"From the Bay to the Blue Ridge"
By Ken Byrer A Special Hug of Thanks As we passed the one year anniversary of Covid-19 lockdowns and the disruptions to our lives, I took a moment to reflect on how pets have helped us get through these difficult times. They deserve an extra tasty treat and an extra-long hug for the services they […]
Points On Pets By Jane Koska Snakes–the Myth, the Legend, the Pet! Everybody’s heard that the reason there are no snakes in Ireland is because St. Patrick chased them into the sea. In reality, Ireland wasn’t a good place back then to practice herding snakes, and it still isn’t today. Scientists believe there were never […]
Make a New Year’s Resolution for Your Pet By Cindy McGovern It’s a safe bet that many New Year’s resolutions fell by the wayside this year with all eyes focused on the COVID-19 pandemic. This January provides another opportunity to take stock, evaluate what you would like to change, and resolve to accomplish those goals. […]
By Cheryl Burns The holiday advertising images are almost as iconic as the snow-coated driveway and a shiny car topped with a giant red ribbon. There’s a box with the top conveniently wrapped separately from the base. The pajama-clad recipient begins to open the package, the cover wobbles, and out pops a puppy. Or there’s […]
By Angela Ohm Animals In and Of Service Bomb sniffing dogs may be the first military animal you think of, but you must broaden your horizons to the sky and the sea to get a fuller picture of the animals who serve in our armed forces or are studied by military researchers to discover better […]
By Steph Selice 2020 Halloween Safety for Your Pets As the October issue of Old Town Crier goes to press, we all continue to live with COVID-19 and its effects and remain unsure how the pandemic will play out. Halloween will probably still be celebrated by many families this year; others will choose to sit […]
The Bird is the Word The perennial question – whether dogs or cats are the more popular pet – continues. In these times, however, more people are looking at other options including fish, smaller animals such as gerbils, guinea pigs and hamsters, and birds. A 2017-2018 survey showed that out of a total of 393.3 […]
By Angela June Ohm The Joys of Adopting a “Hard to Adopt” Pet This title doesn’t refer to show breeds: it refers to those pets who seemingly nobody wants. Who languish in foster homes and shelters while younger pets, healthier pets, and those who just plain “show better” metaphorically fly off the shelf. According to […]
By Cindy McGovern Tired of being cooped up? Your pet may be as well. The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have been profound, with more than 100,000 American lives lost and over two million infected. From stay-at-home orders, to social distancing, telework and school closings, the past few months have been stressful for everyone. It’s […]
By Carolyn Cockroft End of Life Decisions Thanks to advances in veterinary care and improved diets, pets are living longer. The pleasure of enjoying our pets for additional years, however, comes with age-related conditions. Cats and small dogs are considered geriatric at the age of 7, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). Larger […]
