Welcome to Bay Woof, October 2022

Happy Fall, Dog Pals,

Here in San Francisco, there’s a chill in the air and Karl the fog has blanketed the streets. Visions of Ichabod Crane or Nosferatu are easy to conjure among the late-night line outside the Independent. This is the month of Halloween, relentless pumpkin spice, and SF’s own Bark the Vote. At Bay Woof - and across the country - it also happens to be national canine health and wellness month. 

On the health theme, this month’s features include an article from one of Bay Woof’s favorite veterinarians, Dr. Ilana Strubel of A Well Adjusted Pet, about an all-too-common canine ailment - hip dysplasia (Dr. Strubel is conducting research on the topic; see her article about how to participate). Trainer Cyd True with True Training 101 discusses the best time for spaying/neutering your dog (in short, it’s complicated). Ren Volpe of GoDogPro looks at safety vs. freedom in The Problem With Leashes. And Sandy Rogers of Ace Dog Sports lets you in on how to make your dog’s workout count for body and mind. 

Still on the wellness beat, this month’s Ask Dr. Dog column, penned by Dr. Vanessa Wensing of Sage Compassion for Animals, provides important information about pyometra, a potentially fatal but completely preventable ailment in female dogs. Read up so you can protect your pal - and be sure to bookmark our page of Bay Area emergency vet clinics should an emergency ever find you.

Elsewhere in the issue, October’s Good Dog! column, written by trainer Sara Scott of Sara Scott Dog Training, offers pointers for getting your new friend off to a super start in Puppies 101. In the Monthly Woof, dog advocate Brigid Wasson writes about how hard it is to actually prove your dog is yours if you’re separated. Besides getting a microchip and keeping that contact info up to date, there are other ways to show your connection to your dog and you’ll want to know about them. 

Of course, we’ve also got the usual suspects this month. Nose for News wraps up the latest dog news headlines, Commission Tails looks at cat policies affecting the felines we (well, some of us) love, Mr. Smarty Pants fills your tank with canine factoids to share in the vet’s waiting room, and Red and Howling tips the scale on dog obesity.  

Finally, voting in the upcoming midterms is a hugely important way to support the overall wellness of our communities far and wide. With that in mind, Bay Woof is co-hosting Bark the Vote in San Francisco on October 22. If you’re local, please join us for the day in Alamo Square Park for some paws-on civic engagement. There’ll be voter registration, live music, rally speakers, and oh yeah, a DOG COSTUME CONTEST! But whether or not you’re able to join us, don’t forget to vote on November 8, no matter where you are. 

Meanwhile, stay well and don’t forget to care for each other. Here’s to a month of cold wet dog noses for all!

Cheers,
M Rocket
Publisher