Hospice Provider Requests Pet Therapy Volunteers

Odyssey HealthCare, a hospice provider, is seeking volunteers to visit with and provide emotional support to hospice clients. Volunteers are needed to converse with or read to clients and stay with them while their caregivers go to appointments. Volunteers are not involved with personal care, feeding, transportation or medication.
Volunteers are needed to work with [...]

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Murrysville park to have diverse appeal (including dog park)

By Laurie Bailey – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette – The Murrysville Parks and Recreation Department unveiled an initial master plan last week for a park slated to fit the needs of all.     

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Pet stocks can endure tough markets

By Karen Richardson – WSJ – Even when times are tough, pet lovers typically don’t scrimp when it comes to health care for their furry and feathered friends.That is lucky for pets — and for the companies that make money providing veterinary care.    

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NextSteps: Pets are survivors, too, and require planning

By Jan Warner and Jan Collins – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette -
Q: I am unmarried, in my late 70s, have no children and am financially OK. I never thought much about doing any type of planning because I receive enough income from Social Security and my teacher’s retirement to take care of me; [...]

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In pet custody battles, courts treat animals as property

By Sally Kalson – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette – In a divorce, pets are considered property and treated as such by courts in this state and others. That doesn’t stop people from loving them like family and, at times, fighting over an animal’s “custody” as bitterly as they would over children.
In one recent [...]

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Meet a Seeing Eye Dog in McCandless

The Northland Public Library on Cumberland Road in McCandless will host Meet a Seeing Eye Dog Thursday, June 29, 2006 from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM. No registration is required. Contact: Children's/Young Adult Department at 412-366-8100 extension 123.

"Have you ever wondered what a seeing eye dog does, or how one is trained? Join us [...]

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Calming with the canine

By Ben Muessig – Tribune-Review – Toby slowly extended his front paws in a stretch, and a room of adults followed his lead, learning the Downward Facing Dog pose from a downward facing dog.
Before the first "doga" class at Animal Friends last Sunday, dogs barked and yelped, socializing with their leashes dragging behind them. By [...]

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Pet Sitters International’s Take Your Dog To Work Day

Today is: Take Your Dog to Work Day!!

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Police dog to help in drug prevention

By Joan Greene and Greg Latshaw – Tribune Review – A drug-sniffing dog will patrol Seneca Valley starting this fall, the latest drug-prevention tactic at a district known for its aggressive anti-drug policies.     

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Honesty is best when a family is losing pet

4 Kids Early Learning Network Post-Gazette column – Q. Our family's dog is very old and he'll have to be put to sleep one of these days. I know it will be hard on my two younger kids, who are 3 and 4. Is there any way I can prepare for this?
A. Often, the death [...]

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Rescued springer spaniels romp at picnic

By Linda Wilson Fuoco – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette – Sunny but pleasantly cool weather was a perfect recipe for a picnic in South Park Saturday, especially because many of the participants were wearing fur coats. More than 30 English springer spaniels romped and frolicked with the people who have given them a second chance at a [...]

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Dog park progress slow-going

By Kathryn Sheranko – Cranberry Journal Staff Writer – For canine owners in Cranberry, fundraising is no walk in the park.
But township residents involved in planning the proposed dog park are nothing if not enthusiastic.
The recently-formed Cranberry Citizens for a Dog Park launched a campaign just before Memorial Day soliciting area businesses and community organizations [...]

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Carnival time in Saxonburg

Valley News Dispatch – The 75th annual Saxonburg Carnival kicked off with a thousand whimpers.
 The pet parade, a yearly staple and family favorite of this small, quaint town, was not your typical dog-and-pony show — it showcased a variety of animals.
Children and adults of all ages herded bunnies, dogs, hens, guinea pigs, turtles, llamas, goats, [...]

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For Disabled Travelers, Many an Obstacle Along the Way

By SARA J. WELCH – NYT – In March, Carol Cocuzzi and her boss flew to Denver on a business trip. When they arrived, two men who worked for a company hired by the airline came aboard to help Ms. Cocuzzi, who uses a wheelchair, get off the plane.     

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Dog will sniff out drugs at Seneca Valley

By Ken McCarthy for the Post-Gazette – Two dogs are joining the Jackson police force, and one will walk the halls with students on the Seneca Valley School District campus.
Jackson police have added a drug-sniffing dog to the force, and police Chief Len Keller said the dog would be in school regularly.
"It will greatly enhance [...]

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Washington Area Humane society launches anniversary event

By Ron Paglia – FOR THE TRIBUNE-REVIEW NEWS SERVICE – Washington Area Humane Society is celebrating its 100th year as a nonprofit shelter for abandoned, orphaned and neglected pets. And it's inviting the public to join the festivities with a unique event.
"A Hundred 'doptions in a Hundred Days" is the theme of a community challenge [...]

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Mid-Atlantic English Springer Spaniel Rescue Picnic, June 10 in South Park

By Linda Wilson Fuoco – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette – People will be seeing spots, and freckles, at a picnic in South Park on June 10, 2006 sponsored by Mid-Atlantic English Springer Spaniel Rescue.
A highlight will be a "parade of rescues," springers that were placed in new homes after their owners became unwilling or unable to care [...]

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Steps put pets on top of the world

By Linda Wilson Fuoco – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette – While many people struggle mightily to keep dogs off couches and beds, other people are producing and promoting products that make it easier for dogs to gain access to furniture designed for humans. Have you seen the television commercials for Doggy Steps?     

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Canine Mutiny: Dog Owners Fight Insurers

By M. P. MCQUEEN – WSJ.com – State Lawmakers Aim to Stop Practice of Denying Coverage To Homes With Certain Breeds – Dog owners are biting back at the insurance industry.

There is a push by lawmakers and animal-welfare groups to ban the growing insurance-industry practice of refusing to write homeowners' policies for people who own [...]

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