EVERYDAY DOGCARE

You’ve found a wonderful place to live, and though the lease says “No pets allowed,” you’ve been back to the apartment building a few times and have seen another renter walking their dog on the grounds. You’ve even seen a dog in a window, so you figure it won’t be a problem—kind of like the dog owner’s equivalent of jaywalking. But it very well could.

Have you ever seen the words “new” or “improved” on a dog food label? If so, it shouldn’t be there for more than the first six months of production. “It’s not new forever,” says the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO), whose guidelines are generally written into law by each state legislature.

Dogs seem happiest when they stink. Who among us hasn’t had—or at least seen—a dog happily rolling her body back and forth over something positively rank?

Your dog loves to go to the beach with you—and why shouldn’t she? Not only does she get to frolic in the water, but she also gets to play in the sand—digging, retrieving toys that you have tossed for her, licking objects with interesting scents that have come ashore (like crabs and seaweed), and eating food that has landed off your picnic blanket. The thing is, all that sand-to-mouth contact means she’s probably going to swallow some sand.

People tend to think of cats as the pets whose human family members move a laser beam around the floors and walls for them to chase, but some people do it for their dogs, too. It’s understandable. Lots of dogs have a very high predatory drive, so creating an easy game for them to go after something seems like just the right kind of fun.

August 26th is National Dog Day, and the entire month is National Dog Month. To show your pet how much you appreciate them, why not treat him or her to a nice cold pup treat during these dog days of summer? Options abound, from a Starbucks “Puppiccino” to a Dunkin’ Donuts “Puppy Latte” (a small espresso-sized cup with whipped cream) to Dairy Queen’s 4-ounce cup of vanilla soft serve in its “Pup Cup.”

For dogs, the scariest day of the year isn’t Halloween. It’s July 4th. It’s estimated that animal control officers see a 30- to 60-percent increase in lost pets from July 4th to July 6th, with July 5th being noted as one of the busiest days of the year for shelters.

Sunburn can especially affect thinly-furred dogs and is sometimes also a precursor to canine skin cancer. You can put a T-shirt on your pet, but certainly during the summer hours when sunlight is at its strongest—from about 9 AM to 3 PM—sunscreen may also be necessary on parts of his body that the cloth won’t cover, like the bridge of his nose and the tips of his ears. Some dogs, like those with short hair and pink skin (think Dalmatians or Chinese cresteds), would benefit from a sprayable sunscreen applied pretty much all over their bodies, with an SPF of at least 15. There is a commercial sunscreen approved for dogs called Dermoscent Sun Free.

Baby shampoo or actual dog shampoo? Hot water, warm, or cool? What part of the body not to spray? And how often? Do you know the right answers to these questions about giving your dog a bath? Take this quiz to find out.

It’s true that certain medical conditions are more prevalent in particular dog breeds. Dachshunds are more likely to have problems with the discs in their spinal column than other dogs. A Yorkshire terrier is more likely to have a collapsing trachea, and a cavalier King Charles spaniel is more likely to develop a kind of heart disease called mitral valve disease. But a new study looking at more than 27,000 canines enrolled in the Dog Aging project—roughly half purebred pets and the other half mixed-breeds—found that the pedigreed pets were no more likely to have medical conditions in general over the course of their lives than the mutts.

Q: I have a neighbor who I have seen literally dragging his dog to the point that it whines as if in pain. I want to say something, but he does not seem like the kind of person you can talk reasonably with and I don’t want any trouble. What’s the best way to say something? I think what he is doing is animal abuse.

Q: I do a lot of gardening, and my dog keeps me company in the backyard as I weed, mulch, water, and otherwise tend to the flower beds. But I worry because you always hear about different flowers and plants being toxic for dogs. Are there certain flowers I should absolutely be keeping her away from?