Bronco, an Red Heeler, has seen better days.  A few weeks ago, camping with his family in Hopkins, MI, he went missing.  Four days later he was found, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds in the neck.  It seems someone had shot Bronco and left him for dead.  Amazingly, he survived and was found by a [...]

Great news for a Wednesday, from the NBC affiliate in L.A:

A $4.8 million default judgment awarded to former customers of a now-closed Bel Air pet store should help deter similar businesses from selling sick animals from puppy mills, a lawyer for the plaintiffs said Tuesday.

A lawsuit against Pets of Bel Air — where customers reportedly included such celebrities as Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, Demi Moore and Denise Richards — was filed in December 2007 in Los Angeles County Superior Court. It alleged the store sold puppies that later became sick or died because they were bred in so-called puppy mills.

The complaint alleged Pets of Bel Air “sold … puppies for a premium price and thereby duped California consumers out of millions of dollars.”

Judge John P. Shook approved the default judgment last Wednesday after the defendants ignored court orders to turn over business documents to the plaintiffs and respond to motions in the case.

Here’s the rest.

Many years ago I thought I knew a lot about dogs. But now, the more time I spend with dogs and the more I work with them and write about them, the less I seem to know. Funny, huh? Or maybe it’s just that  I’m more open to letting the dogs teach me.

Archer, our youngest dog, is still in the throes of adolescence. He’s not being too obnoxious with my husband and me,  just an occasional, “Sit? I’ve never heard that word before!” But Archer is pushing Bashir, our 5-year-old, who is the big dog on campus.

This morning when I let the dogs outside, Archer made a rush for Bashir. No aggression but more “mobbing” as if to push Bashir around a little.  Bashir handled it very well, and I’m so happy I saw it. As Archer charged towards him, Bashir got very tall and very still. Bashir’s mouth got tight and I saw just the least little flicker of a lip lifting over a canine tooth.

Archer immediately slowed and lowered himself, still moving towards Bashir.  But instead of mobbing him, he began licking Bashir’s muzzle. After a few seconds, Bashir began to relax and Archer took off in another direction.

The body language of both dogs was so wonderful; their messages were conveyed so easily and so simply. The incident was over, with no growling, snarling or muttering afterwards. It was over. Wow! If only people could handle things so easily.

Our oldest dog, Riker, is ten. Although he gladly allowed Bashir to step into the leadership role among our three dogs, Riker likes to pretend he’s still in charge. He won’t show any outward signs of giving way to Bashir –  no muzzle licking from him!  –  but he does show it in other ways. He will never ever try to take a toy or chewie away from Bashir, although he will take one away from the puppy. He always allows Bashir to go in or out doors first and will never try to push past him. In response, Bashir is a kind, benevolent leader.

I admit, I try to copy Bashir when I can in situations where it’s warranted. When handling difficult dogs in training situations, I try to be calm and still so as not to create a more difficult situation. Although it’s tough to lift a lip over a canine tooth (snicker…) I found that some canine body language can be duplicated.

One of my favorite books on canine body language is by Brenda Aloff, “Canine Body Language: A Photographic Guide” (Dogwise; 2005). The photos show dogs in a variety of situtions demonstrating a wide variety of emotions. Aloff also provides a discription of what is being shown in each of the photos. Although I don’t agree with all of her assessments, I wasn’t there when the photos were taken eithor and so many canine emotions — like ours — often can’t be accurately portrayed in one still photo. But overall, her book is wonderful, and it’s required reading for all of my trainers at Kindred Spirits.

Image: The puppy, Archer, is doing a submissive muzzle lick even as he tries to continue to steal a toy as the older dog, in this case Riker, shows some teeth.

If you’re considering bringing a new puppy into your household for the first time, there are several puppy facts worth knowing. You can get a new puppy from a breeder, a pet store, or even a friend or neighbor. Getting one from a puppy mill should be avoided, as you never know what kind of a dog you may end up with. Several of the facts given below will help to explain that.

If you’re considering bringing a new puppy into your household for the first time, there are several puppy facts worth knowing. You can get a new puppy from a breeder, a pet store, or even a friend or neighbor. Getting one from a puppy mill should be avoided, as you never know what kind of a dog you may end up with. Several of the facts given below will help to explain that.

As much as you may love your dog when they pee in the house they are no longer very lovable. If you are annoyed with cleaning up after this lovable family member, you can put an end to this problem with a little time and effort. Once you have spent the time to train your dog they can be a valuable member of your family with little time and effort.

As much as you may love your dog when they pee in the house they are no longer very lovable. If you are annoyed with cleaning up after this lovable family member, you can put an end to this problem with a little time and effort. Once you have spent the time to train your dog they can be a valuable member of your family with little time and effort.

If you are living in a neighborhood where there aren’t noisy dogs and you’re wondering how to get a dog to stop barking then there are a couple of things you can do to solve the problem. The first thing that you can do is to approach your neighbor and explained that their dog is causing your problem with its excessive barking.

If you are living in a neighborhood where there aren’t noisy dogs and you’re wondering how to get a dog to stop barking then there are a couple of things you can do to solve the problem. The first thing that you can do is to approach your neighbor and explained that their dog is causing your problem with its excessive barking.

If you are a dog owner and you find that you are having dog barking problems with your dog then you should really be looking at yourself in order to find a permanent solution. There is an old saying that everyone knows “dog is man’s best friend”. This is true only to a certain extent.