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 aest

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 t

I always ask my clients to let their dog greet me at the front door they way they would with any other guest. I like to see how a dog reacts to the arrival of a stranger on his home turf; it tells me a lot about the dog’s temperament and standing in the house. If I could describe the greetings I have received over the years in a poem, here then is an ode to the exuberance of dogs at the door: How do I greet thee? Let me count the ways. I greet thee by body-checking you at ful

Labradors are mouths on legs. Not all Labs put everything in their mouths, and there are undeniably other dogs that will ingest anything and everything. But Labs are notorious for considering the sidewalk to be their own personal buffet. There is a scale of ingestion by Lab color: Eats 80% of stationary objects = Black Labs Eats 90% of stationary + dead objects = Yellow Labs Eats 110% of stationary + dead + moving objects = Chocolate Labs Moses is a 9 month old Chocolate Lab.

It’s the existential question for humans and dogs: where is my place? If dogs could meditate, PLACE could be their mantra. PLACE…..PLACE…..PLACE…… if I had a PLACE, I could go there when…… Whoever is cooking in the kitchen doesn’t want me underfoot; When there are guests that don’t particularly like dogs; At mealtime, so I don’t beg at the table; I need a quiet place to go when I’m feeling overwhelmed; I’m really hungry and dinner isn’t ready yet; Before a walk, so I don’t go

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,

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

After spending some time recently at my local dog park, I have decided that there are lessons to be learned there. For example, contrast the arrival of a newcomer to a high school in any teen movie, say, Mean Girls, with the appearance of a newly arrived dog at the dog park. The new girl in school is usually scrutinized, avoided, and gossiped about. She is made into a pariah unless another teen, one who had been treated just as shabbily as she in the past, takes pity on her

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

Does your dog love going to the veterinarian, or dread it? For some dogs, the obligatory annual appointment is the equivalent of a stint of water boarding. Three-year-old Pointer mix Annabelle recognizes the veterinary clinic parking lot immediately. She engages the brake pads in her paws; her owner half-carries her to the door. Once inside, her nervous trembling causes her short hair to shed and drift throughout the waiting room. Her face is wide-eyed and terrified as she aw

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 ther

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

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 presen

Maisie is a 4 year old Golden Retriever that never learned to sit. There is nothing wrong with her physically to prevent her from...

One of the games that Penny, a one year old Yellow Lab, loves to play is “chase me.” Also known as “keepaway.” Outside in the yard, the...

Imagine having no thumbs. The definition of a thumbless hand is a paw. When you are thumbless, you rely on your mouth to pick things up....

Seth is a seven month old Pomeranian whose owners are getting a tad frustrated with him. Its not really the stealing of the flip flops or...

As in, “think outside of.” Four year old Terrier mix Zac does not fit into the typical dog training box. Recently rehomed for the...

According to Science Daily, a Border Collie named Chaser h as learned the meaning of 1,022 words. The average (trained) dog knows 160...