Daughter Claire was home over the weekend and the big news was her plan to get a new puppy. Claire took it pretty hard when her dog Darcie died over the holidays. We all took it pretty hard. Chris and I had been taking care of Darcie while Claire was away at school. I'm secretly happy about this dec...

People are truly going to the dogs, these days. And, to the cats. Our pets are taking charge, front and center, both on the net and on TV. I can hardly turn on the morning talk shows (have them on in the background while I blog) without noticing a story on pets. Seems that the down economy and the e...

A short while ago we met Pete Dowan (virtually). He emailed to share a song he wrote and recorded about how his dog, Scuttle, helped him deal with his medical disabilities. The song is called Good Friend and if you listen (click the play button on the player bar) I think you'll understand why. As ...

I'm often the first stop for family and friends when their dog or cat develops some sort of medical problem. I don't mind that at all. It gives me real life issues to write about here and it makes them better informed when they do go in to see their veterinarian. I spent a while on the phone with my...

Everyone has experienced it - tummy upsets that cause vomiting and diarrhea. When we have it, we endure and sleep it off. When our pets have it - we wring our hands in misery, because it's so hard to know what to do. Naturally, if any tummy upset or other strange behavior lasts very long (my limit i...

Today, I thought I'd share pet pictures from some nice Scratchings and Sniffings readers who have shared, in the last few weeks. Maggie, my daughter, sent me this pic of her friend's dog, Skyebear, getting ready for the beach, I guess. Skyebear's Mom just happened to see her sunglassed nearby...and ...

I've made the pilgrimage to Mecca..er St Louis this week for meetings at the Purina Corporate Headquarters. It's nice to see lots of old friends, but I've got to tell you, the weather here stinks. I'm getting to be quite Southwestern sun worshiping snob when it comes to weather. My wife Chris and I ...