Current dog bite prevention strategies aren’t working – at least not enough.  Sadly, there’s increasing evidence that dog bite numbers are up, beyond the increased number of owned dogs. National Dog Bite Prevention Week is April 7 to 13, and I’ll be participating in two free webinars (described below). For decades, the American Veterinary Medical Association and just about everyone else has been saying when seeing an unfamiliar dog, ask the handler, “can I pet your dog?” The advice is good. But clearly it’s not done the trick, otherwise bite numbers – including fatalities – wouldn’t be on ..read more

This didn’t have to happen. In a facility called a “puppy mill” 70 dogs perished in a fire earlier this week in Morrow County, OH. First responders heroically saved 17 dogs, and it appears all of those will live. First, if this was truly a puppy mill- the facility with nearly 100 dogs arguably shouldn’t be operating in the first place. How did this facility ever pass a Department of Agriculture inspection? Maybe someone will pay attention to what I did in Illinois in 2019, the first state to mandate fire protection for pets in kennels/boarding facilities after over 30 dogs were killed in a fir ..read more

Great American Cat Show The International Cat Association Great American Cat Show is headed to Chicago at McCormick Place, August 25 to 27. Listen HERE to Dr. Liz Brown on Steve Dale’s Pet World, WGN Radio. She  explains what cat shows are generally all about and how it’s possible that this cat show will be held in the same place (more or less) as the Great American Dog Show. Clearly, cats in a cat show don’t run around a ring like dogs do. Dr. Brown explains how the judges then judge the cats, and do so based on a written standard for every breed. And many of these breeds may be new to m ..read more

The tide has turned against breed bans, which almost always includes dogs referred to as pit bulls. On April 20, a bill that would strip away the last remaining municipal and public housing restrictions against dogs deemed pit bulls in Florida, Miami Dade County will soon head to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ desk. House lawmakers swapped out the bill (HB 941) Republican Rep. Demi Busatta Cabrera of Miami introduced, substituting in the Senate version (SB 942). And House approval was overwhelmingly bipartisan the bill to remove the longstanding breed ban. Gov. DeSantis can be a wild card ..read more

Akita Insurance companies need to stop profiling based on appearances. Most companies routinely deny coverage or charge more for homeowners or renters’ insurance if you identify your dog as a pit bull, or any number of other breeds. It doesn’t matter that there never has been actuarial data to support this position. However, there are lots of published studies (not to mention common sense) to support the fact that all dogs are individuals. Also, it’s a fact that nearly all dogs identified as pit bulls are merely mixed breed dogs. It doesn’t matter to these insurance carriers that the individ ..read more

French Bulldogs For the first time in 31 years, America’s Top Dog is a breed other than the Labrador Retriever, the French Bulldog, according to the American Kennel Club (AKC) breed registry numbers is now the most popular dog in the U.S. Frenchies aren’t doggie’s come lately, the breed has been around for a very long time. French Bulldogs were first registered by the AKC back in 1898. However, their slow climb in popularity turned into a catapult of craziness, increasing over 1,000 percent compared to 2012 when the breed was the 14th most popular. The versatile Labrador has held the record ..read more

I think National Mutt Day is just the right day for me to re-tell this story about our “pure bred” King Daly Shepherd. Robin signs the adoption papers It was 14-years ago when my wife Robin and I were called by friend at Chicago Animal Care & Control, saying a box of Australian Shepherd puppies have just been dropped off. She knew we like Aussies, and we were in the market for a dog as our heart dog Chaser, a Brittany, had recently passed away. Our current dog, at that time, was a Miniature Australian Shepherd, named Lucy. Here’s the problem. How can you meet a litter of puppies and not ..read more

FREE is a good word, and equal opportunity, one dog webinar and one webinar is for cats: * August 11: Dogs Love COVID-19 Stay at Home Orders, but What’s Next – Separation Distress –  I will offer ways to predict whether your dog will have separation anxiety, and products and behavior modification to use to help treat distressed dogs. No registration required. This event is hosted by Vet Shows U.S. at  5:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. CT/2:30 p.m. PT Access here: https://www.facebook.com/vetshowsus/posts/1757526964379473?__fns&hash=Ac0Y0q0yNFvtdHwR    * August 20: Winn F ..read more

There are nine dog breeds from the wee little country of Ireland, some of which are popular in the U.S. And, according to Rover, if you have one of those dog breeds, you’re pretty likely to use an Irish name. Here’s a fun infographic from Rover: The post Luck of the Irish Dogs appeared first on Steve Dale Pet World ..read more

“Why wouldn’t you sit in he first row?” said dog book writer, and Bearded Collie breeder Chris Walkowicz. “That way everyone in back of you can see the dog show.” Chris Walkowicz (Facebook image) Chris was kidding me about my vertical impairment. She was a statuesque 6-feet tall, and I am about 5-feet and 7 inches (on a good day). The show she was talking about was the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. We together sat with legendary pet book writer, the late Mordecai Siegal for at least four or five years in the press area at Madison Square Garden. Chris, who is a past President of the Dog W ..read more