Luckily there are more and more animal protection campaigns trying to raise awareness about puppy farming and its effects, presenting it as something that must be fought against. Educating ordinary people about the existence of puppy mills and the damage they cause is really important. But is this information sufficiently complex and detailed enough to present the whole picture?
Within the last few years, the little phrase “It Is What It Is” seems to have become ever more popular, and we see it crop up more and more often. I first heard a professional handler use it, and today I hear it not only at the shows and at kennel club meetings, but even in my job.
Dog-friendly environments are a scarce commodity these days. Unless otherwise specified, it’s safe to assume that dogs are verboten virtually everywhere. Guidebooks and websites regularly update the dwindling number of dog-friendly cities, hotels, campgrounds, etcetera and a thriving offshoot of the travel business now caters to dog lovers seeking to vacation with their best friend.
Many, if not all of us, will have already watched Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir join the masters, John O’Hurley, David Frei and Mary Carillo, at the National Dog. We have come to appreciate, enjoy and rely on John, David and Mary as being “some of our own’ at the helm of this prestigious dog show broadcast.
One of the most powerful weapons of the IRS is the hobby loss rule, in which the IRS seeks to deny tax deductions to those who claim to be operating a business, but who in fact are carrying on a hobby.
Dogs and people have been living side by side for roughly 15,000 years. You would think, with that amount of time to study each other, that there would be nothing that we wouldn’t know about dogs and vice versa.
Inevitably, that perennial Westminster question comes up this time of year. Why don’t they move the show date? Let’s face it; throwing a dart at the calendar would result in something preferable to February in NYC.
The most critical animal welfare issue for years has been that of the existence of abandoned dogs. Besides the never-ending struggle of animal rescuers and shelters to fix the lives of these animals discarded by humans, the issue raises some questions that are causing massive debates. Why on earth do people breed dogs at all when shelters are full?
In AKC, Dachshunds come in three coats – smooth, longhaired, and wirehaired – that compete separately as varieties. The breed also comes in two sizes – standard and miniature, defined by weight – which are usually divided into two open classes.
