Daddy, a pit bull who was Cesar Millan’s longtime friend and partner in canine rehabilitation, died peacefully Friday at the age of 16. Millan, his family, friends, staff and volunteers were mourning the death of a dog described by “The Dog Whisperer” as “one of the most loyal, trusting, well-balanced, and influential pit bull ambassadors … Read more
Folklore has it that Pep, a black Lab that belonged to a Pennsylvania governor, was sent to Eastern State Penitentiary in the 1920s to serve a life sentence for killing the governor’s wife’s cat. Folklore, as is often the case, has it wrong. Pep apparently was guilty of nothing more than chewing up sofa cushions, and, … Read more
Amid the bashing she’s taking on the Internet for picking her dog up by the tail, there are those coming to the defense of Rebecca Cross, owner of Knopa, the Scottish terrier who won Best in Show at Crufts. But the explanations those defenders offer, and their justifications for the practice — which has existed for … Read more
A new study has confirmed what many of us guys already knew, or at least suspected — having a dog can make us more appealing to women. The study goes a step beyond stating the obvious, though, looking at why that is, and why using a dog as date bait — unfair as it may … Read more
Yesterday, as can happen in life, I took a wrong turn on the way to Utopia, ending up instead on a dead-end dirt road. So I turned around, drove back through my own dust, took a different road and finally spotted the driveway I was looking for — the one into Utopia Animal Rescue Ranch, founded by mystery novelist, … Read more
After half a century as an amateur dog walker, and three months as a professional one, I’m prepared to give a qualified answer to that question. It depends on the dogs. It depends on the dog walker. But three at a time should be plenty. Many a dog walker might scoff at that — and … Read more
An Oregon State University scientist’s study, published yesterday, is drawing a lot of attention for concluding (as scientific studies often do) the obvious: The longer dogs live with us, the more dependent they become on us, and, as a result, their problem-solving and survival skills aren’t what they were back when they were wolves. Not … Read more
Attention all you “dog shamers,” all you dog dresser-uppers, all you dog-dyers, and anyone else who finds it fun and harmless to put your dog in a costume, use him to make a fashion statement, or ridicule him on social media. You may be making him feel silly, and damaging his self-esteem. The Telegraph reports that … Read more
It was the sort of scene I can’t walk past A muttly looking dog, a white-bearded homeless guy and a handmade cardboard sign offering: “Dog Tricks 1$.” On the sidewalk along Franklin Street — the main drag in Chapel Hill — Mark Williams, after offering me some room on his bench, said he and his dog, Two … Read more
Commuters in Moscow share the subway with stray dogs — and that’s just one of the ways dogs (and people) have adapted to the changing city. Dogs were barred from Moscow’s metro in Soviet times, but now they are a common sight, curling up on empty seats, lounging in stations and — like the one … Read more