News

Teacher’s Therapy Dog

May 28, 2020

A new therapy dog might welcome Furry Elementary students back when school reopens. At a recent virtual public meeting, Furry Elementary teacher Pam Shirtz asked officials about having her golden retriever, Charlie, available to students needing support during the pandemic. Charlie completed rigorous testing through the Pet Partners organization to become a certified therapy dog. […]

Paws For Life Rescue Program

May 28, 2020

Crazy Dog, a brand of Whitebridge Pet Brands in St. Louis, recently donated 12,960 bags of its Crazy Dog Train-Me! treats to Paws for Life K9 Rescue (PFL). The treats will support the rescue group’s COVID-19 Operation Pandemic and Paws for Life Prison programs. Operation Pandemic was launched to encourage people to foster a shelter dog […]

Dogs Adjusting To Social Distancing

May 28, 2020

Brian Hare, Ph.D. professor of evolutionary anthropology and director of Duke Canine Cognition Center, discussed how dogs help people to adjust to the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic. I want to understand how different types of cognition evolve, including in our own species. Dogs have provided a powerful way to test ideas about how selection […]

Police Welcomes New Recruit

May 28, 2020

The Moose Jaw Police Service has a new recruit, but he’s of the four-legged variety. “Merc” passed his validation testing last week and he is now the fourth dog to join Moose Jaw’s K9 Unit. “Usually, that’s the proper protocol is that when an old dog retires a new one is brought in or when […]

Puppies Helping Firefighters

May 28, 2020

Hanford Fire Department will have some furry new recruits soon. The department is partnering with the California Service Dog Academy in Visalia to train two new puppies to help firefighters with stress. Firefighters Connor Kurtz and Matt Martinez are heading the program and will be the two primary handlers for the puppies that are chosen […]

Working Dogs

May 28, 2020

We’re pulling for Draco, the German shepherd, who’s in training to become a K-9 law enforcement officer with the police department in Cape Carteret. There’s been some budget debate about whether the town can fund Draco as an ongoing line item. The “Draco dilemma” was described by reporter Brad Rich in the May 24 edition […]

Future Service Dogs

May 28, 2020

Three volunteer pilots left California’s Sonoma Jet Center on March 28 with precious cargo in tow: puppies. The planes were safely transporting golden retrievers, Labrador retrievers, and mixed puppies to their new, temporary homes. It was each puppies’ first step in becoming an assistance dog. The pilots were helping Canine Companions for Independence, a nonprofit that […]

Veteran Services Has A New Employee

May 28, 2020

Animals have the ability offer a great source of comfort and support. While on the surface, the COVID-19 pandemic has been horribly tragic, there is a silver lining there. At least there is when it comes to Lincoln County Veteran’s Services. The director of Lincoln County Veteran’s Services, Alex Patton, is constantly looking for ways […]

Free Pet Food

May 28, 2020

Every local business has been hit by the pandemic. Queenie’s Pets in Mount Airy, is no exception. “We lost 80% of our dog walking business,” said owner Adina Silberstein. What Silberstein, 44, hasn’t lost is her dedication to the community and her love of animals. “We understand that many people are unemployed and afraid they […]

Preparing Your Pets

May 28, 2020

It is true that pet adoptions have spiked nationwide during the pandemic, one of the few silver linings of this tragic situation. As families have more time at home to transition a pet into their lives, and have greater need for the emotional support and physical comfort of a pet, it makes sense that this […]