This was prompted by a friend who was impatiently having concerns about his 4-month-old GSD puppy not barking at people coming to the door, as a watchdog should, yet barking during walks in the dark or at strange-looking things such as a big rock that doesn’t seem to “belong there” or at something that the …
I come to this subject from personal memories of long ago, when the followers of Mohammed and the warriors and writers who succeeded and “interpreted” him were called “Mohammedans,” later “Moslems,” and more recently spelled “Muslims.” In latter decades, world travel has broadened my view and deepened my understanding. I have lectured and judged dogs …
In this day of foreign armed conflicts and domestic terrorism (or, at least, conflict), beliefs of extremist/radical followers of Allah and his successor imams are fairly well known by many people. The typical religious Muslim, regardless of sect, observes the ban on touching dogs or allowing them to contact much of what the people do. …
The issue of what is a correct head comes up every once in a while. I believe the reason is because the percentage of newer people in the sport and breed increases and changes steadily, and they often come into the family without proper tutoring by knowledgeable elders or sufficient study of their own. The …
My sister, a long-retired RN, wrote me, in order to ask her doggie-dedicated brother this question: “Because Ebola seems to be transmitted the same way HIV is, do you know of any case where an animal has contracted or otherwise been involved with the transmission of AIDS or HIV?” Keeping in mind that there are …
Our two dogs were “assisting” me pick grapes by nudging and shining clusters with their moist noses, as if to show me where the ripe ones were. Suddenly Felicia bared her teeth and was off like a bolt of lightning, Justice in hot pursuit of whatever she was after—another dang rabbit, I presumed. But almost …
A story for intelligent, curious, well-schooled children. Mrs. Rabbit had just finished nursing her babies as the sky was getting light enough for her to skedaddle from that open area we call a garden. It would not do for her to be caught by some cruising coyote or noticed by some sharp-eyed gliding hawk. It …
Many who had followed my regular contributions to Dog World magazine back in the `70s, `80s, and `90s have asked that I write something about Japan’s most famous dog, Hachiko, who is still a symbol of faithfulness in that country. Even those familiar with the story wanted it retold, and thanks to the Japan Kennel …
There has been considerable confusion, even at the American Kennel Club (which novices presume to be the citadel of dogdom), about the sport of Schutzhund and the proper role of protection and law enforcement dogs. Back in the mid-1990s, the AKC sent out some strongly-worded warnings about dog clubs putting on events or demonstrations that …
The author explores the roots of this ancient Japanese primitive-spitz type hunting breed In 1993, the American Kennel Club “recognized” the Shiba Inu. To the fanciers of this ancient breed, such an act parallels the “discovery” of America by Columbus as contemplated by the indigenous Native American Indians who were already here. Not everyone was …