Can’t think of new fun things to do with your dog this summer? Why not take her to Barnes & Noble with you? Or Macy’s? Or Tiffany’s, for a little bling?
Yup, you read that right. More and more stores are allowing people to take their dogs inside with them—places ranging from big box emporiums that sell DIY supplies for the home to clothing shops. To learn about more than a dozen national chains that allow dogs inside, along with the ground rules for good behavior (on your part as well as your dog’s), check out the story beginning on page 10. A lot of dogs would much rather go shopping with you than stare at the four walls — or wait unsafely in a hot car, which can be dangerous in just a few minutes, as the article on page 14 indicates.
For dogs who would rather you “keep Manhattan, just give me that countryside,” there’s an article that details how to bring your pet on romps
in fields and woods while keeping him safe from the threat of ticks that may carry the bacteria responsible for Lyme disease. Lyme disease is spreading, according to new reports, making its way to areas that had formerly been fairly free of the illness, including the South and the Midwest. And no state can be said to be 100 percent safe from the threat of ticks that carry disease. Check out the page 4 article for keeping ticks off your dog (which, in turn, will help keep them off you).
Environmental enrichment doesn’t just have to occur in retail establishments or the great outdoors. You can enrich your dog’s life right in your own home — by teaching her sign language. She doesn’t need to be deaf or hard of hearing to get something out of it — although dogs with hearing problems most certainly would benefit. Your dog loves interacting with you, learning from you, getting attention from you. Adding an understanding of sign language to a hearing dog’s bag of tricks will only serve to enrich the bond between the two of you because it will provide a new way for you to engage with your pet as she enjoys the intellectual stimulation.
