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We have often said that some dog owners need to put aesthetics aside and lay runners across their slippery hardwood or tile floors because their pets are either afraid of them or truly cannot navigate them. Puppies in particular may fear slippery-looking floors. They may be like an ice skating rink for someone who has never had skating lessons and strike terror in some pets, who refuse to go out into the middle of the ice.

Guys, Im not sure I ever told you that Rosies on Proin for life. When she first came to live with us at 6 months of age, she kept urinating right where she sat or lay, often ending up in a small puddle of her own making. Shed look back there unhappily, and for our part, we were afraid shed get urine burn.

A two-nosed dog? Well, not exactly. But there are a few rare dog breeds that look as if they have two noses, each with one nostril and looking for all the world like the two sides act independently. Want to guess which dog group these breeds belong to?

Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Easter, with their fat-laden meals, are high on the list of holidays that lead to pancreatitis in dogs - which, if not treated, can sometimes be life-threatening.

They said it couldnt be done. Okay, we said it couldnt be done - me, my wife, and Franklin. Soon after Rosies arrival when Frankie was already three years old, he starting packing on the pounds, going from a svelte 49 pounds to a rather astounding 74 in the course of just a couple of years. And there appeared to be no turning the tide.

Youve no doubt heard stories of soldiers and dogs who have forged strong bonds on the combat field, reuniting at home to become, well, family. Now, new research from Tufts suggests that the children of deployed soldiers may benefit from a close relationship with a dog as well.

Dogs, just like people, can become uncomfortably cold in the dead of winter. Sometimes you can tell - they shiver just like we do, an action used to generate heat. Or they whine or appear anxious and perhaps look for a warm place to burrow. But sometimes there are no outward signs. A lot of dogs are stoic. With that in mind:

My friend Scott Leaver was 32 when he was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor the size of an apple. After surgery, the oncologist told him that the cancer had a 75 percent chance of returning within five years - more aggressively the second time around.

Okay, I admit it. Franklin has been banished from the dog-friendly park closest to my house. Or, to put it more accurately, I promised the animal control offer I wouldnt take him there off leash anymore. One too many people tired of his yelling at them when he smelled treats in their pockets. One too many people lost patience with him jumping all over their cars as they crawled to a halt. And quite frankly, one too many dog owners - me - never cottoned to writing checks to fellow park goers to have Franklins nail scratches buffed out of their vehicles. (The big, goofy - all right, obnoxious - idiot is yelling out the window downstairs as I type this, no doubt from the couch where he stands sentry. Some interloper is probably passing the house with another dog.)

White boxers and certain other completely white dogs suffer increased rates of deafness. The two go hand in hand. It has to do with the lack of migration of pigment cells during a particular time in fetal development. People with a condition called Waardenburg syndrome have the same problem. Scientists find the genes responsible for diseases like Waardenburg syndrome by looking for genetic differences between healthy and sick individuals. Its much easier to locate the errant genes in dogs than in people because dogs from a single breed, like Boxers, are so much more closely related genetically than a group of people.

Two or three years ago, I suffered debilitating pain from a urinary stone. There was no position in which I could get comfortable, and going to the bathroom provided false hope of any kind of relief from the pressure. One night, around midnight, after literally writhing in bed for a couple of hours, I went to the emergency room. They took a CT scan, located the stone, told me it was small enough to pass…

Rosie hates having her harness put on before we get in the car for the drive to the dog park. I literally have to chase her around the house to get the thing around her. One of the things she probably resents most is that Franklin, my other dog, gets to roam freely once we reach the park while she must remain tethered to me the entire time. Franklin, a border collie, is a…