Question: We are having a debate in our city regarding our off-leash dog areas.  A person is trying to get the city to create segregated large and small dog areas because of his belief in the premise of “predatory drift”.  For years (ever since it was created), our dog park has had one big area for all dogs to socialize and play.  The owners in our park are very responsible and quick to jump in when play gets out of hand, no matter the size of the dog. Answer: Having different sections to a dog park—a general section, and one

With over 52 million pet dogs in the U.S.alone and a multi-billion dollar pet food and supply industry, it’s clear dogs are part of family life in America. To those who actually own and live near dogs, another fact is also clear—some dogs just talk too much. It’s “Bark! Bark! Let me in” or “Bark! Bark! Feed me” or “Bark, Bark! A leaf just fell.” Dogs can be such champions of conversation that many communities have passed ordinances forcing them to shut their yaps. Anyone who’s experienced these annoying oratories in the dead of night is probably wondering, “What’s the

Question: I have a dog and 2 cats on a homemade raw diet made under recommendation of a holistic vet. I grind whole chickens with bone and skin, raw veggies and add vitamins and essential fatty acids. I have been doing this for about 3 years and my pets have well formed stools and shiny coats. My dog started all of this because of skin allergies, which since have disappeared. What is your advice on raw diets? Answer: While the majority of pet owners use commercial pet foods, others opt for diets that seem more natural. The idea behind diets

Question: I have two one-year old male cats Sergeant and Figaro. Sergeant had been waking me up every night …due to his noisy midnight explorations. Sergeant’s latest discovery has been the spiral door stopper which makes a lovely Boinng sound. I have had to remove all of them in my apartment. I have tried keeping them up all day by playing games with toys, hoping they will sleep through the night. However, that is impossible when I have to be away in the daytime and it is time consuming. I now close them both in the bathroom where the litter

As of 9/16/10, the Veterinary Public Health & Rabies Control Program has detected 15 rabid bats in Los Angeles County this year, with eight found in the Santa Clarita Valley. In most years, only about ten rabid bats are detected for the entire year. The only other year with a higher number of rabid bats detected was 2007 when 24 rabid bats were identified. This year, most of the rabid bats were found in and around homes, and in two cases, dogs were found playing with the live bat. The pets were  revaccinated against rabies and quarantine at home for