you want to. Shedding is a natural, ongoing process for dogs, just as it is for humans. As anyone who’s ever worn a black sweater or jacket can attest, regular brushing and combing won’t prevent some divestment of…

I heart Dog Star Daily

And Dog Star Daily hearts me  — or at least my book — back. Co-created by the renowned Dr. Ian Dunbar and Kelly Gorman Dunbar, the site is home to some of the world’s top dog training and behavior experts, including Dr. Nicholas Dodman, Patricia McConnell, and Suzanne Clothier, as well as such up-and-comers (and,…

Pets or Partners? A Valentine’s Day Poll

Inspired by the results of an international poll reported over at Dancing Dog Blog about whether people preferred to spend Valentine’s Day with pets or humans, I thought I’d conduct my own, extremely unscientific poll here. Feel free to elaborate on your answer in the comments section. For example, if you’re spending it with a…