Question: I have a three year old male, neutered Shih Tzu named Pocky.  My problem is that  while other dogs drag their owners on walks, I have to constantly pull on Pocky’s leash so that he will walk with me. When he does, he is at least 2–4 feet behind me even though I walk at a leisurely pace. I have tried treats while walking but he is not interested. When we are ready to turn back and walk home, Pocky perks up and walks closer to me but still behind. I’ve seen him run happily when chasing cats and

Brrr. It’s below 20° and the only sane place for a person is sitting inside in a nice cozy, heated home. But what about your dog? While I generally recommend all pets stay inside too, some dogs love being outdoors and were bred for cold weather—when is it safe for dogs to stay outside in the cold? I had the extreme good fortune to meet veterinarian, Dr. Susan Whiton on a recent trip to Anchorage, Alaska. She provided a personal tour of her sled dog kennel and told me how she and her husband, top musher Vern Halter, own Dream

Question: We have a Boxer and a Lab. Both are 5 years old. They get into the cat litter and we can’t seem to break them of this habit. We have a covered box for the cats and keep the opening facing the wall but cannot keep them from actually turning the box and eating the poo. Definitely yucky! Do you have any suggestions? Answer: Newsflash! National pet food marketing firm reports, “Next to week old fish, decaying road kill, and napkins from a woman’s monthly you know what, dogs vote cat poop favorite flavor.” Yuck is right, because immediately

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

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