Happy Dog Welcoming Spring and Easter! (Courtesy: MobilityDog.org)   Spring can spell trouble for dogs (and their humans) with tick-borne diseases like Lyme Disease. Whether you live in - or plan to travel to - an area prone to ticks, below is what you need to know!   Lyme Disease: 101 Lyme Disease is only transmitted from the bite of an infected tick after it has been attached for 36-48 hours according to the CDC. Removing a tick within 24 hours can greatly reduce your chances of getting Lyme Disease for both you and your dog. Fortunately, Lyme Disease is much easier to treat in do ..read more

Beckett the Mobility Service Dog (Courtesy: MobilityDog.org)   You know Princess is smart – you trained her, after all – but just how big is her vocabulary? After all, her legacy is one of sophisticated communication skills. From the dawn of dog domestication, communication between humans and canines has been the cornerstone of our cooperation. Dogs’ success at becoming our partners has depended on their ability to discern and respond to the cues we provide: words, gestures, sounds (like whistles) and facial expressions. We succeed together because we have many ways of conveying to our d ..read more

MobilityDog Service Dog Poodle with Handler (Courtesy: MobilityDog.org)   No Dogs Allowed Imagine being denied entry to a public place simply because you rely on a service dog. Unfortunately, this scenario is often common for individuals, like myself, who depend on these trained animals for assistance. The repercussions of such refusals extend beyond inconvenience; they highlight a disregard for accessibility and inclusion and can have profound emotional and practical consequences. As someone who relies on a service dog, I've encountered my fair share of challenges especially when travel ..read more

A Black Poodle Service Dog with a Female Handler (Courtesy: MobilityDog.org)   A Beautiful, Trained Mobility Service Dog (Courtesy: MobilityDog.org) college: indepence and growth College is a time of immense growth and exploration and navigating the academic landscape and social scene can be challenging yet rewarding for each student. But for students with disabilities, navigating campus life can present unique challenges. However, the presence of service dogs can make a profound difference in terms of: Accessibility and freedom. Fostering a sense of inclusivity and belonging. Soc ..read more

Image Courtesy of MobilityDog.org. Without trust, there is no true relationship. This is true among humans and the dogs who share our lives. So what are the signs your dog trusts you?   Image Courtesy of MobilityDog.org. Signs Your Dog Really Trusts You They Sleep with You. Dogs only sleep where they feel safe and trusted especially if they roll onto their back! They Give You Eye Contact. When You dog gives you direct eye contact that means they trust you and are bonding with you. They Learn and Follow Your Routine. They understand and follow your routine of feeding them, walking ..read more

A Happy and Relaxed Corgi … but is he smiling? (Image by Csilla Ozsvath from Pixabay) Dogs owners usually become adept at interpreting their pets’ emotional signals. They wiggle, they waggle, they wobble, they give us wide-eyed gazes. But do they actually smile? And if so, what do their lip motions really signify?   Humans Smile … Sometimes Genuinely Facial expressions reflect emotional conditions and are often effective communication tools for expressing a state of mind, one animal (dog, human, or other) to another. Among humans, smiles and the laughter that often accompanies them, can ..read more

A Large White Service Dog and His Handler (Courtesy: MobilityDog.org) Dogs contribute to many aspects of our lives – economic, social and cultural, to name but a few. What do we owe them in return for their contributions? As discussed In Part 1 of this topic, we owe our canine companions a degree of agency including control over aspects of their lives and confidence their needs will be met. Since humans have the greater power in our relationships with dogs, and because dogs don’t have an easy way to give or withhold consent for the jobs we give them, we bear the responsibility of e ..read more

Close-up of a Yellow Labrador's Nose (Image Courtesy of Pixabay.com) If you know anything about forensic science or even follow popular crime shows, you know human fingerprints are unique to each person and are crucial in human identification. Nose Prints But, did you also know that dogs and cats also have unique and distinct nose prints not shared with another canine or feline? The noses of each dog and cat have distinct ridges and creases making every nose print unique. In fact, some countries use dog nose prints for dog identification! Did You Also Know ... The adorable koala has fingerp ..read more

Young Woman and Brown Dog Playing (Courtesy: Image by Zigmars Berzins from Pixabay) Modern canines evolved in response to environmental pressures and opportunities. Many of the latter arose from their association with humans. The relationship between dogs and humans developed as a kind of symbiosis, with people and animals both benefitting from interaction with the other. This relationship was accelerated by the discovery we humans could employ the evolving wolf-dog in a variety of ways – hunting, guarding and companionship, for example. As humans, dogs and societies all evolved; the ways we ..read more

A Senior Chocolate Labrador Dog (Courtesy: Pixabay.com/RitaE) This question is posed as often for humans (metaphorically), as it is for our canines. Can Grandma learn to download an app, add a printer to her laptop menu or change the settings on her smartphone? Similarly, can your older pooch learn novel behaviors after a lifetime of becoming accustomed to a specific, oft-repeated and possibly limited set of commands?   Brain Plasticity A Dog’s Brain (Courtesy: Pixabay.com/Katja) The answer, for both your granny and your senior dog, is “yes.” Physicians and brain scientists tell us old ..read more