All Dogs Go to Heaven

Although I love animals and am a self-diagnosed pet addict, I often feel a vague sense of discomfort—like the whole business of buying and keeping pets isn’t as fun for the animals as it is for me or for my child. I’ve spent a few years researching for a book on animals at the end of life, and so I’ve done a lot of reading about how animals die. Read More

Tomorrow marks the five year anniversary of the execution of a search warrant that led to the discovery of Michael Vick’s massive dog-fighting operation and the seizure of over 50 dogs from his property. Read More

I knew that people eat dogs in other cultures, but after reading up on the issue, I've realized that the practice is far more common and widespread than I thought. Read More

In 2009, the American Association of Wine Economists published the results of a blind taste test. The question under study: Can people distinguish between pâté and dog food? Why, scientists wondered, couldn't canned dog food become an inexpensive substitute, a kind of poor person's pâté? Read More

Research published this week gives get another clue that humans are not the only animal with moral behavior. A team of scientists, led by anthropologist Claudia Rudolf von Rorh out of the University of Zurich, have been studying what they call "policing" behavior in several groups of captive chimpanzees. (Here is their published study.) Read More

Did anyone else read Dear Abby this morning? I almost spit up my coffee when I read the headline: "Controlling pet population should be as easy as eating." Read More

For most of his life, my Vizsla Ody had a perfect canine figure: he was pure muscle with not an ounce of fat. But as Ody grew old, his waistline gradually started to fade, and by around age 12 he had begun to resemble a large red sausage. When our vet announced to me that Ody was fat and needed to lose weight, I felt shock, denial, and then deep embarrassment. How could I have let this happen? Read More

Last night I watched the documentary movie The Elephant in the Living Room (check out the movie website). It is a stunning look inside one of the more bizarre and troubling subcultures in America: multi-billion dollar exotic animal industry. Read More

How well our dogs and cats age, and even how long they live, boils down not only to their genetics, but also to how we care for them throughout their lives. Consider all the ways in which lifestyle choices affect human longevity and the quality of our golden years: what we eat, how much we exercise, whether we smoke or drink, how much stress we place on our bodies and minds. Read More

We sometimes assume that animals are mute, unless we hear their barks, screeches, or yowls. A couple of research items this week remind us that animals may communicate in mysterious ways and that among themselves there is a lot of talking going on. Read More

Lucy was my favorite. At first I thought she was cranky and anti-social. She would stake out her place under the large table in the center of the restaurant and there she would lie. Whenever a human accidentally kicked her under the table she would utter a mean little growl. And if another dog wandered too close to Lucy's table she would dart out and snarl at it. Read More

I recommend that you take a look at The "Animal Rights Agenda" 25 Years Later, published today on the Animal People website. The editorial takes us back to 1987, when a group of animal activists put together a document outlining the twelve central issues of concern to those fighting for animal rights. The essay then offers an updated agenda, building upon the original 12 statements. Read More

I was not prepared for my fourteen year old Vizsla to die, even though I saw it coming. I was so consumed by anticipatory grief that I didn't plan ahead of time what would happen to his body. I thought about it in theory, of course: we would bury him up in the mountains near our cabin. Read More

My friend Sara lost her 14 year old dog Finn recently. Although Finn had seemed in perfect health, he had become very lethargic over the course of several weeks. Sara was concerned. She took Finn to the vet, only to discover that the dog's entire body was riddled with cancer. On the vet's advice, Sara decided to have Finn euthanized on the spot. Read More