Articles: puppies

The Springfield, IL City Council unanimously voted Tuesday (October 1) to approve a ban on the retail sale of dogs and cats at pet stores within city limits. While the capital city currently has no pet stores that sell dogs or cats, the ordinance is aimed at keeping these stores out, as well as making…

Puppy Mill Awareness Day is September 15, and not so coincidentally the same day at the annual Puppy Mill Project march on Michigan Avenue, noon to 2 p.m. The march kicks off at Michigan Avenue Plaza, 420 N. Michigan Avenue. Of course, dogs who enjoy taking a walk with other dogs are welcome. The march is…

If you haven’t been keeping score, Buffalo Grove, IL (a large Chicago suburb) and Indian River County in Florida are among the most recent jurisdictions to unanimously ban sales of dogs and cats at local pet stores. In both cases, backers of the ordinances simply pointed out the truth: Dogs and cats sold at pet…

Does this act of outrageous animal cruelty say something about us? I mean who could possibly do this? Deborah Culwell, 54 who this past week allegedly threw a bag filled with puppies into a trash bin in Coachella, CA has been arrested. She faces up to seven counts of felony animal cruelty. The real hero…

No responsible breeder ever sells to a pet store, and that is why so many communities have  banned sales of dogs and cats (and sometimes also rabbits) from pet stores. Several counties have done the same. Forgot about going into a pet store to purchase a dog or cat in California or in Maryland, that…

Renown Pet Author, Steve Dale, Teams Up with Essentials PetCare to Release “My New Puppy” – a New Children’s Storybook about Responsible Pet Care As part of its continued commitment to pet owner education, Essentials PetCare has collaborated with renown pet author, Steve Dale, on a new children’s storybook aimed at teaching children about responsible…

Debbie Martin is five stars. The nearly all perfect reviews are for veterinary nurse Debbie Martin and her husband veterinary behaviorist Dr. Ken Martin’s book “Puppy Start Right.” Overwhelming positive reviews is unprecedented, albeit appropriate for this book. Debbie is one of very few veterinary nurses (or technicians) board certified in behavior. I talk with…

A chain pet store selling puppies was considering a move into the Chicago suburb of Vernon Hills but rebuffed (clearly the Trustees and the Mayor/President Roger Byrne have done their homework on this topic), and changed their course following push back. At least for now. A wave of cities across American and Canada and the…

Kelly Gorman Dunbar, renowned trainer, talks with me about dog training philosophy. Increasingly, some trainers are supporting the practice of training your dog like a wolf. Gorman Dunbar wonders, what that even means. Secondly, most people have it wrong, as far as how wolf pups are trained anyway. Do you really need to dominate your…

Remember this: No responsible breeder EVER EVER EVER sells to a pet store. Some communities suggest, “Can’t we just have a ‘lemon law’ to protect consumers?” Well here are problems with an idea, and at one time it seemed like the lemon laws were a viable compromise. I was wrong. ‘Lemon laws’ only encourage pet…