December 2023

• Barbra Streisand has 3 Coton de Tulears: Fanny, Miss Violet, and Miss Scarlet. Violet and Scarlet are clones of Samantha, who died in 2017 at age 14.

• Do your dog's paws smell like Fritos? If they do, it's due to bacteria like Proteus and Pseudomonas. There's no big concern for Frito feet unless the smell worsens or your dog develops other symptoms like excessive licking, pinkness, or broken skin. If it happens, clean your dog’s paws with paw wipes or a paw-soaking solution.

• The Puli dates back at least 1,000 years, but some think they date back as early as 5,500 years from the Sumerians. It is believed the Cumans brought them to Hungary in the mid-13th century.

• There are many good reasons for getting a dog spayed or neutered, but did you know one of the benefits is reducing the chance of getting cancer? Female dogs may develop breast cancer and a dog spayed prior to the first heat has a risk of only 0.5%. The risk increases to 8% if spayed after the first estrus, then increases to 26% after the second.

• Is a dog’s mouth cleaner than a human’s mouth? Probably not, but it’s not any dirtier. Humans and dogs have about 600 kinds of bacteria in their mouths, but the types present in each are different.