I am suffering from allergies. Bad. The kind where every time you sneeze, your whole body is involved. Honestly, I didn’t know such loud sounds could come from me - but I guess mold brings out the worst in people.

While I have been suffering the past few days, Maizie and Marleigh have been trying to figure out what is wrong with me. At first, they mistook my sniffles for being upset. When I woke up one morning and began sniffling, Marleigh immediately came to my side and rested her head on my stomach and looked up at me as if she was comforting me. Little did she know, the worst was yet to come.

Continue Reading "The Game of Allergies" »

National Pet Week is in full wag, so you may be paying more attention to your pet than usual, or you are simply noticing some of their not-so-precious habits. Here is a list of the most common behavior complaints from pet owners.

Continue Reading "Your Pet's Problem Behavior" »

Having one of those days where nothing seems to go right...

Then I look at these two and some how I know it is all going to be OK.

-- Chloe Ochse --

Maizie and Marleigh are inseparable. Anywhere one goes, the other is less than a tail’s length away. With that being said, I shouldn’t be all that surprised when the antics of one begin to rub off on the other.

It would be great if the year of Maizie’s training would inspire Marleigh - but that would be boring, wouldn’t it? Instead, why not have all of Marleigh’s puppy antics and weird personality traits start showing up in Maizie’s behavior?

Continue Reading "Double Trouble" »

I've written several posts about the value of service dogs. For years these dogs have been helping people with physical disabilities where their movement is impaired and service dogs have been helping visually impaired people for ever.

Service dogs are in the process of expanding their roles as caregivers. I wrote a post about a dog that has made a tremendous impact on a family that adopted a Russian Orphan that was subsequently diagnosed with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome earlier this winter.

That dog worked wonders with a family that had almost given up hope. Be sure to read the original article if you go back to that post. It was amazing.

I came across a similar story this weekend in the New York Times.

Continue Reading "Service Dogs for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder" »

Most dog owners have heard people talk about becoming the alpha male or female in their pack.

The idea is that you have to show your dog "who's the boss" during training or when confronted with unwanted behavior. It's all part of what has become known as "dominance theory".

Alpha roles and other punitive, coercive techniques are all past of the jargon of dominance theory. You can find popular TV dog trainers and even some Veterinarians espousing these ideas.

The only problem with dominance theory is that it's dead wrong in every way.

Continue Reading "Debunking Dominance Theory" »

Why, the day after being diagnosed with a pinched nerve and muscle spasm in my back, do my dogs feel the need to loose their minds on their morning walk.

I knew it was going to be uncomfortable to take them on a walk, to say the least. I thought I would take them on a shorter route, one that doesn’t have many other dogs on it. But, why would that work out well in my favor?

Continue Reading "A Walk to Remember" »

I was doing some research for a couple of summer health tip posts and I came across something about dog parks that I hadn't thought about before. Dog parks can be hazardous to you dog's health unless you take the right precautions.

We love the dog park. It's a great place to socialize your dog and meet people that share your love of critters.
 
For single dudes with dogs it's a great place to show how sensitive you are and meet a nice woman. We take Miles at least once a week and he can tell when we are getting close. He loves the place.
 
What I didn't know was that many of my Veterinary colleagues are anti dog park. They have their reasons, many of which are quite logical. Your dog can pick up a dangerous virus like Parvo or Distemper and parasite eggs love the warm moist soil conditions found at many dog parks that try to keep the grass in place. Fleas and mange mites can transfer too, in the tussle for a tennis ball or frisbee.

Continue Reading "Dog Parks can be Dangerous Places" »

Poor, little Marleigh. She was up all night scratching her ears, rubbing them on the bed, shaking her head, jumping up and down off the bed just trying to find a place that was comfortable.

Continue Reading "The Case of Marleigh's Itchy Ears" »

Most dogs freak out during thunderstorms. They will get as close to their owners as possible, trembling and panting at the sound of the thunder and flashes of lightening. It shouldn’t be a surprise that Maizie and Marleigh and completely undeterred by these events. In fact, they enjoy them.

Continue Reading "Maizie and Marleigh - Stormchasers" »