I was going over my column from last week and I apparently missed a couple of points that should have been addressed. The first thing you should do is get a good veterinarian and take their advice as opposed to a column in any newspaper. My column isn’t meant to guide you through the arduous task of becoming a breeder. That is a far more involved episode in your life, not to mention the lives of your dog and her puppies, and you should never take the task of breeding puppies lightly. People who breed dogs with that attitude are the ones you read about who own puppy mills and wind up …

A friend of mine called me up the other day in a panic because her dog was having puppies and she thought it was the first litter in history.  I have news, Debra; this has been happening for a while now. At least since the late 1960s that I know. That's when my Collie, named Lassie, had a litter of 10 puppies on my bed. I was the only one she let near her puppies and my destroyed mattress, which angered my stepfather.  I camped out on my floor next to my bed for the next couple of weeks in my pup tent and sleeping bag, much to my Boy Scout's delight. I suppose it was to be a sign of things to…

Here I am, sitting around writing down some recipes for a friend (human recipes) and my daughter enters the room. She's a little angry at her generation, which I understand on a cellular level, so she gets my undivided attention.  She shows me an app for her iphone and I am dumbstruck. It’s an app for "Dog Wars" where players feed, train and fight virtual dogs. Kage Games came up with and is promoting this game called "Dog Wars." Shame on them.  It doesn't stop with just that tiny bit of immorality; players are allowed to inject their dogs with steroids, bet cash on the fights and use a gun …

My wife and daughter saw a commercial for Easter Bunny tryouts being hosted by a candy company—you all know the one.  They were so inspired that I came home to a room full of Siberian huskies wearing bunny ears, a small camera full of pictures and my family having the time of their lives. I’m sharing those pictures with you today. Welcome to my world! Speaking of my evolving world, ever since I wrote that column about cooking for canines, I have been inundated with ideas from friends and family alike. This one friend suggested I make a soup for my dogs but I have this 10-month-old puppy that …

With this being Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month, I thought it appropriate to honor those most responsible for the success of the movement, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. No one comes close to the overall good that is accomplished by this group of animal lovers. I personally had dealings with the ASPCA a few years back and, ever since, I have held it in high regard. I kept hearing dogs crying out in the night, so, I reported it to a certain agency, which will remain nameless. Nothing. I tried a different agency with just a returned phone call the next day…

My father had a stroke some time ago and wasn't expected to make it. But he fooled everyone and had what I call a miraculous recovery. My father gave thanks to his family, but made sure he pointed out the tireless devotion from his poodle, Beboys. (Don't ask me where he got the name; nobody knows.) The dog stayed by my father's side, day and night, until my father could walk out of his room. That episode convinced me of the healing nature of a canine's love. The simple act of petting a dog is soothing enough to lower high blood pressure is the popular wisdom these days. I can't argue with …

The note on the door read, "This is to inform you that a stray cat in the area of Yale Circle in Riverview, Fl. 33578 has tested positive for rabies.  Protect your pets and family by following the suggestions listed below".  The note is enough to scare anyone, regardless of whether there is a pet in the house. But for pet owners it is the reason to have your animals vaccinated and keep the shots up to date. Rabies is deadly. Rabies is a virus that in the U.S. is usually transmitted by a bite from a wild infected animal, such as a bat, raccoon, skunk, or fox. If a bite from a rabid animal goes…

There must be a lot of people out there who love their pets and would like to make healthy homemade food for them to eat, like I do.  I have a background as a chef, which helps. I developed quite a few recipes using common foods found in a vegetarian's cupboard and came up with quite a few for those who eat meat. I even came up with a casserole or two so the dogs could join the family at dinner on special occasions.  I have a few simple rules when cooking for my pups.  I don’t use cane sugar or iodized salt.  I will use brown sugar or sugar in the raw and sea salt if the mood suits me.  High …

Pardon my grumpiness, but I just finished baby-proofing the house and yard. I also referee sibling rumbles, oversee potty-training, and keep a watchful eye on playtime in the swimming pool. We have a new pup in the house, a red-and-white Siberian Husky, a rescue dog that was found tied to a doorknob at a Humane Society in Gainesville. We call her Sheba, and she is quickly establishing herself as the princess -- if not the future queen -- of this once-harmonious household. Sheba is nine months old and has the energy of a litter of dalmatians. I forgot what it was like to have a puppy in the …

I had a couple of column's worth of stories to spew out about the newest puppy in my family's lives, but on the way to the veterinarian, I saw not one, but three, incidents that disturbed me. I watched as a retriever mix jump from the front seat of the SUV he was traveling in almost all the way to the cargo area in a single bound. But that's not the most amazing aspect of the whole incident. The driver laughed and then took a bite from his burger while looking in the rear-view mirror at his pooch. He enjoyed watching his dog dig at a piece of meat that he must have tossed into the back. I …

