The Best Walking Partner: Man vs. Dog – Well Blog – NYTimes.com

Is it better to walk a human or to walk a dog?

New research from the University of Missouri has found that people who walk dogs are more consistent about regular exercise and show more improvement in fitness than people who walk with a human companion. In a 12-week study of 54 older adults at an assisted living home, 35 people were assigned to a walking program for five days a week, while the remaining 19 served as a control group. Among the walkers, 23 selected a friend or spouse to serve as a regular walking partner along a trail laid out near the home. Another 12 participants took a bus daily to a local animal shelter where they were assigned a dog to walk. more…

The Puppy Diaries – Empty Nesters Welcome New Puppy Life – Series – NYTimes.com

We were still digesting our dinner and I wanted to hang out longer with my relatives at our traditional potluck Thanksgiving feast. But I saw Henry looking at his watch: Scout was waiting for us at home.

Although my cousin had kindly invited Scout to come along, she’s not yet well-trained enough for us to feel confident that she wouldn’t bring havoc with her.

MORE via The Puppy Diaries – Empty Nesters Welcome New Puppy Life – Series – NYTimes.com.

St. Hubert’s Announces Black Friday Trial

Trial Secretary Ann Stochel sent out premiums for a trial on Friday, November 27th at Pawsitive Partners Dog Training Center. Pre-entries close November 20, 2009. “Day of” entries accepted for 2nd trial only.

If you need and entry form, click here.

Good Dog, Smart Dog – NYTimes.com

 

Life as a Labradoodle may sound free and easy, but if you’re Jet, who lives in New Jersey, there is a lot of work to be done.

He is both a seizure alert dog and a psychiatric service dog whose owner has epilepsy, severe anxiety, depression, various phobias and hypoglycemia. Jet has been trained to anticipate seizures, panic attacks and plunging blood sugar and will alert his owner to these things by staring intently at her until she does something about the problem. He will drop a toy in her lap to snap her out of a dissociative state. If she has a seizure, he will position himself so that his body is under her head to cushion a fall.  Read more..

via Good Dog, Smart Dog – NYTimes.com.

For Scooper, Popularity Fades but Its Legacy Endures – City Room Blog – NYTimes.com

The Association of Professional Animal Waste Specialists, a trade group, held its annual gathering last week in Nashville. While much of the talk at the 7th Annual Pooper Scooper Convention, as usual, centered on business, it also featured the yearly tribute to a dying pursuit.

The contest is a two-minute head-to-head race to scoop the most plastic doggie deposits. A layman might be surprised that this year’s victor, Cheresee Rehart, like most of these professionals, generally shuns the very device designed for the task — indeed for which the gathering is named — the “pooper scooper.”

more via For Scooper, Popularity Fades but Its Legacy Endures – City Room Blog – NYTimes.com.

Pets Need an Emergency Plan, Too – City Room Blog – NYTimes.com

Consider it a government mantra: No Pet Left Behind.

Or, if a pet is left behind during a disaster evacuation, it must have food and water, and the home must be marked to indicate to rescue workers that a pet is still inside. Departing owners should also bring a recent color photo of them and their pets, to help identify them later.

Read more:

Pets Need an Emergency Plan, Too – City Room Blog – NYTimes.com.

Cesar Millan, Whispering to Dogs and C.E.O.’s – NYTimes.com

IT’S a miracle. That’s what the humans believe, more often than not, after watching this compact, 40-year-old C.E.O. do his work. He enters a room purposefully, his chest thrust forward and a smile on his face. “How can I help?” is his standard introduction, and the way he says it — calmly, assertively — indicates that your problems are about to be solved. Read more…Cesar Millan, Whispering to Dogs and C.E.O.’s – NYTimes.com.

The Puppy Diaries – Insurance, When the Patient Is a Pet – Series – NYTimes.com

By JILL ABRAMSON

Published: October 5, 2009

LIKE a lot of Americans, I’m obsessing about health insurance. Only in my case, the issue is whether or not to buy pet insurance for Scout.

Soon, she will be 6 months old, the age recommended for spaying, a procedure that will probably cost several hundred dollars, once tests and medications are included. A less invasive technique, done through laparoscopy, is far more expensive. And we’ve already spent quite a bit on vaccinations and routine checkups. Then there are possible future expenses, like an accident or a really severe malady, like cancer.

More via The Puppy Diaries – Insurance, When the Patient Is a Pet – Series – NYTimes.com.

Study Looks Into the Health Benefits of Pets – NYTimes.com

When Chad, a yellow Labrador retriever, moved in with Claire Vaccaro’s family in Manhattan last spring, he already had an important role. As an autism service dog, he was joining the family to help protect Ms. Vaccaro’s 11-year-old son, Milo — especially in public, where he often had tantrums or tried to run away. read more…

Dog From 9/11 Search-and-Rescue Unit Dies – City Room Blog – NYTimes.com

Dog From 9/11 Search-and-Rescue Unit Dies – City Room Blog – NYTimes.com.

A German shepherd named Taz, who was almost 2 years old when he was assigned from the city police’s K-9 unit to do search and rescue at the World Trade Center after the 9/11 attack, has died.