Welcome to Bay Woof, December 2020

Dear Dog Lovers,

Finally, this fill-in-the-expletive year enters its last month! 

Traditionally, the holidays bring light to the calendar’s darkest season - a time to celebrate and leave work behind, even though work now looks very different for many, and the number of folks with whom we celebrate will be smaller. While our hearts are heavy from the hardships of 2020, we yearn for enough light to come so that we might gather again safely next year. 

Many of us hope for a return to “regular work,” although we don’t yet know when or what that will look like. This uncertainty keeps a veil of anxiety over us like the San Francisco fog, making it hard to see the way forward. But as our friend Karl the Fog has made plain, this haze is temporary. And we know that many of the good things that were in plain view before are still with us, including our beloved dogs. 

This month Bay Woof brings much-needed holiday cheer from Bay Area dog pros directly to you. The East Bay SPCA offers tips for a safe and healthy holiday at home, Sara Scott shares fun training projects to beat the holiday blues, and Kelly Gorman Dunbar discusses the importance of helping your dog learn to chill out. In other news, the nonprofit Compassion Without Borders takes you inside its international rescue efforts with the inspiring story of Tamarindo, and Mary Barnsdale catches us up on how East Bay dog park issues may have helped decide a recent election. Our cover is a wonderful dog collage by artist Samuel Price, who shares his thoughts on creating art in a pandemic.

This month’s pack of columns continue the stellar reads. Ren Volpe shares best practices on dog fostering in the Monthly Woof, Shelter Zone brings you a behind-the-scenes look from the SF SPCA, and Nose for News collects our favorite canine headlines from all over. This month’s Good Dog! column features Joan Mapou on benefits of (and secrets to) good crate-training, Michael Angelo Torres shares the year-end wrap-up from the SF Animal Commission, and Ask Dr. Dog brings you the latest on the growing field of dog hospice care, courtesy of Laura Fourniotis with Blue Pearl Vet. Mr. Smarty Pants Knows provides a few tidbits to share at your next Zoom holiday party.

Last but not least, the holiday season is a time to think of others, including the many local nonprofits doing direct client work to ease suffering in our community. Please visit our Holiday Giving Guide for links to contribute directly to a few of these wonderful organizations.

And if you are able to offer financial support, please remember Bay Woof needs you, too. Through our website and monthly e-magazine, the nonprofit Bay Woof provides an invaluable resource for responsible dog ownership and advocacy. Free of charge to all readers, Bay Woof offers news, education, training advice, and more to support the health and well-being of dogs and their humans in the Bay Area and beyond. Your tax deductible donation will help ensure this critical information remains available to everyone who needs it.

Thank you for reading and supporting Bay Woof during this challenging year. May your 2021 be filled with peace, joy, good health, overdue hugs, and many happy tail wags!

M Rocket
Publisher

P. S. Do you have dog news to share with our community? Contact us to submit your piece for consideration right here.

About the cover: © 2020 Samuel Price

Columns from the December Pack