Sit and Stay

Emerson
Two years ago today, I adopted my first dog, a Lhasa Apso mix, from the Oregon Humane Society, a local shelter here in Portland. The process involved two visits, a trip to PetSmart to stock up on supplies, and one sleepless night. Visit number one was prompted by an ad I had seen online, describing [...]

With the recent news from the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) that a cat tested positive for the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus, keeping your Pet protected has probably crossed your mind as a Pet owner. If you or someone in your household has the H1N1 virus, this recent news means it is possible – though [...]

Just over 11 years ago I moved to Oregon from NY to be with Ricky my then boyfriend, now husband. The day after I arrived we adopted Niko from the Oregon Humane Society. Several days later we brought him home and though we had a few hiccups early on: he ate our house the first time we [...]

Before moving to Portland, I lived in a more rural area of Pacific Northwest where fall is one of my favorite times of the year — a great way for me to spend a fall afternoon is seeing all the color changes that the season brings.  The vibrant leaf changes and seasonal foliage are amazing [...]

Yesterday was our dog, Niko’s, birthday-he’s officially 12. This year, we fulfilled two birthday promises–first, we ran a Wisdom Panel, which is a mixed breed dog DNA test and the results are in. It turns out you guys know your dogs–he’s equal parts Doberman pinscher, Siberian husky and Flat-coated Retriever. That third one was a [...]

I am not one of our regular bloggers. Nor am I a Pet healthcare expert. I have, however, worked at Banfield for over nine years and, like all of my colleagues here, am a Pet lover. I decided to write this week because something’s been on my mind for a while— my dog, Niko. He’s [...]

As you may remember from last week I spent one summer in the mid 80s working at a rehab on the San Juan Islands.  I have already recounted my meetings with Frank and Blanche the raccoon and sea otter that I met there.  The final feathered friend I made there was “the swan” and I [...]

On my way to work the other day I saw an adult raccoon do a 360 in the air after being hit by a car. It landed in the bushes and went scurrying off on three legs. I hate to see and think about stuff like that and I hope he/she is okay.  Seeing that [...]

This is the story about Milton, a lab who deserves every lavish ounce of love and admiration; who tests the bounds of the human-animal bond, but gives back more in sloppy doggy kisses than anything he can dish out. 
Milton is a large lab.  Most labs are large, but everything about him is more than just [...]

I love cats and I am worried about cats. Forever, there have been way too many un-owned cats-lost, abandoned, stray and surrendered to an uncertain future. And each year the problem gets worse as un-spayed females go into heat and become pregnant. There are a variety of reasons people give for not getting cats spayed [...]