To the friends and family of Jan, It is with a heavy heart that we write about the passing of Jan Williams. On January 19th, Jan was killed in her home when a drunk driver crashed his car into the family living room. Her son and his wife were seriously injured, and are slowly recovering. From the time she was in high school and asked for her very first typewriter for Christmas, Jan was a veracious writer. She got her master’s degree in English and went on to become a professor. She wrote a textbook on English grammar, as well as several published short stories and essays throughout her lifeti ..read more

A Japanese, company, Shindo Rinka, is offering replica masks of your pet’s face in human size. You fill out your information on the Shindo website and submit a photo of your pet that clearly shows the face and features up close. The craftsmen take it from there, making something that is realistic, fun, and a little creepy that you can actually wear. (I don’t know where – that’s your challenge.)   The finished head is hand-crafted to be incredibly realistic. The craftsmanship doesn’t come cheap. The cost is about $2,713 USD plus shipping. A bargain for those who have always wanted to look lik ..read more

A New York state woman is suing dog food company Blue Buffalo — claiming their marketing is misleading and produced an overweight, diabetic dog. Shannon Walton says she purchased Blue Wilderness Rocky Mountain Recipe for Tucker, her 7-year-old Labrador/Beagle dog, because the company claimed the chow was “inspired by the diet of wolves.” Yet the food actually is heavy in carbohydrates “which are neither healthy for dogs nor a meaningful part of the diet of grey wolves,” the suit says. The class action lawsuit claims Tucker now has diabetes from wolfing down too much Blue Buffalo and “requir ..read more

KOVR/Lathrop Manteca Fire District Apparently not realizing that dogs don’t climb trees, Baby, a 2-year-old German Shepherd, chased a cat up a tree in Lathrop, California. Her owner, Sharon Thurston, had let her off leash for only a few minutes when she heard Baby bark from above. In a panic she called 911 where first responder Larry Madoski was sure someone was pulling his chain. Rescue workers showed up with a ladder and helped Baby down. The cat was able to get down without help—probably snickering ..read more

A Nebraska Navy dog handler was reunited with one of his furry military friends recently. Jessie Robinson, a 26-year-old veteran, worked with the dog Vvito, (that is two V’s) two years ago and had no idea that he would have the opportunity to adopt him. "It's kind of a indescribable feeling I guess. They become your best friend and someone you work with, somebody you trust your life to when you show up to situations. Being able to reunite with him is absolutely incredible."  Not every military dog is eligible to be adopted by the handler. Every dog has a unique personality. Some don’t do wel ..read more

                                   San Francisco 49ers - 27               Minnesota Vikings - 10 ..read more

Some animal behaviorists tell us that the dog with its simple mind cannot experience anything as complex as “revenge.” Several years ago I posed the question to my readers. Here are some responses--   Gracie’s story: Loralie Lee the Poodle was an exceptional dog. Judges loved her, she learned obedience commands quickly, and as a therapy dog she was adored by the people in nursing homes that she visited on a weekly basis. One year I acquired a puppy who seemed to have the same great qualities as Loralie Lee. On one fateful Saturday I took the new dog to an obedience class, leaving Loralie Lee a ..read more

Pablo Picasso, Femme Au Chien, 1962 Sold at auction, Sotheby’s New York,  May 14  2019   Pablo Picasso was one of the art world’s greatest dog lovers. This painting features Kaboul, his Afghan hound, standing next to the artist’s wife, Jacqueline Roque. The painting is one of the 10 Most Expensive Works Sold in 2019 ..read more

    Australia’s devastating fires have been very hard on the koala population. They live in trees and depend on foliage, primarily eucalyptus leaves, for food. As the fires sweep through the country, many koalas have been harmed or displaced from their food source.   Bear, a 6-year-old Border Collie mix, was surrendered by his family.  No one could blame them though. Everything you would want in a dog, Bear is not. He is annoying, high-energy, doesn’t like to be touched and is completely uninterested in people. He has an obsessive-compulsive disorder which makes it impossible to be around ot ..read more

Orion was a large, handsome mortal known in Greek lore for his great hunting ability. He was also proud of his abilities as a great lover. Unfortunately he got the hots for Artemis, Greek goddess of the hunt. Although they made a cute couple, Apollo, the twin brother of Artemis, didn’t like this pairing of his sister with a mere mortal. Apollo waited for his chance to break them up. He didn’t have to wait long. Orion bragged that he was such a great hunter that he would soon get rid of all the wild animals on earth. Apollo couldn’t wait to pass this on to the Earth Goddess who was pretty tick ..read more