Doing it doggy style
Stop right there. Do not let your imagination run wild. This article contains nothing X-rated or kinky, however disappointed you may be. A quick…
Is canine courage unique or inbred?
I had an interesting walk the other day with my girlfriend, our dogs and our children. As we came up the path toward our…
Dealing with our ‘children in fur’
I routinely fall in love with the strangers who approach me (as Sarah, the dog trainer) unexpectedly and without hesitation regardless of the situation,…
Getting to the heart of the bark
Woof! Woof-wooof-wooof-wooof! Grrr-woof-grrr. It’s the classic soundtrack to this scenario: A dog is perched high on the back of the family couch – or…
Protecting paws in salt season
Few things are as pronounced for pet owners as the changing seasons, with various months bringing their own reassurances. During September, the cool weather…
Puttin’ on the dog
My daughter has discovered a website that allows you to be the designer of your own clothes. You can design baby clothes, a wrap…
Who’s walked the lizard?
By Sarah Hodgson On any given day, one of my family members is assigned the task of playing with the lizard. Each participant chooses…
Pets on vacation – yea or nay?
’Round about April I become giddy with vacation planning. I gather the family around the computer as we winnow down our options and pick…
A tale of love and loss under the sun
There is no way to predict what a day will bring. If there were, perhaps we could shape the effects of time, but such…
Lights, camera, canine action!
Bamboozle, my 10-pound trick dog, sat poised off camera, awaiting his signal. As I steadied my outstretched palm – his signal to stay – I…
Who’s in the doghouse?
When I was a kid, we had a three-sided, flat-topped plywood box—generously referenced to as “the doghouse”—positioned on the back porch, beneath our kitchen…
Love for all creatures great and small
My daughter is studying Greek culture in school and so, by extension, am I. I’m relearning the gods, the philosophers and the mythology. And…
Dog-gone tomes
What does a dog trainer and writer read when she’s not training or writing? When I told my husband I was writing a column…
Dressing up Fido
Now that the weather has turned cool, I’m starting to plan the holiday photo shoot. We’ve added several pets to the family pack since last year, so I see great potential. Several of my suggestions – all of us gathered around the dog sled wearing fake antlers and dressing up as shepherds and sheep – have been met with skepticism from the two-legged pack members. My practical husband likes the traditional in-front-of-the-tree portrait, and my son thinks we should drape ourselves with multi-colored flashing lights. But my daughter and me? We’re pet dressers to the core.
‘CRITTER CANDIDATES’ FOR FAMILY PET
Every fall, my house becomes campaign central. Speeches are given; promises made. The lobbyists scramble to show their candidate in the best light. But…
New York is a dog’s life
From the burbs to the boroughs, the tristate area is often a wonderful place to be a pet, and thus, a pet owner.
Training day
Can dog school be fun? Absolutely, if you find the right school. Since your pup really has one shot at learning, take some time and find the right setting for both of you to learn.
SEEING ‘DAWN’ AT THE MET
When WAG asked me to cover the subject of animals in the “The Dawn of Egyptian Art” exhibit, I jumped at the chance. I didn’t immediately see the connection between pre-dynastic art and modern-day pet ownership, but hey: It’s The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and I never pass up an opportunity to go there.
OF PETS AND PETUNIAS
As the warmth of the season beckons us outdoors, many pet and plant lovers are caught in the crosshairs: Is it possible to intertwine…
OF PETS AND POISONOUS PLANTS
Spring has sprung, inspiring the gardener in many of us. It’s no surprise that many who love the earth also love and share their lives…