Rehabilitating The Vick Dogs: Phase Two
By Kelli Ohrtman

Today, 22 of the pit bulls from the Michael Vick dog fighting case have made it past the first phase of life at Best Friends in Kanab, Utah. To even begin rehabilitating the dogs, caregivers and trainers had to start from the very beginning, or phase one: building the foundation—namely, a relationship. The early days of the dogs’ stay was the time to make friends and to gain trust. Now they’re one step further on the road to finding homes.

Phase One: Trust
For some dogs, the first phase was longer than for others. Oliver, for instance, took months to feel comfortable around the people—even the people he sees every day. In an assessment done on Oliver before he came to Best Friends, it was recorded that in the shelter staff’s opinion, Oliver would probably never walk on a leash; he was too "far gone" to ever enjoy being around people.  read more »

I understand the importance of finding a dog that is good with your kids. I just become very concerned when I hear someone say, "We got this breed because these dogs are good with kids." I also cringe a bit when I read an ad for a litter of puppies that boasts "great with kids."

Local trainer Wendy van Kerkhove, owner of Fresh Air Training, says, "I always grimace when I am asked which breed of dog is good with kids. I have to deliver the news: A dog of any breed, including mixed breeds, can be great with children…or not."  read more »

Good Grief. Do I really have to blog about this? Considering the fact that a fourth person has now contacted me about Beijing taking dog meat off the menu during the Olympics…I guess I am expected to comment.

Do I think eating dog is repulsive? Good Lord yes. But I grew up in America with a dog (and cat) on my pillow for half my life. Eating a canine or feline dish would be akin to taking a bite of my deceased Aunt Nancy. My pets are family. Period.  read more »

Is one dog year really equal to seven human years? by Laura French
This particular conversion formula is far more widely known than, say, Fahrenheit to Centigrade or liters to quarts. The question is: What, exactly, are we trying to determine?

The Fahrenheit/Centigrade conversion is vital if you’re trying to figure out what to pack for a European vacation. Knowing liters vs. quarts can help you determine the gas mileage (er…kilometerage) on the rental car.  read more »

I have been conditioned to respond to my dogs' actions. They bark, I yell. They pull, I yell and yank on the leash. They nudge my hand, I pet them.

In speaking with a local behaviorist, he brought to my attention that many of the responses that people have to their animals' actions are conditioned responses.  read more »

More animals are lost during the 4th of July celebrations than at any other time of the year. Loud noises from fireworks frighten animals due to their heightened senses of hearing, and they will do anything to escape the noise.

In talking with a local vet, I learned that when the loud booms from  read more »

Why Do Dogs Eat Grass? by Laura French
When passersby on the walking trail see my Sofie eating grass, they often make a comment like, “She must be sick to her stomach,” or “It must be about to rain.” I smile noncommittally at the comments. Sofie doesn’t throw up after she eats grass — although occasionally she has to make a “gack-gack” noise a couple of times when a blade gets stuck partway down. Nor have I seen any correspondence between her grass-eating habits and the weather. (Although she does show great eagerness to comp away on the first green shoots she finds every spring.)  read more »

Just don’t do it. I’ve blogged in the past about the perils of keeping a dog in the car on a hot day. But after just witnessing someone rollerblading with their dog on a hot afternoon — well, I guess there’s a need to blog about the perils of exercising a dog on a hot day. So, here it goes.

Dogs get hot. Dangerously hot. They don’t have a special organ or ability to process heat better than we do. The problem is, through this blog, I am preaching to the choir. Most of you seem like educated and concerned pet owners.

So the question becomes: How do I get this information to the people who need it? Partly, with your help. So, here’ some nifty facts to share with pet owners who seem to think their dogs can handle the heat:  read more »

My cat is dumb. Dumb isn't exactly right. The more appropriate description is, "My cat is so desperate for food, he does dumb things."

Darby is on a diet. What's worse is that he is on a prescription diet because he can't eat cat food. Any commercial cat food makes him have explosive diarrhea. We have tried every food on the market. It doesn't matter what the protein source is — if it's commercial cat food, he can't digest it. So, we've found a prescription diet that he can digest and we have slowly been adding various nutrients. It is a very delicate balance.

Back to the dumb part. Darby will risk his life to get food. Any kind of food. It doesn't matter if the food is in a boiling pot on the stove or in the back of the freezer. If it smells edible, he's on it, in it and all over it.  read more »

Factoid: Pavlov's Dogs
You CAN Teach An Old Dog New Tricks
By Laura French

Instead of saying," You can't teach an old dog new tricks," it might be more accurate to say that old dogs can’t unlearn old tricks. Ivan Pavlov demonstrated the canine tendency toward conditioned response back in the 1890s. He discovered that dogs would start salivating when they heard a signal they associated with dinner, long before the food itself actually arrived.  read more »