Loving a dog is emotional, but it’s also financial—and pretending otherwise is one reason so many dog guardians feel blindsided, panicked, and guilt-ridden when a crisis hits. When a dog comes into our lives, especially when we’re first-time pet guardians, we tend to think about the basics: vaccines, checkups, food, maybe an occasional upset stomach. We don’t necessarily think about the unexpected. What happens when your dog eats your shoe—or something far more toxic? When th

Season three of The Baroo is finally here after a longer than expected hiatus! I'm dedicating this season to the human-dog bond — in honor of Chance, my scruffy almost-18-year-old rescue who changed my life. This is our story. And looking back, what stands out to me isn't just the love or the loyalty — though, obviously, those too. It's resilience. Just showing up, day after day, for his 17.5 years full of presence and joy regardless of what was ailing him. Before Chance Whe

I've spent most of my adult life caring for other people's dogs. I know the particular love that lives in that work — and I know the particular grief that follows it. His name was Chance. He was seventeen and a half years old, and for most of those years, he was the first thing I saw in the morning and the last thing I checked on at night. This is the story of losing my own, and everything I learned along the way. I keep rehashing the last 72 hours of my sweet boy's life. It'

The death of a beloved pet brings with it a complicated set of emotions: sadness and grief, of course, but also, in the case of euthanasia, guilt and anxiety that you’ve done the right thing, and regret if you feel you haven’t acted quickly enough to spare your pet some suffering. Add to that the anger at those who, even if they mean well, minimize or marginalize your grief because your pet is “just” an animal, and the plain old anticipatory grief that comes with watching you

As humans In relationship with dogs we often think about our own needs rather than those of our canine companions. We want them to sit, we want them to be calm, we want them to not bark. We want them to snuggle when we want to snuggle, and to give us space when we need It. But dogs rely on us humans for everything from food, water, and shelter to where and when they can use the bathroom. One of the most important things we can do as pet parents is to learn to put our wants a

Do you have a new puppy? Have you heard that socialization is super-important? Do you keep reading articles that say you only have a short socialization window to work with? Sounds like you’d better act fast! But your veterinarian says you have to be super-careful where you take your puppy until they are fully vaccinated. Huh??!? What are you supposed to do?? The truth about socialization Puppy socialization is very important. Puppies are most open to new experiences when the