For Shame! Phony service-dog vests are an insult

We love our fur babies as though they’re our own children, making it heart-wrenchingly difficult to leave them at home while we go to work, school, or the grocery store. A quick search on Amazon can solve all y...

On Dog Poop Etiquette and Its Discontents

Dog poop: The inevitable by-product of having a dog. It appeared in your lawn, you found some on the bottom of your shoe, and when Divine ate some on film, it made her immortal. If good fences make good neighbo...

Summertime Hot Dogs

Most pet owners see their pets as fur babies, and they’re right — we are pet parents. I am a proud mama to a 5-year-old mini Doberman and Chihuahua mix. I recall the day we brought her home: As much as I wanted...

Is Grumpy Cat Really Grumpy? Decoding body language

I’m no Jackson Galaxy or Cesar Millan. I could’ve used those shows during my childhood when my neighbor’s cat, Clover, attacked my face. Clover had a beef with my cat, Smokey, and I was caught in the crossfire ...

Recognizing Stress in Our Little Buddies

The positive effect that pets can have on stress is well-documented. One need only curl up with a puppy after a hard day at work to experience the benefits firsthand. The effect of stress on your pets, however,...

In Reverence of Cop Dogs

Flashing blue lights, guns drawn, and a fierce, highly skilled German Shepherd racing after a perpetrator. Growling and snarling, the dog expertly takes down the crook. All is well. This image is brought to mos...

Java Cats Cafe: Fulfilling Dreams Deferred

As a child, I was obsessed with cats. One of my earliest memories involves me and my sister crawling around on our kitchen floor and meowing at my mother’s ankles. When I was 7, my evangelical Christian upbring...

Pets: Must-Know Facts About Fostering

Some dogs are forced to bear the horrid conditions of malicious puppy mills, some are forced to suffer on the cold streets with empty stomachs, and others must endure living in a home where they are abused simp...
Melissa Carter

Melissa Carter: Saying goodbye to Sully

“Go tell Sully bye,” I instructed Mr. Carter. Sully could barely hold her head up, so Mr. Carter squatted until they were eye-to-eye and told her goodbye while waving at her. Katie Jo and I teared at the mom...