When the Mirror Has Two Faces
When my son, John, was eight, he started lobbying for a shiba inu. Why he had set his sights on that off-the-beaten-path breed my wife and I couldnt understand. No matter. We already had a dog, Franklin the border collie, which by anyones account was like having two dogs.
The Difficult Dog Dilemma
The editor connects two Your Dog readers to help a dog who finds it hard to trust his human family.
Vets Offices Undergoing Positive Changes
Heated towels scented with soothing aromas. Calming music piped in through speakers. Tender handling. Carefully kept records of likes and dislikes, the way a bartender might remember a patrons favorite drink. No, its not a spa. Its the new trend in veterinary offices. Childrens hospitals now have huge aquariums in the lobby, walls covered with colorful murals, soft chairs, and televisions with all the best and latest DVDs for kids, making those facilities a lot…
Which Type of Dog Is In?
There were two types of dog I wanted desperately as a kid. One was a rough collie (just try telling me that Timmy Olson wasnt the luckiest boy in the world) and one was a cocker spaniel. My apartment complex in New York City didnt allow dogs, but my Aunt Susan and Uncle Morey lived in an elegant, canopied building with a doorman on Manhattans upper east side. There, apparently anyone could have any…
For Some, Black is the New Black at Dog Shelters
Its commonly said that black dogs are the ones left behind in shelters, the ones overwhelmingly euthanized. Theres even a name for it: Black Dog Syndrome. But are the anecdotal reports born out by the scientific evidence?
How Dogs Build a Community
Carla Barlow, Tony Beadle, Rick Daniels, Meg Durkin, Tom Hughes, Anne Kimball, Brendon Potter, Jeff Sullivan, Sarah Murphy, that guy Chris with the three kids on Lincoln Street, Penny and her playful terrier Willie, Liz with the two yellow Labs, Charlene in the park by the cove with her little black and white mutt Lucy (the one whose brother is a drummer), Steve with the Golden Retriever Fiona…. These are just some of the…
Dying at Home
John McKee had sons of his own, and I have a loving father, but when my wife and I moved next door to John almost 20 years ago, something other than blood brought us to those roles like two puzzle pieces that had gone missing but unexpectedly made their way into each others waiting spaces. It satisfied in the way that only completing a puzzle could. Pick a day, and you might have seen…
Not Just Family Members But Professional Colleagues
Regular readers of this page are by now fairly well acquainted with my canine family members, border collie Franklin and shiba inu Rosie. What you may not be aware of is that they not only number among my loved ones but also are my office mates. While I frequently interview veterinarians on the campus of Tufts Cummings School and watch them performing ultrasounds of dogs and overseeing pets on dialysis machines and other apparatus…
Brendons Dog Versus Mine
My neighbor and fellow dog walker Brendon Potter is distressed that I rarely let our little shiba inu, Rosie, off the leash. So am I. She would love nothing more than to run free. But with her high predatory drive and her attention-wandering tendencies, letting her explore unconnected to me tends to turn into a hard-driving chase. By the time I catch up to her once Ive located her, Im usually a sweaty wreck,…
Bath Time For the Dog
In certain ways, Franklin and Rosie are dainty sorts. They both hate the water and will step around even the most shallow of puddles to avoid wetting their paws. But Franklin in particular, even way past puppyhood at the age of five, still likes to roll around in God knows what. Just the other day he came back to me after running off near a cove, happy-eyed and clearly reeking of - I kid…
Have You Tried Vacuuming the Dog?
Okay, so vacuuming Rosie didnt go so well. Dont blame me. Tufts veterinary dermatologist Lluis Ferrer, DVM, suggested it as a way of helping to keep the house free of all the hairs that come from shedding. (See the story that starts on page 11.) I knew Franklin the border collie, an even bigger shedder than Rosie, wouldnt go for it. He always dives for cover the second he hears the motor. But I…
Who are your dogs legal guardians if youre not around?
One of the first things my wife and I did after our son was born was have a will made up. It made perfect sense. Who was going to take care of him if we died or became incapacitated before he became of age? Who was going to watch over the money we left him? The chances of our dying prematurely were slim, but we needed to have everything in order in case tragedy struck.Why didnt we think to make the same kind of provisions for our dog?
