An extraordinary rescue dog, who earned 101 titles, recently peacefully crossed over the Rainbow Bridge. His talented trainer and human reflects on her special relationship with Good Grief Charlie Brown. RIP Charlie 2008-2023.
A Labrador Club has rescued hundreds of Labs by partnering with an all-breed rescue in the Northwest. Thirty-one years ago, the Puget Sound Labrador Retriever Association saw a need to save hundreds of dogs languishing and dying in shelters. They partnered with Seattle Purebred Dog Rescue and today continue to educate potential adopters about Labradors, responsible dog ownership, and responsible breeding including why it is not a good idea to let a pet Lab have “just one litter.”
The Association of American Food Control Officials (AAFCO) and five internationally known internal medicine liver disease veterinary experts sharply disagree over the acceptable amount of copper in commercial dog food. The AFFCO wants more live animal studies before setting a maximum amount of copper in dog food. These veterinary experts believe there is ample evidence based on previously published data, clinical observations, and diet changes in dogs with copper toxicosis, to set a maximum permissible amount of copper in food. They’ve seen how too much copper in a dog’s diet harms canines, purebreds and mixed breeds alike.
A recent Michigan State University study concludes that the ATP7B gene mutation may play a lesser role than previously believed in the development of copper toxicosis in Labrador Retrievers in the United States. The good news is that reportedly only a small percentage of Labradors in the U.S. have two copies of that gene mutation.
The nonprofit Wolfwood Refuge, located in southwestern Colorado, takes in countless unhealthy and unsocialized wolves, and wolf hybrids that once rehabilitated can’t be released into the wild because they have been accustomed to humans and wouldn’t survive on their own.
Good Grief Charlie Brown, labeled as an untrainable dog at the Arizona Humane Society, finally retired at age 14 after earning 101 titles spread among 12 performance sports. He’s Judie Niece’s once-in-a-lifetime furry companion. Together they are an exceptional team!!
In 2017, two Colorado women applied their passion for recovering lost canines to form the nonprofit Southern Colorado Observation & Unification Team (SCOUT). They and about twenty volunteers tirelessly coordinate and search for dogs on the run, many of whom escaped from rescue transport vans, new forever or foster homes, vehicles involved in accidents or while on vacation with their humans in strange areas.
What should you consider before deciding if and when to neuter or spay your dog? Some veterinarians now base their advice on when and if to do so partially on the University of California Davis School of Veterinary Medicine research studies that show early neutering and spaying of some breeds and sizes of mixed-breeds increases the incidence of orthopedic issues and certain cancers.
University of Washington handlers train ball-crazy canines to use their noses to not only identify wildlife scat that assists research of endangered species but also to halt the importation of threatened species and other materials into this country.
Our journey to find a new companion for Betty took much longer than anticipated and in a different direction than from when we began. Dave and I thought a young yellow male adult or older puppy would be best for our family. Months later, we drove 700 miles in the middle of winter across the Kansas plains from Colorado to meet and pick up our newest family member, a yellow female pup. What happened?