The Dog Blog

Companionship with our dogs leads many of us to realize that during difficult times, dogs can provide tremendous comfort. Their interactions with us can provide a ballast that centers us during emotionally difficult times.  Whether it is through playfulness, snuggling, or just lying on the floor at our feet, we know that they have our backs. Some dogs do this professionally, as it turns out.  The organization LCC K9 Comfort Dogs is a group headquartered in Illinois, but has its dogs all over the country ready for deployment. After traumatic events, these dogs are sent with handlers to provide comfort...

These days we’re all in the same boat – or rather, we’re all in similar boats floating at least six feet apart from one another.  Many of our boats include subscriptions to Netflix. This means we float along watching Love is Blindand Tiger King. Nothing against these bizarrely fascinating shows, but if these are our connection to civilization, then our boats might start sinking to the bottom of a very deep ocean. Too much sedentary time on the sofa is not good for our mental health. Rules and restrictions will vary depending upon where you live, but you ought to...

Being at home with my dogs at this time of social distancing has made me realize an uncomfortable truth. The three of us are not in this together. Instead, I've learned that I work for them. And my performance reviews might not be as stellar as I had hoped. Upon serious reflection, I see how my English Literature degree did not prepare me for a life with dogs. What if I had been able to major in Canine Domestic Arts instead? I would have been able to tackle a few of the following courses: 1. Concierge Arts 101: Accept that...

Very little is in the news these days beyond COVID19, the novel virus that has caused a pandemic. Rumors swirl with means of catching & curing the disease leading to one question in particular: can dogs and humans transmit COVID19 between one another? The answer is no.  A little history: all communicable diseases in human times have begun with animals. At some point they morphed and made a leap to humans. The same is true for COVID19. However, the CDC has stated that "while the virus seems to have emerged from an animal source, it is now spreading from person-to-person."...

No matter how stressful our lives become, the good news is that there is a dog for that. Society has grown more accepting of dogs helping people through difficult situations, from anxiety about air travel to the shock of mass shootings.  But often the dogs come with different names or titles: some are service dogs,  some are therapy dogs, and some are called emotional support dogs. What is the difference? The differences are important for both legal reasons and knowing the dog's skill level. Based on the functions that the dogs provide, they can acquire the title that allows them...