Dog Park.
Beautiful Day at the Dog Park from Kelsey Wynns on Vimeo. Just another Saturday afternoon at the dog park? It's your weekly ritual, man's best friend's favorite activity. But you have to admit it's become a little bit stale, a little bit rote, at least for you. You load Rowdy in the truck and drive down to the park. You let him loose and make small talk with the other dog owners, keeping enough of an eye on your pooch so that he doesn't get himself into trouble. And then eventually after he's had his fill of fun (or probably before then), you load Rowdy back in the truck and head home. No biggie, and at least you got some fresh air. But don't you realize that you're missing your chance to ...
Try not smiling on a swingset. It simply can't be done. Even the biggest grouch you've ever met says "Wheeeee!" when he's pumping higher and higher. Now sit a corgi--the smilingest breed of dog on the planet--on a swing and being to push it back and forth. Watch how it beams. Have you ever seen a happier looking creature on the face of the Earth? Neither have we. ...
Watch videos from Paw Nation Alamy It's not something we want to think about, but it happens from time to time -- a dog fight. They can happen at the dog park, when you are out for a walk, or in front of a crowded patio restaurant. Our reaction is often to freak out, yell, grab for the dogs' collars -- which, it turns out, may be all the wrong ways to react, putting ourselves in harm's way without even realizing it. Getting involved in a dogfight is dangerous and it's not something we recommend. But we also know that when your dog is at risk, protective instincts kick in. That's why we asked dog safety expert Melanie Monteiro, author of "The Safe Dog Handbook - A Complete Guide To ...
John Ales / Zoom Room Growing up with two beagles in the Midwest, there were few things more difficult than getting the dogs their proper dose of exercise in the winter. Walks in the snow brought on constant protest. One of our beagles would raise one paw at a time when she started getting too cold, balancing on three legs and then two, until eventually she flopped onto her back and had to be carried home to the fireplace. One great solution is to visit an indoor dog park. There is usually a charge to enter -- a per-visit fee, a membership fee that covers the season or both. You will also probably need to show your dog's vaccination records. Here are a few of the indoor dog parks now open ...
Anna Westhoff Each week, Ben Westhoff shares the ups and downs of owning Pippi, the dalmatian mix he and his wife Anna adopted as a puppy in late 2009. As we approach our first anniversary of owning Pippi, you may be wondering if the "honeymoon" period is over. No way! Anna and I still enjoy snuggling Pippi and goofing around with her, playing tug-of-war and roughhousing. But speaking for myself, I'm burned out on exercising her so much. It was fun for a time, but if someone were to give us, say, a robot dog walker for Christmas -- one that was trustworthy and ran on renewable batteries -- I would set that baby to auto-pilot and never look back. I've written many times about Pippi's ...
Tim Sloan, AFP/Getty Images Petside: "Pet Semetery" may be a scary movie, but the idea of pets roaming around cemeteries is getting attention right now, and not just because it's nearly Halloween. More dog owners are letting their dogs go off-leash in cemeteries, causing some uproar from city government officials and citizens about dog waste near and on graves. However, one cemetery in Washington, D.C. has found a unique solution to this problem: charging dog walkers an annual fee and requiring volunteer services in return for off-leash privileges. Daily Treat: This Animal Planet blog features a post about an organization that helps take care of women fleeing domestic violence by ...