The big black Labrador meandered slowly up a Delmar street, much to the consternation of my client. She froze and clung to the leash, aware that her own dog would, at any moment, see the loose dog and go into a barking frenzy. We backed away, turned and worked on maintaining confidence and purpose so that her dog would not react negatively. In the meantime, the Lab, oblivious to cars stopping to let it pass, wandered away. A little Cairn Terrier stumbled down the busy street, stopping traffic in both directions on the main road leading out of Brunswick. Her collar had no tags to indicate wher ..read more

On any given day, Pretzel is both a sweetheart and the terror of the neighborhood. Pretzel is a Cockapoo with two owners. One of Pretzel’s owners – let’s call her Debbie – adores Pretzel. The dog is in her lap whenever she sits down. Pretzel follows her throughout the house, even when she is in the bathroom. Debbie swears that she and Pretzel have a very special bond, that they communicate with each other without words, that they are soulmates. Pretzel’s other owner – Dave – treats Pretzel like the little brother he never had. Dave gets on the floor with Pretzel and wrestles with him, getting ..read more

Owners of two or more dogs will tell you that dogs are just as guilty of peer pressure as any group of teenagers. Herd mentality, mob rule, collective behavior, flocking, swarm intelligence, or team players – whatever the terminology, dogs (and people) in packs act differently than they do on their own. Chance and Joey are two male Havanese, age three. They are from the same litter and have been together all of their lives. They are rarely, if ever, separated. When they are, much whining and anxiety ensues. Once they are reunited, they greet each other as if they had been imprisoned and final ..read more

Or thinking about moving. Or planning to move. Soon. Your dog, of course, has no idea what cataclysm you are about to inflict on his safe, routine little life. This is tumult of the most alarming kind, in his humble view. He notices that you are distracted. You neglect to walk him. You let him out in the yard and forget to bring him in. His meals are delayed or served too early or once – OMG – missed entirely. Suddenly, boxes appear in inconvenient and sometimes startling places. There may be long(er) periods of being left alone. Or maybe there is an unexpected and delightful trip to doggie d ..read more

“I don’t believe in crates,” said the new puppy owner. I don’t want my dog to be confined; it’s cruel. She’s part of the family; she shouldn’t be in a cage, she should be with us.” If you are guessing that this owner called me about housebreaking issues, you would be correct. I’m not sure when the idea of crates became an ideology with its share of advocates and detractors. Crate-resistant people get really adamant – and vocal – about not using crates. 8-month-old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Suki is nowhere near housebroken. Suki is usually kept in the kitchen, where there are child safety ..read more

Households with two or more dogs are more common than you think. Here’s the scenario I hear over and over: “We went to the breeder and there were only two puppies left. We had only planned to get one, and we picked out the one we wanted, but then the other one looked so sad to be left behind, so we took that one, too.” Uh-oh… This occurs so often that I’m beginning to wonder if breeders put two puppies in the pen and remove the other littermates to some other place while there is a buyer present. This could be a successful tactic given that the urge to not leave a puppy behind is so compelling ..read more

My idea of a pure, indulgent pleasure is to have a pedicure. For 40 minutes, I can close my eyes and have someone else make my abused feet look presentable again. I happily pay for this privilege. If I could afford it, I would do it weekly. As a kid, I would convince my Weimaraner Misty to sit patiently while I did her nails, usually with a holiday theme. This breed of dog has lovely clear nails that made applying nail polish especially rewarding to an 8-year-old budding aesthetician. My favorite was Halloween, when Misty would sport alternating orange and black nails for the occasion. Howeve ..read more

Teddy, an eight-year-old Border Collie, has his owner well trained. When Teddy’s owner was between jobs, each morning the two would take a ride in the family pickup truck into town to get a coffee and a newspaper at the local Stewart’s shop. Now that Teddy’s owner has a job again, Teddy insists on the morning trip regardless of his owner’s new responsibilities. Here is the script for TEDDY: THE MOVIE: Cue light orchestral music that gradually swells with the appearance of the sun. The sun rises over a pastoral setting of a field with a nearby forest. The sun’s rays touch on a lone farmhouse ..read more

This morning, a neighborhood cat left a dead mouse next to my car. It was a thoughtful gesture of appreciation, since we set food out daily for Pat the Cat – our unisex name for him/her, and no, I’m not going to get personal with Pat to find out the answer to that question. The gift led me to think about cats, dogs, and presents. I know, you’re thinking – cats and dogs! Fertile subject matter for a blog! Sorry, this one is about gifts, because who doesn’t love to get a present? I adore a surprise, and dogs have proven to be quite creative at surprise gift-giving. For example, here are some of ..read more

It’s the white elephant in the room whenever there is a Mastiff, St. Bernard or Bloodhound present. Owners of these breeds – and other loose-lipped dogs – typically carry a rag or handkerchief tucked into a pocket or purse for on-site damage control. The walls of their homes are coated with scrubbable paint. Their furniture is upholstered in forgiving fabrics. Their clothes are machine washable. I’m talking, of course, about Drool. There are two kinds of drool. The drop or two of saliva that emanates from a Cocker Spaniel or Boston Terrier while the dog is waiting for his meal to be prepared ..read more