Getting a new dog is a big responsibility. After all, a dog will become part of your family for many years to come. Before you make any decision or bring a dog home, learn about what they need to live full, rewarding lives well beyond puppyhood.

COVID-19 has impacted all our lives and does not just stop at our lives, but it also affects our pet’s. We were still able to walk our dogs during lockdown; it was one of the only times we could go out! But, now with restrictions lifting and more people allowed out, there are set things we need to do to keep ourselves and our dogs safe. Whether you walk your dog yourself or you are a professional dog walker we have some advice that will help keep you and your dog safe.

If anyone could translate this to Dogspeak, I’d be eternally grateful. #woof

The 25th annual Tompkins Square Halloween Parade brought together more than 250 dogs of all stripes and breeds. Dogs competed for the title of the best on the podium in the center of the park, and the owners of the winners received the main prize - an Apple Watch. Suits were impressive in their variety - there were both pirate or vampire outfits bought for pets, and inventive duets of owners and their dogs with cosplay based on popular films and books.

One day it all happened suddenly! The Bald Eagle and Chevy, Chevy is a half Pit Bull and Black Lab. He loves people but animals well that is a different story. Chevy does not like other animals at all and that is why he almost had a Bald Eagle for lunch one day!! My daughter lives next to Fish Creek there is a lot of fish in the creek. Bald Eagles love to go there to catch the fish and eat them! We see a lot of Bald Eagles living in Alaska it is nothing new to Alaskans. One day my daughter put Chevy out on his run. He was doing his business and wining because he was outside and his master was inside. He is just a big baby and he wanted back in the home! My daughter did not pay any attention to what was happening outside. Then Chevy starts barking and my daughter yells at him to stop. What she didn't realize is Chevy was barking at a Bald Eagle!

Dog parks get a lot of mixed reviews. Some pet owners won’t go near them while others take their dogs to one daily. And it’s kind of sad really because they should provide the perfect opportunity to let your pooch get in some playtime, exercise, and socialization. Unfortunately, that’s not always how it works out.

Ever heard the Cat Stevens song he wrote about loving his dog as much as his partner? He sings:

They say friends are the family we choose for ourselves. The same goes for our furry companions. Understanding the personality of your pet is an important step since it can help you understand their behavior and how best to train and exercise your four-legged friend.

As I sit and write this, I am dog sitting two dogs for my best friend. Despite not needing dogs around to make me think of him, being around these two dogs is making me flash back to Jorge. Jorge was my parents’ dog; though he was basically mine too. The only dog we had for that long. He was with us for a full 12 years, before we lost him. Best we could determine he was a mix of Labrador and Ridgeback. Either way; he was a total sweet heart and the best four-legged friend any of us ever had.

On lazy saturday mornings my fiance sleeps in while the dog and I eat eggs together. He gets one scrambled egg with a dash of cheese, while I get an omelette. He scarfs his down while I relax on the couch and drink my coffee. After breakfast we take a leisurely walk for an hour. Sometimes, if it’s chilly, he wears a sweater or jacket. Our Sundays are pretty similar. On not so relaxed weekends, he still gets his eggs and walk. Our routine is important. During the week, my fiance works from home so he feeds him wet food for lunch and they sit outside together. Our dog has three small bins of toys and constantly dumps them out so I have to pick them up. He loves fetch, stuffed animals, and squeaky balls. We have an 8 year old that is with us 50% of the time, and she is his best friend. He has gone to several dog training classes and goes to doggy daycare regularly. He’s only 15 lbs, but his intelligence is great. We’ve had him since he was 8 weeks old, and two years later he has only had two accidents in the house. He learns tricks quickly, he knows the names of the people in our family, and in his own doggy way tries to communicate with us.

When we think about being twenty years old. Some of the first things that come to mind are "great! I survived teen pregnancy" and "x months till I can legally drink!"

When you move around the world with someone or something for 15 years, you never settle down enough to call a house a home. You find your home in that someone or something that has never left your side. Well, that was my “Kitty.” A couple of countries and a few states later I had to say, goodbye. I thought to myself, how can I honor and represent such a beautiful soul I hold dear to my heart? Do I plant a tree? Do I shout her name from rooftops? Do I tell every stranger I meet her name? I can, but that won’t actually show her to the world. When I walk into a room, I’d like people to understand, what she means to me. That when you see me, you see her. Then, I decided to get a tattoo of her face. I walked into the tattoo shop and I was set on what I wanted. I wanted half her face with various colors while the other half black and white. I told the artist I wanted it small on my forearm. He immediately jumped up and told me, “ You have to make it big! This was your baby!” I never considered getting a big tattoo on my shoulder. It was never appealing to me but, in that very moment, I remembered, “when you see me, you see her.” I jumped up with him and shouted, yes! People always wonder why I got her face half colored. One side of her face is black and white because that is how the world saw her. She was just a regular dog, nothing too special. I got the other side of her face in different colors because that is how I saw her. Colorful and full of life! I know I made the right decision and honored her well due to the number of complements I get from strangers. People always stare at my tattoo of her. She is a conversation starter. That is truly what I wished for. When you love someone or something, you want the opportunity to talk about them and praise them any chance you get. You want to explore the funny stories and keep the memory alive. Now they ask her name. Now they want to know who she is and what she means to me. I don’t have to say a word because when you see me, you see her. She will never be forgotten. She will never be just any dog. She will always be by my side. It has been five years since her passing. I had her in my life since I was six years old until I twenty years old. She was seen everyday, talked to everyday, played with, loved and just there until one day she wasn’t. The last thing I wanted was for it to all disappear. For no one to know such a strong presence in my life seemed unreal. She was just a dog. I did not know how to explain to others that she helped mold me as a person. As time goes on, I have the previlage to brag about her and relive her memory through art! Who would have thought? Who would have thought that I’d be walking into rooms, and my dog, who was once just a dog, would grab strangers attention. She is no longer here, but then again she is, because I am here. When you see me, you see her.