My husband and I were recently eating lunch at a sidewalk café when we started talking about the high prevalence of small dogs that aren't trained.

We were contentedly eating our sandwiches when relentless barking shattered the ambiance. A dog and owner were nearby standing outside a store, waiting for their party that was inside shopping. The dog barked at everyone who walked by.

Trust me when I say that I'm not picking on pugs. The dog just happened to be a pug. It was straining on its harness and leash, barking and wheezing. It was also overweight.  read more »

My Star Tribune cohort Josephine Marcotty recently blogged about Batman the dog who was the first patient to receive an experimental therapy that researchers at the University of Minnesota hope will cure his brain cancer.

Batman has the same cancer that Sen. Ted Kennedy has. If it works for Batman and other dogs, researchers say, it holds enormous promise as an effective treatment for people, too.

Pet Central readers might be interested in reading Marcotty's blog that gives us an update as to how Batman is doing. To read the Star Tribune article, click here.  read more »

Today's guest blogger is Wendy van Kerkhove. Wendy is a local trainer who has written an article for us about DNA testing to find a mix breed's heritage. In this accompanying blog, she addresses the question, "Does finding a mixed breed's true identity change the way we should train and treat our dogs?" What do you think?

True Colors Shining Through: DNA Testing Mix Breed Dogs
by Wendy van Kerkhove

What would happen if you had your dog's DNA tested and discovered that your Siberian husky mix was really a golden retriever mixed with poodle and Dalmatian? Would you believe it? Would the new information change anything about the way you train, exercise and relate to your dog?  read more »

Today's guest blogger is Kelli Ohrtman. Kelli works in the trenches at Best Friends Animal Society helping to educate people about puppy mills. She was recently in town kicking up her heels with local dog loving Twin Citians.

Beer With Your (and everyone else’s) Canine Buddy
by Kelli Ohrtman
Last weekend, home on a visit from Utah, I headed from the airport straight to a bar where fifty-plus dogs and dog lovers gathered for Beer with Your Buddy. That may seem strange to some, to come from home where I have five of my own dogs, and where I work at a sanctuary with six hundred dogs, but I guess there are some things you just can’t get enough of. It was fun even though technically, I was having a beer with everyone else’s buddies, since my dogs were miles away at home.  read more »

According to BBC News, "Yawning is known to be contagious in humans but now scientists have shown that pet dogs can catch a yawn, too."

Researchers say the copying activity suggests that canines are capable of empathizing with people.

I could have told them that—and they could have witnessed it—when I first brought Meadow into my home more than seven years ago.  read more »

Retired Greyhounds Racing For Home
By Laura French

At the end of the racing season, five-year-old greyhounds reach mandatory retirement age. Other dogs might also be retired depending on their record at the track.

That’s when organizations like Northern Lights Greyhound Adoption (NLGA) step in. In late July, a volunteer from Kansas City brought 11 dogs to Minnesota for placement by NLGA. Vida and Jemma are two retirees who will soon start new lives as cherished companions.  read more »

When I first read about this, I thought it was a hoax. But it's not.

Mayor James Valley of Helena-West Helena, Arkansas says strays in his town are better off fending for themselves then they are at the local animal shelter. So, he ordered 10 dogs to be turned loose into the St. Francis National Forest.

Apparently, the animal shelter in Helena West-Helena was shut down last January. Since then, stray dogs have been placed in a temporary shelter consisting of four uncovered pens at the city sanitation department.

Local people were complaining that the animals were still not properly cared for, so the mayor decided the animals would be better off in the forest.  read more »

Out Of The Mouths Of Babes
By Kelli Ohrtman

It is both beautiful and sad that kids are often so much more aware than we are. This weekend, my aunt and two young cousins (ages seven and eleven) came to visit. My aunt asked what exactly my job is. So often when I tell people that my job is a puppy mill campaign specialist, they ask “what’s a puppy mill?”

It kills me to hear that because my entire job is devoted to educating people about where pet store puppies come from. When I come across someone who isn’t aware of “my” issue, I feel that I’ve fallen short. Or rather, all of us in animal welfare have fallen short—right there in front of me is someone whom we haven’t reached.  read more »

Origin Behind "Dog Days of Summer"
By Laura French

Most of us are familiar with a few constellations that were named for animals. Taurus, the bull; Cancer, the crab; Aries, the ram—these constellations are associated with signs of the Zodiac. In the northern hemisphere, we can also see Ursa Major and Ursa Minor — “Big Bear” and “Little Bear” — although water-loving Minnesotans are more likely to call them the “Big Dipper” and “Little Dipper.”

If we could get away from city lights, we’d see many more constellations, including Canis Major — “Big Dog.” Sirius is the brightest star in that constellation. The Romans who named it thought that it radiated heat, like the sun. Their proof: the weeks in July and early August when Sirius rises and sets with the sun tend to be the hottest time of the year. Those were dubbed “the dog days.”  read more »

Sometimes when you work with animals, you see the worst in humans. And sometimes, you see the very best. I was at the vet picking up a prescription for Dakota when I saw both.

An older-looking dachshund was wandering around the lobby while I waited for my prescription. Her ribs were very prominent, her skin gathered in folds around her ankles and her fur was either completely missing or sparse in areas.
 read more »