DOG OWNERSHIP

In the largest study to date on aging in dogs, researchers will follow tens of thousands of dogs for 10 years to gather critical information on whether canine life expectancy can be improved. They will also examine whether dogs overall quality of life can be maintained over a longer geriatric stretch. Which dogs will participate? Perhaps yours.

If late-night and perhaps pre-dawn walks with your dog are part of your routine, you might consider using LED collars, leashes, and toys to brighten things up. Colorfully lit dog-walking gear will make you and your pet more visible to passing motorists and to each other. At the same time, theyll help illuminate your path as well as make waste clean-up easier in the dark.

Shelters dont always seem the perfect picture of animal care. Some cages may be dirty and food bowls, empty. But looks can be deceiving. Before you write off a shelter as bad for the animals it cares for and therefore not fit to house an animal you would want to adopt (or not fit for your charitable efforts), consider these points.

For an ill-trained dog who wont come when called or gets into scrapes with other dogs or people when off leash, a retractable leash may seem the perfect solution. It allows an unruly pet more freedom than a regular leash as the line unfurls - 10, 15, or more feet. But an untrained pet is the very dog for whom a retractable leash is a bad idea. Thats because it doesnt take the place of responsible training that teaches dogs to come wait, and leave it. So dogs on retractable leashes continue to lunge, pull, and engage in all kinds of other undesirable behaviors, just as they do on short leashes, but the leashs lock mechanism doesnt let them be reeled in fast enough to contain the havoc. You have to walk toward the dog to shorten the leash, which takes time.

You may think you chose to have a dog in your life. But your decision to have a dog may have been genetically predetermined.

Someone told me bully sticks that people give dogs as treats are really the penises of bulls. That cant possibly be true, can it?

Dog owners often hear they should never give their pet a chicken bone. The worry is that a dog can easily crush a chicken bone with his teeth, causing it to splinter and then perforate the intestine. But thats largely an urban myth, says Your Dog editor-in-chief John Berg, DVM. Chicken bone will almost inevitably dissolve in the stomach and never even reach the intestine.

My 5-year-old chocolate Lab, Trixie, and I love to go hiking year round, but we run into a problem in winter. While I avoid walking on days that it falls below 20 degrees, I still always give her extra food before a hike (including pieces of chicken for a pre-hike protein boost), and we stop for snack breaks of kibble along the way.

Sure, a service dog can tell if her owner is about to have an epileptic seizure or is going into a diabetic coma. But can she call 911? If Melody Jackson, PhD, has her way, yes. She is heading up Georgia Techs FIDO Project, which stands for Facilitating Interactions for Dogs with Occupations. As part of her work, she is testing vests with attachments dogs can hold, bite, touch with their nose, or tug to launch a string of words in English.

Tinsel on the tree gets eaten and ends up literally strangling or cutting the intestines. Candles on the menorah singe a curious dogs hair. The water in the tree stand, laced with preservatives, proves toxic.

I have the cutest Halloween princess costume for my dog, and I want to show it off when children come trick or treating, but my neighbor says it is wrong of me to confine her in clothing. I understand the concern, but I think shes being a little over the top. What do you think?

Come on, admit it. While you may not be able to smell dog odor in your home because youve become too accustomed to it, youve worried on occasion that visitors can.