News

Surf Dog Ricochet helps health professionals

April 13, 2020

Pawsitive Teams is a service and therapy dog program founded in San Diego in 1997. The partnership between Ricochet and the organization directly addresses the mental health crisis affecting healthcare professionals during these difficult times. In every other crisis, therapy dogs are called upon to provide comfort and healing. But, due to social distancing and […]

Catching up with Sara & her dog Hero

April 13, 2020

Former North Bayite Sara Carson has had a lot of success since appearing on America’s Got Talent, but the COVID-19 crisis has affected her work doing high-profile personal appearances. “Since America’s Got Talent, we’ve been busy doing lots of live appearances. We did a lot of halftime shows for sports. We did a lot of […]

PetSmart reopens its grooming shops

April 13, 2020

PetSmart has reopened hundreds of its grooming shops across the country, claiming they provide an essential service that should be available to the public during the coronavirus lockdown. The huge pet supply chain initially closed its grooming operations as governors imposed lockdown orders in all but a handful of states, but last week — placing […]

A plan for your animals

April 13, 2020

Even with everything going on in the world right now, a lot of people are still putting off creating a plan for if they should become incapable of taking care of their animals. In 2019, a survey of 2,000 Americans conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Brookdale Senior Living found that three out of every five […]

Guidelines and Resources For Pet Owners

April 13, 2020

Before we get into Service Dog Handlers and Coronavirus, let’s clear up a few things about how COVID-19 is different from the flu. The COVID-19 situation is changing rapidly. Since this disease new, people do not have immunity to it and a functional vaccine could be several months or more away. Doctors and scientists are […]

Maryville woman trains dogs

April 13, 2020

For Shannon Thurston, dogs have been part of her life since she was brought home from the hospital as a newborn back in 1970. Her family dog, a German shepherd named Bobo, was by her side every day until he died when Thurston was 6. He taught her about friendship and unconditional love, she said. […]

service dog training

April 13, 2020

Eric Caron, a retired guidance counselor who has been blind since birth, recently moved to a new home. He noticed his guide dog, a yellow Labrador retriever named Ryan, had trouble leading him across a busy intersection he must cross regularly. Caron knew what that meant: It was time to retire Ryan, a near-senior citizen […]

Protecting Dog’s during lockdown

April 13, 2020

The Freedom Project has quickly adapted to the coronavirus movement restrictions which saw the country thrust into lockdown and non-essential services forced to close. Outreach projects manager at Dogs Trust, Amy Hyde, said: “It is really common that dogs are used as a tool to coerce someone, we see dogs who are physically injured as […]

Pet therapy

April 13, 2020

Therapy Animal Coalition is putting together a virtual project where pet owners and therapy animal teams can submit inspirational videos for people in isolation. Furry family companions are being called to the screen to help heal those who need it now more than ever. With stay-at-home rules set in place due to the spread of […]

Pets during lockdown

April 13, 2020

Devanshi Shah, founder and CEO of Pet Connect, tells us why pets are, perhaps, better companions than humans during such times. A sense of purpose: The problem for office-goers is a lack of mission in daily life. Watching TV all day is the surest way to feel directionless. Having a pet, on the other hand, […]

Puppy prices go up due to COVID-19

April 13, 2020

Prices for pedigree puppies are soaring amid the Covid-19 crisis; Golden Retrievers up to $6,000, a French Bulldog pup at $10,000. Spike in demand for furry friends is an open invitation for a few dodgy operators to line their pockets with “non-refundable” deposits and profiteers to cash in. Sandi Keane reports on the poor governance by […]

Shelter helps pet owners

April 13, 2020

The Iowa City Animal Shelter is providing food and care services for pet owners during the COVID-19 pandemic with the help of the community, offering ways to keep pets happy and healthy. Iowa City Animal Shelter Director Chris Whitmore said her staff has organized a food bank at the shelter to provide food for dog, […]

Reasons to Adopt

April 13, 2020

Animal shelters across the country are reporting a surprising silver lining to the current pandemic: an unprecedented rate of animal adoptions. People who’ve wanted a dog for years but never had time for house-training or regular walking, or whose work involved regular travel, suddenly have the time to adopt, or at least foster, a dog. […]

Pandemic Puppy

April 13, 2020

Obviously I get it. When you imagine untold weeks of pacing the same home and seeing and talking with the same limited number of people, or even just your own reflection, the idea of a cute, cuddly companion—one you can pet, take walks with, and talk to (with the added benefit of them not talking […]

Sheriff’s office adopts therapy dog

April 13, 2020

Police therapy dog Liberty, a female golden retriever, poses for a picture with her handler, Detective Nina Garner of the Charles County Sheriff’s Office. The Charles County Sheriff’s Office adopted recently a therapy dog for a new initiative: the Comfort K9 Program. Sheriff Troy D. Berry announced the implementation of the initiative aimed at helping […]

Traveling With ESA

April 13, 2020

Approximately 40% of travellers experience anxiety when traveling by air. Of this group, about 60% can cope without support. About 5% have crippling anxiety, often referred to as clinical anxiety, and need an emotional support animal (ESA) to be as comfortable as possible during a journey. Without the support, travelers suffering from anxiety experience uncontrollable […]

Anxiety during this pandemic

April 13, 2020

Leia, a Husky-Shepherd mix who is the pet of an OC WarmLine staff member, helps comfort the people in the office who speak with callers dealing with emotional issues related to mental and behavioral health. The WarmLine has seen an increase in calls the past few weeks from people stressed out over the novel coronavirus […]

Animal Shelter says it’s empty

April 10, 2020

Workers at the Cleveland, Tennessee Animal Shelter say they will not have much to do this weekend — but in this case, that’s a good thing. The reason? Thanks to adoptions, the shelter is now empty, as of Friday morning. The shelter shared the good news on Facebook Thursday night. “It is with pure joy […]

Service dogs-in-training

April 10, 2020

We want to know what it’s like for you working from home during the coronavirus and social distancing. Whether you’re at home, a cabin or escaped to a beach somewhere, snap a picture of yourself working from home for our Coolest Remote Offices showcase, and perhaps another without you so we can see the big […]

donations to support pet owners

April 10, 2020

“We are unable to accept other food or supplies at this time, but will ensure that these key items will be distributed to pets in need through our staff, volunteers and community partners,” Marieke van der Velden, outreach specialist for the BC SPCA, said. “The BC SPCA offers pet food banks, free veterinary clinics and […]