Five year old Beagle Carlos hates the dog next door. He can’t see Cockapoo Sheldon. An 8 foot stockade fence separates the two dogs. It doesn’t matter, though. The first thing Carlos does when he is let outside to do his business is to race the fence and skim the base of it with his nose, hunting for Sheldon. Then, let the barking begin. How the Carlos/Sheldon feud began is a mystery. Carlos’ owners moved into the neighborhood first. When Sheldon’s family arrived, it appeared

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,

Some dogs seem to regard bicycles, motorcycles and yes, skateboards as entrees on the run. Three-year-old Shepherd mix Simon enjoys napping on the sunny spot in the dining room, tossing his Wubba, and playing with his friends at the dog park. His favorite sport, however, is chasing anything that moves. Lately, this includes not only motorized vehicles, but also hapless joggers and even strollers. His owners suspect that an early run-in with a tricycle may have caused his obse

Or maybe it should be “Bite, interrupted.” Because some dogs will take the briefest of nips and back away so quickly that you’re not sure it really happened. Even the so-called victim might be unaware of the damage, if any, that may have occurred. Here is how such an incident might play out in a court of law. COOPER –VS-THE NEIGHBORHOOD CHILD SCENE: The setting is a courtroom. The plaintiffs are the parents of a 5-year-old girl. The defendant is Cooper, a neutered male 2 year

Obsession – compulsive preoccupation with a fixed idea or an unwanted feeling or emotion, often accompanied by symptoms of anxiety. On Monday, I met Rocky, a Jack Russell Terrier, hence the definition of obsession. Many dogs become “obsessed” with a toy or other object. Certain Labradors come to mind, the ones that scoop up a tennis ball with such fervor and delight that their eyes really do gleem with excitement. They mouth the ball, prance happily to you and away, daring yo

The pandemic makes life challenging for us in so many ways, big and small. Its not just people who are attempting to live this new kind...

Some of my clients swear that their dogs watch TV. I used to be skeptical about such claims. But then I witnessed a Shepherd mix appear...

Usually its because they have added a puppy to their household when they already have an adult dog. The puppy, being a puppy, wants to...

Let me make this clear: I have nothing against owners sleeping with their dogs. For some odd reason, when I ask a client whether their...

“I don’t understand” exclaimed my client. “Mitzie’s tail was wagging when my guest came in, but then she bit him when he reached out to...

In a household with more than one person, it is a certainty that there are at least that many (conflicting) opinions about the family...

A client once told me that his dog was “well-behaved but not well-trained.” Rosalita is one of those dogs. She may not know any tricks or...

Readers know that I’m not one to preach, pontificate, or otherwise bore you to pieces. So I will try to make this post brief and to the...

Shih Tzu Loretta loves visitors. The trouble is, she doesn’t want them to leave. When guests arrives, Loretta is thrilled to have...

Krauss is a 14 year old Rat Terrier with Cushing’s Disease. His owners are convinced that Krauss’ days are numbered. Ever since his...

Fox Terrier Chesney loves his crate so much he will challenge you to a doggie duel over it. If his owners walk past him while he is in...

I confess there are rare moments when, after seeing the same issues played out again and again, I can’t help but add to my list of pet...

Winston is a five year old black, smooth-haired mini-dachshund with eyebrows as expressive as Groucho Marx’s, especially when he is...

I went to see Brad Paisley at SPAC last summer. Paid a lot of money for great seats. Really looked forward to an amazing concert. Why?...

Seamus is an Irish Setter, but not the frenetic kind. In fact, he is rather torpid and slow-moving, especially when compared to his new...