DOG OWNERSHIP

But a new Tufts study led by veterinary nutritionist Deborah Linder, DVM, MS, DACVN, and colleagues just published in the American Journal of Infection Control provides evidence that those visited by therapy dogs - especially the elderly and those with compromised immune systems - are put at risk by a lack of rules about a therapy dogs vaccination status and other health parameters. Likewise, lax rules potentially compromise dogs safety.

Our small cockapoo Bailey always sleeps on the bed with us. And he always ends up on my pillow, curled around my head with breaths from his little nose going right into my ear. Curiously, in the middle of the night, I almost always wake to find him furiously licking my face, especially my eye sockets and scalp. Once he did it so long and hard that he scratched my cornea. If I have a nick from shaving, he will literally lick it until the scab is gone. These episodes can last as long as 30 minutes. Is he grooming me as his master and trying to please me? Whatever the reason, its so cute that I never cut him off. Its good to be loved. Hes a great dog and tends to my every emotional need. I should note that he doesnt ever do this to my wife. Whats going on here?

This past summer, while John, almost 16, ventured more than 5,000 miles east to visit the Holy Land, Constance and I flew 2,000 miles west to see my cousin Vicki in Colorado. (How do you people breathe in that high-altitude state? Its all breathtakingly beautiful, but at more than 10,000 feet up in the town of Leadville, I thought I was going to keel over.)

My 20-pound cockapoo, Bentley, is a very docile service dog who never barks outside the home or for food or water. But strangely, even if hes lying peacefully on the floor, as soon as my wife and I embrace in affection, or lie down next to each other, he runs over to us and barks until we stop and give him some attention (which Im sure isnt right but we love him to death). He never becomes aggressive or threatening at all. He just barks, almost as if hes jealous, feels left out of the intimacy, or simply wants the attention. Its comical to see and we laugh about it. Is this normal behavior? Whats the cause?

Weve talked in these pages about the famous Japanese dog Hachiko, who went to the train station every day to wait for his owner to come home from work - even for years after the owner died, until his own passing. The dog, who became a national symbol of loyalty in Japan, was found to have had four meat skewers in his stomach (think kabob sticks) at the time of his death. They didnt kill him - cancer did - but they could have.

Carlat Publishing in Newburyport, Massachusetts, puts out newsletters and books for psychiatrists and other mental health professionals, but probably nobody in the company knows as much about psychology as office mate Mo. At no more than a pound or so, the tiny nine-year-old Chihuahua, who belongs to chief operating officer Jeffrey Ives, puts a smile on everyones face by coming over to their desks to be petted, cooed over, and marveled at as he makes little play bows and generally acts more adorable than shoud be legal. His sessions with people dont last too long, but they do a world of good. His instincts are always on the mark.

You like peonies; your dog likes peeing. You dig asters; your dog digs, period. You stop and smell the roses; your dog sniffs what decomposes. How can you and your canine pal possibly enjoy the same garden? It would be great if you could, because time outside with you is time not spent waiting indoors for something more exciting to happen.

When Amy Gonzales Chihuahua, Red Eye, escaped from her Buckeye, Arizona yard, she searched the neighborhood, put up pictures of her pet with her contact information, and in hopes of reaching a wider audience, made use of social media by placing the same information on her Facebook page. After several weeks, a call finally came through from an individual stating that he had her dog. But rather than discussing how to reunite Red Eye with his owner, the caller demanded a $500 payment to return the pet.

These are the times that try bored dogs souls. Sure, we love em, spend tons of money on their health care, and couldnt imagine living without them and their love. But too many of us spend too little of the day really interacting with them to do their quick minds and action-craving bodies justice. Its understandable. A lot of families are out much of the day and barely can make room for their own enriching moments, let alone those of their pets. Thus, trying to adjust the schedule for things like agility courses and other group activities that dogs love goes out the window, especially when you add in the drive time.

When our son John was just a year old, he loved to walk atop a low stone wall in front of the old parish house around the corner. Id lift him up and hold his hand as he threaded his way along, delighted at the novelty of walking high off the ground and pleased with his competence at being able to stay afoot on the relatively narrow ledge.

When I was growing up, we were taught that you pry the dogs mouth open and then shove the medicine down their throat, says veterinarian Stephanie Borns-Weil, DVM. What Ive been thinking about for a long time now is how you can get canine patients to participate in their own care rather than making it seem like an adversarial relationship. And what Ive found is that you can actually train animals to play a willing role. You can make it a positive thing, says the doctor, who heads up the Tufts Animal Behavior Clinic.

June 2017 - Full Issue PDF