Your afternoon photo break: the Westminster post we’ve been waiting for.

landonnordeman:

Slide Show: Portraits from Westminster Dog Show : The New Yorker

hiconsumption:

Dogs are curious creatures, and the fact that they are constantly attempting to dig themselves out of the back yard should be a clear indication of this.

The Pet Peek looks allows your dog to explore his/her curiosity, seeing exactly what’s on the other side of that fence without having to dig out.

For dogs and nosy humans. Imagine the conversation with neighbors during installation.

heidisaman:

It’s Friday.  You made it! Let’s celebrate.

Every Animal Story on Fresh Air from 2009-2012

(Source: notesondesign)

How Dogs Evolved Into Our Best Friends: “There’s something about them that makes us friends with them. There are people who dislike dogs for sure. But dogs also have an uncanny ability … to walk in a room and pick out the one or two who seem to dislike dogs the most and make friends with them. It’s happened to me with some of my dogs on numerous occasions. I think there’s a deep — some people call it love, I call it a ‘deep empathy’ between these two species — that resonates with each other in a way that makes them comprehensible to each other even though they don’t speak the same language.”

Dognappings have risen 49% in the U.S. in 2011.

Gives one reason to paws. (Happy weekend!)

On today’s Fresh Air, animal behaviorist John Bradshaw details why positive reinforcement works better than punishment and offers tips for making your dog less anxious when you leave the house: “You train your dog to toilet outside. You train your dog to sit on command. You should also train your dog to cope with being left alone.”

animalsyes:

(via War Dog - An FP Photo Essay By Rebecca Frankel | Foreign Policy)

Tomorrow: military dogs, olfactory senses, playing tug-of-war with pets, reprimanding dogs, dog anxiety, breeding. Guest: animal behaviorist John Bradshaw

Tomorrow: animal behaviorist John Bradshaw tells us what pet owners should expect from their dogs — and what their dogs should expect in return SQUIRREL from their owners. 

lookhigh:

latimes:

“Some question why scarce resources should be devoted to saving animals when gas shortages are endemic and human beings have so many needs,” Mark Magnier reports from Miyako, Japan. ”Their response: The welfare of animals and people are often integrally linked.”

Photo: A volunteer rescue worker rescued this small brown dog in the debris fields of Natori, Japan. A loose network of groups is working to assist animals stressed by the ordeal and, in some cases, separated from their owners. Credit: Brian van der Brug, Los Angeles Times

(Source: Los Angeles Times)

Vet Nicholas Dodman, on making end-of-life care decisions for your dog: “We listen carefully about what people are telling us about a dog’s life and we look carefully at the dog. If they have reached a point where they have given up — they’re basically lackluster, not enjoying life, not playing, not interacting, haven’t responded to any therapies, losing interest in food and social interactions — and nothing you can do can bring them back, you have to think very seriously about what is the quality of life.”

dogaday:

lola

Do you have an older dog? Have any questions?

We’re talking to veterinary behaviorist Nick Dodman tomorrow about the best ways to care for an aging dog. If you have any questions, let us know (and PLU-LEEZE post a picture of your dog….)

“As odd as it may seem, Michael Vick may be the best thing that ever happened to the pit bull. He gave the forum to discuss this and make it possible to get the message out there that these dogs are not what they’ve been made out to be in the headlines, that they really are just sort of dogs. And a lot varies from each one to another and then how they’re raised and socialized and all of these issues that go around them. You can find the sweetest, most loving pitbulls in the world and you can find other dogs that are as mean as you want.” Jim Gorant, in The Road to Recovery for Michael Vick’s Dogs (Photo: Andrew Yorri)