DogTails

We were recently alerted to the Nova documentary, “Dogs Decoded,” so of course we had to check it out. And are we glad we did! The film is chock full of information on both the evolution of dogs, and how dogs have come to relate and interact with humans in a manner unlike any other pairing of species. We highly encourage you to check out the show, which is available to stream online via Amazon Instant Video. Until you get the chance to watch it, here are some highlights to tide you over:
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Every summer DogWatch brings you our list of summer reading suggestions to help you while away the hours spent lounging at the beach or by the pool, and we think this year’s list is our best yet. With a mix of lighthearted, comical, and emotional reads, there’s something on here for everyone. If you see a book you’d like to check out, just click on the title and it will take you directly to our Amazon store where you can purchase the book in print or Kindle (when available) versions. Also, we encourage you to share your dog-themed summer reading recommendations here on our blog, or via Facebook and Twitter.

Happy reading, and have a great summer!
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Skunk. A single word that fills even the most intrepid dog owner with dread. The smell, the nightmare of getting it off, the waste of perfectly good tomato juice… Let’s face it, nothing about your dog getting sprayed by a skunk is pleasant. Unfortunately, one of our own dogs was the victim of a quite vigorous skunking (in her face, no less!) this past weekend, which sent us to the good old internet to see what we could find for a treatment. What we found was a wealth of information and a course of action that made a huge difference for poor Lucy! We’re sharing what we learned here to help you should you find your own pup in this predicament.
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Independence Day (the 4th of July) is next week (can you believe it?), and may towns are opting to have their fireworks displays this weekend. If you’ve been through this holiday with your pup before, you probably have a good idea as to how he will react. Some dogs are surprisingly fine with the flash and bang of fireworks, but a good number tend to get scared and agitated, and may even try to run away to escape the show. Runaway dogs many not find their way home and end up in shelters (if they are not microchipped or wearing proper identification), or they may get injured (or worse) trying to cross streets or highways or traveling through areas with large predators like bears, mountain lions, or coyotes. Our best suggestion is to keep your dog inside for the festivities. If you DO decide to have him outside with you, make sure he has proper ID on him and is either securely leashed, properly fenced in (like a DogWatch Hidden Fence system) or on a sturdy dog run.
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