Life with dogs is shaped by daily routines, individual personalities, and a lot of learning along the way. This section reflects the perspective of people who live with dogs of different breeds, sizes, and stages of life.
The articles here focus on practical care, behavior, health, and everyday decisions, grounded in real experience rather than rigid rules.
Scroll on to explore the articles below.
Most dog owners enjoy boasting that they have a deep understanding and an enduring bond with their dog. “My dog knows to wait for my husband at the door everyday…
If you have a pet, no matter if it is a cat, dog, rabbit, bird, fish, reptile, horse – or any other imaginable companion animal – you know how important…
When five-year-old Peter arrived at Sunday school with a dog, I was taken aback. The sleek Yellow Lab nuzzled the boy, who joyously hugged the neck of the dog, and…
Back in the early eighties I had the sweetest pet that I thought was just a mutt. As it turns out, I was the proud owner of a designer dog!…
by Eric Bogard
Have you ever noticed your dog hunker under a table, bed or chair?
Whether frightened -say by lightning and thunder- or not, dogs are not all that separated from their wild ancestors. Certain ‘in the wild’ instincts and behaviors still remain such as seeking a den for protection, comfort, and psychological satisfaction. If left without a designated place to call his or her own your dog will actively seek shelter wherever deemed appropriate (not by you but by your four legged friend, of course). However, by tapping into your dog’s natural tendencies a crate will provide the very comfort and solitude so very wanted.
Man’s best friend is smart, energetic, athletic, loving, and loyal—but rarely a discerning judge of food. Certain dogs will happily “wolf” down nearly anything in sight with little regard to…
When my newly married husband and I brought home our not yet three-month-old puppy, Penny, people kept saying the same phrase: having a puppy will prepare you for one day having a child. I looked at my furry bundle of joy with love, thinking, this is going to be a piece of cake compared to children. It wasn’t long, though, until I learned my first lesson applicable to both puppy and child rearing: puppies need the house “puppy proofed.”
My same trashcan that looked chic and feminine in my newly decorated kitchen turned out to be a trough of leftover food for Penny, and it wasn’t long until Penny snuck coffee grounds from the trashcan, poisoning herself. Luckily, because I knew the steps and signs of dog poisoning I was able to treat the situation accordingly, and by the next day she was her playful and spunky self.
There are several reasons why owning a dog can improve the overall disposition and attitude of a child. Compassion and Love: Your child’s dog will sit lovingly at their side…
Animal hoarding is a devastating plight not only for the animal but also the hoarder. Gary Patronek, director of the Center for Animals and Public Policy at Tufts University, defines…