Archive for Features

Life Just Keeps Getting Better for Amazing Golden, Josh

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

The fact that Joshua, an 8-year-old golden retriever, is still alive is nothing short of a miracle. Even more dramatic, he personifies happiness every day after undergoing five cancer surgeries in 2½ years.
 
“He loves life,” says his owner, Al Baillif, of Escondido, Calif. “Even after all those surgeries and chemotherapy treatments, he’s at his best [...]

Sumner’s Daisy Peel makes AKC/USA
World Agility Team for a second time

Tuesday, June 1st, 2010

 
Preparation for world-class agility-team competition is no different than any other form of sport at that level–bring your A game physically and psychologically, says Daisy Peel, 32, of Sumner.  

 
Despite all of the mental management, for which patience is key, the last few weeks have been among the toughest ever for her since engaging in the [...]

Mental Health Assistance Dogs:
Opening New Doors For Some

Saturday, May 1st, 2010

 Gradually Lara Lee Rubino was running out of options to overcome agrophobia (fear of crowds). Her husband, Ryan, was scheduled to be deployed to the Middle East soon and most of her friends were unaware the 28-year-old Nebraskan was becoming highly reluctant to set foot in nearby stores.
She had been seeing a physician and was [...]

“AKC Canine Partners Program”

Thursday, April 1st, 2010

When the American Kennel Club launches its broad, sweeping Canine Partners Program April 1, longtime dog sport cynics would be prone to say it’s nothing more than an April fool’s joke.
 Not so! It’s a whole new ballgame. Times are a changing.
 The nation’s premier dog registry, sometimes labeled as elitist by mixed-breed dog owners, is inviting [...]

2010 Seattle Kennel Club Show Review – By Ranny Green

Wednesday, March 17th, 2010

 America’s hottest hound dog and a charismatic Irish Water Spaniel took top honors March 13-14 at the Seattle Kennel Club Dog Shows in Qwest Field Event Center.

Lori Wilson of Carthage, Mo., guided Champion Starline’s Chanel, a 2-year-old female Whippet to the coveted best-in-show title Sunday, judged by Clay Coady of Paradise Valley, Ariz. Chanel, the [...]

“A Good Dog Book Is Both A Treasure And A Resource”

Monday, March 1st, 2010

However you define treasure or resource, the book falls in one arena for most of us.
If you’re like me, a good dog book is both a treasure and a resource. Add some age and the intrinsic value becomes immeasurably greater. While general-interest volumes appeal to many, vintage breed-specific counterparts (German shepherd for me) are especially [...]

Another NW Junior Phenom

Monday, February 1st, 2010

As a child, Demery Paladichuk, of Woodinville, was scared of dogs. Today, this 17-year-old’s best friend is Gleason, a 5-year-old English Springer Spaniel.
But that bond extends far beyond their home and backyard. They are on the road together 40-plus weekends a year, competing in dog shows throughout the West and occasionally beyond.
Within a couple [...]

Keeping Our Four-Legged Forces Healthy

Friday, January 1st, 2010

“He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog.
You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion”. —Unknown
Fort Lewis’ highly trained Stryker Brigades are the public face of the giant [...]

Rescue is Just the Beginning

Tuesday, December 1st, 2009

When it comes to saving dogs’ lives, animal rescue has no boundaries for Ginger Luke of Seattle and Melissa Lingk of Tacoma. Both receive their share of angry e-mails for bringing in animals from far outside the Puget Sound area, fostering them and then finding “forever homes” for them.

Trudy’s Battle of Bulge Weighs Heavily on Family

Sunday, November 1st, 2009

OK, I admit it. I am a fitness freak, particularly when it comes to dogs. And when you see estimates that 40 percent of our canine population is overweight, it’s frightening.
A dog is considered overweight, according to veterinarians, if it is 5 per cent to 19 percent above its ideal weight. An obese dog is [...]