Welcome to Bay Woof, June 2021

Greetings Fellow Dog Admirers,

As dog lover Mark Twain once said, “Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” 

Of course, the Bay Woof office dogs seem to think their job is to nap, scratch, and look cute with bonus treats for overtime. And it’s true, that pretty much is their job description. Not to dis our beloveds, but this month’s issue is about the real working dogs whose bravery, skills, and training put them on the front lines every day.  

In our June features, you’ll learn about the fire department’s K9 search and rescue teams, as well as the therapy dogs who support first responders in some of the hardest jobs imaginable. You’ll find out how medical alert dogs help get folks with diabetes to their life-saving insulin. You’ll read about dogs who work as professional Canine Companions® supporting their humans to improve their daily lives. And you’ll learn that some dogs just need to find the right job, as Kelly Gorman Dunbar explains in her piece about understanding what your dog truly enjoys and is bred to do.

The working dog theme extends to our June columns, too. Nose for News features a service dog washout who now excels as an ace arson detective. Ask Dr. Dog outlines creative ways to make your dog work for her food as a way to alleviate behavior challenges. And in this month’s Good Dog! column, trainer Cyd True discusses the importance of work breaks and how watching for signs of fatigue in training actually makes learning more effective.

Elsewhere in the issue, June’s Monthly Woof  by Ren Volpe stresses the importance of letting dogs be themselves. This month’s Shelter Zone report from the Santa Cruz SPCA gives the inside scoop on how they opened a new shelter during the pandemic, getting feet and paws into their beautiful new space. Commission Tails by SF Animal Commission Chair Nina Irani clues us in on why an urban animal commission would help farm animals, too. Of course, Mr. Smarty Pants Knows continues sharing his overflowing dog factoids. And Amy Luwis’s Red and Howling comic warns about a serious topic this month - the ever-present, often dangerous foxtail plants, which can be fatal to dogs if untreated. 

Whether you share your life with a furry workaholic or a shedding couch slacker, we hope your pups are well-compensated with extra head scratches, tasty treats, and plenty of love and affection. In fact, why not give yourselves the day off and hit the nearest beach...where you’ll both have plenty of time to enjoy this month’s edition of Bay Woof!

– M Rocket
Publisher

About the cover: A search and rescue dog peering into the snow cave. photo: Adobe Stock