While I was at my favorite dog park today, I was viciously attacked by an unfixed male Pomeranian. You may laugh when you see the picture of one below. They look like stuffed toys, but I will tell you this guy was literally the wildest dog I’ve ever encountered. And those who know anything about dogs know that it’s the smaller dogs that tend to be the craziest. I’ve actually seen this guy before and we got along fine, but last time I saw him, he ran all the way across the field at our park to ferociously go for my neck. I’m pretty docile so I didn’t really fight back. Our two owners realized ..read more

In a notice published on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration FDA’s website on Feb. 8, 2023, Nestle’s Purina has recalled select lots of Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets EL Elemental (PPVD EL) prescription dry dog food due to potentially elevated levels of vitamin D. The recall was instigated when the company received “two contacts about two separate confirmed cases of a dog exhibiting signs of vitamin D toxicity after consuming the diet, to date.” It was reported that both of these dogs recovered after they were taken off the food. The affected dry dog food was distributed throughout the Un ..read more

The above are technical terms your typical veterinarian probably doesn’t know. (Dog model: Dusty Bleu) The post Know Your Dog Parts appeared first on Fairfield County Dog Parks ..read more

On January 11, 2020 Midwestern Pet Foods announced that it had recalled several brands of dog and cat foods made with corn products that expire on or before July 9, 2022, that were manufactured at their Chickasha, OK facility. The recall was prompted by the report of the appearance of “aflatoxin levels which exceed acceptable limits.” Aflatoxin is a toxin produced by the mold Aspergillus flavus that can grow on corn and other grains typically used in pet food, according to the company’s announcement. At high levels, aflatoxin can cause illness and death in pets. The pets that are especially s ..read more

Of the 24 dog parks and dog-friendly areas in Fairfield County, CT eight of them are dog-friendly areas. This means they are neither fenced-in nor entirely dedicated to dogs. Two of my favorites are dog-friendly beaches… Compo Dog Beach, in Westport, CT and Jennings Dog Beach in Fairfield, CT. Dogs aren’t allowed on the beaches during high season in the summertime (usually from Memorial Day to Labor Day), but in early autumn, dogs can run free. Dogs can roam to their heart’s content on the sand as well as jump right into the surf to swim and fetch toys. Both places are beautiful! The other si ..read more

Currently Fairfield County, CT has 24 dog parks and dog-friendly areas and 16 of these spots are fenced-in parks. Guess what? They’re all great! They are all cared for lovingly by a combination of local towns or private citizens and I’ve visited every single one and met lovely people and dogs at them all. However, in my travels I’ve noticed that two fenced-in parks stand out… Bark Park Dog Park in Ridgefield, CT and Newtown Park & Bark in Newtown, CT. What sets these parks apart from the others is how lavish they are. In both instances, private residents have stepped forward and donated h ..read more

Of the 24 dog parks and dog-friendly areas in Fairfield County, CT eight of them are dog-friendly areas. This means they are neither fenced-in nor entirely dedicated to dogs. Two of my favorites are dog-friendly beaches… Compo Dog Beach, in Westport, CT and Jennings Dog Beach in Fairfield, CT. Dogs aren’t allowed on the beaches during high season in the summertime (usually from Memorial Day to Labor Day), but in early autumn, dogs can run free. Dogs can roam to their heart’s content on the sand as well as jump right into the surf to swim and fetch toys. Both places are beautiful! The other si ..read more

I don’t usually like to rate dog parks because I really do love them all and I feel like they are all equal. But to paraphrase the book “Animal Farm,” some parks are “more equal than others.” I’ve visited, run, explored, peed-on and inspected each one of these dog parks in Fairfield County, CT, and this was my true, impartial, doggie-reaction to each. This is my criteria for a property to be considered by me to be a true “dog park”: The land has to be fully fenced in It has to be fully dedicated to dog-only activities/socialization It has to offer poop bag dispensers and waste bins Because ..read more

I’ve written about my rating of the Top 14 Dog Parks in Fairfield County, my Favorite Dog Friendly Areas, and my Favorite Fenced-in Parks in Fairfield County. But neither of these blog posts have covered my actual favorite places for me to run my 24-lb. butt off and go crazy sniffing and peeing on as many trees as I can handle at one time. All of them are in Fairfield County, CT and I love all three about the same. #3: My recent fave is Winslow Dog Park off of Compo Rd. in Westport, CT. This place has everything a herding dog like me could want… rolling hills, plenty of trees, wooded trails ..read more

It’s pretty fun to do the fetch game with your dog, and what better thing to throw than a tennis ball, right? Well, just imagine the toxins in a typical tennis ball and it doesn’t take long to speculate on some of the things that can go wrong. Here are a few: It is becoming more widely reported that dogs who like to obsessively play fetch… I’m looking at you all Labrador Retrievers … and who routinely bite, chew or carry a tennis ball in their mouths for long lengths of time are getting mouth cancer at early dog ages. My dog in-law Layla recently died from this and she was only 7 years old ..read more