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AAHA recommends that adult dogs who have received those core puppy shots be revaccinated a year after the last puppy vaccinations, and every three years thereafter. This is a somewhat reduced schedule from decades ago, when most veterinarians would recommend giving all the core vaccines to every adult dog annually.

Keeping my book collection to only three tall shelves has taken ongoing effort. At least once a year, I’ve had to give the shelves a critical pruning, throwing away titles that contained either incomplete or poor information and donating to my local library books that were of good quality, but not something that I planned to refer to again and again.

If we’re lucky, our dogs live a long, healthy life and, when their bodies wear out, they close their eyes and make that journey to the bottom of the Rainbow Bridge. Unfortunately, a simple death like that is rarely the case leaving owners judging quality of life.

People who feed raw diets to their dogs are generally aware of the risks of pathogenic bacteria that, and handle those products and their serving dishes accordingly. Foods that have been produced via a method that absolutely kills pathogenic bacteria—that is, extruded and baked dry foods—that have tested positive for Salmon are more concerning.

Even if you don’t live in an area where natural disasters occur often, it’s a good idea to keep some kind of emergency kit on hand. I’ve only had to use mine a few times, thank goodness, but it’s been invaluable when I’ve needed it.

If you have flown anywhere lately, you are likely aware that there are many dogs flying with their owners these days

If you think veterinary fees have gone up recently, you’re correct. The Bureau of Labor Statistics shows pet services have risen 60% over the last 10 years—and over 7% in just the last year.

People who commit domestic violence rarely abuse only the people with whom they have been in a relationship; they often target anyone or anything that their victims care about, and frequently this includes pets. There are growing numbers of domestic abuse shelters that allow pets.

If I’m having a rough day, I can fully expect to find a chin on my knee and big, worried brown eyes gazing up at me. Even if I think I’m hiding my stress well.

At some point, our “last dogs” become our sainted, perfect last dogs. Their behaviors are remembered fondly, with humor—unlike the painful or messy behaviors we are dealing with our new naughty puppy.

In my experience, it’s possible to make some guesses about future behavior based on the breed of the dog, the temperament of the parents, the skills that run in the genetic line, and so on. If there is one thing that growing up around a breeding kennel has taught me though, it’s that every dog is an individual.

A lack of access to affordable spay and neuter appointments has led to an overabundance of unwanted puppies and kittens. Charitable organizations are organizing to deal with the problem, but more needs to be done.