The Husky Olympics, held at Seminole Park, are over. The best news is that my pair of dogs took two of the 10 awards. That's right, two! Siberian Huskies in Florida are a lot of fun. This past weekend was testament to that. Our dogs were champs, and we took a special prize home with us. Tova aced the Harriest Husky Contest. Cubby stole the Huskiest Husky trophy. I had argued with my wife for the past month about taking the Furminator to Tova and removing some of the hair. But she warned me that it would hurt them in competition at the fun-loving Husky Olympics. She was right. The judges …

All rescue foundations, whether for cats, dogs, horses or even spiders, are in desperate need of foster homes. These homes are as valuable as those who choose to adopt as a way to show love for God's creatures. Think about it: We are the generation that developed a prosthetic tail for a dolphin; what would it hurt to open your door for a couple of days, a week or even a month to an orphaned dog or cat? My family is a foster home to some husky pups awaiting adoption. Naturally, my favorite rescue group is the Siberian Husky Rescue Foundation. You can find out more about the group's work and …

I love my breed of dog, the Siberian Husky, for my own reasons and I respect anyone else's choice in dog, whether pedigreed, mixed or mutt.With the Westminster Kennel Show coming up on Feb. 14th and 15th, I thought it proper to address a few changes in this year's contest.Yes, I'm one of those people who watch the show, or at least some parts of it. I don't know how I made it up to this point in my life without a DVR, but I think it is second only to the toothbrush as far as greatest inventions go.I first started watching dog shows when I was a kid. My stepfather raised several award-winning …

I want to apologize to the lady who was swimming with her dog in the freezing water at Fort DeSoto Beach.As usual, I got distracted while talking to another dog owner at the off-leash beach. I was there with my wife, Helen, our daughter and our two huskies.Out of the corner of my eye, I saw one of my dogs go over to the handbag that the woman had left on the beach while she was swimming. But I was engaged in conversation and didn't think Cubby was doing anything wrong.Dogs, like humans, are naturally curious. I thought Cubby was just sniffing her dog's scent. I had no idea that she had a …

I tried to sidestep the controversy but got dragged in by a guy atPetSmart. I guess you can blame the whole incident on the Furminator.My search for a Furminator -- a handheld vacuum that sucks up dog fur-- is what prompted a stop at the local PetSmart. A couple I met atthe Ft. DeSoto Dog Park told me about this handy tool,  and it wasgreat advice. I love my little $65 toy and so do my pups. We filled upthe trash pail with hair in a matter of minutes.But I digress from my story. As I was looking over the Furminator , adeep voice with a serious southern drawl came from behind: "Whatchaneed one…

ST. PETERSBURG - The best adventures start with a journey. Our latest foray to a Tampa Bay dog park was no exception. I started this day out on a quest for the Tampa Dog Park -- and what a mistake that was. It doesn't exist. We searched up and down Faulkenburg and Windhorst, but to no avail. The physical address is 10119 Windhorst Way, and it is actually the address of a Parks and Recreation building. My pups were very restless so we let them mark their spot on a rundown fence in the back and decided we had time to cruise down to St. Pete and look for the Crescent Lake Dog Park. My friends, …

LARGO - My wife, Helen, my daughter, Allie, Cubby, Tova and I decided to check out some parks around Largo and found this great little spot on Walsingham Lake. Walsingham Park claims the 100-acre Walsingham Lake as its own and has a multitude of amenities for the family. A fenced-in dog area behind the lake has two large dog areas and the largest small-dog area I've ever seen. It took a while and some serious navigation to find the place, but the trip was well worth the trouble. From Brandon, we took 275 South, got off on Exit 688 and headed west just as Mapquest stated. Then we took …

My column is a light-hearted look at a dog's world, and there shouldn't be anything to take away from that. But I have a bone to pick, pardon the pun. I cannot get the incident out of my mind, and I am asking readers for help and advice: What would you have done? Here's the story: Recently my 12-year-old daughter was a passenger in a car full of kids going out for a snack, and the middle-aged adult driver hit a dog. People make mistakes. Things happen in a flash. She probably never saw the pup run in front of her car. I understand that. It's a sad feeling to injure an animal that was …

TIERRA VERDE - Our trip to the only dog park in the Tampa Bay area with a designated beach for canines started with a few complications that made the day interesting. My wife got called in to work, which threw a wrench in my gears. My question ... did I really want to drive all the way out to Fort De Soto Beach with my daughter in charge of the dogs in the back? Answer: Why not? We kidnapped my nephew, Josh (he prefers the term 'surprise adoption'), for the day, and off we went. I'm probably going to get in trouble with my sister, but our breakfast consisted of Pringles, Snickers with …

My family belongs to a pair of Siberian Huskies named Tova and Cubby.  They are rescue dogs that we got through the St. Pete chapter of the Siberian Husky Rescue Foundation.  Tova was saved from an abusive home, and it took a lot of patience and quite a few snips to get her to trust again. My other Siberian, Cubby, is a very lucky dog, as it were.  He was found on the side of the road in a part of the country where coyotes, hawks and alligators are seen on a regular basis. Welcome to my world.  I have been chosen to write this column because of my love for dogs, Siberian Huskies being my …