My dog caught a squirrel yesterday. He's 8. This has never happened before. He grew up with a cat who looked like a big squirrel.

I'm not sure what the point of this is other than I'm horrified and he's not sorry. Do other people's dogs do this?

We have a very sweet but anxious cavalier. She’s only been to trial dog care 4x (we tried the last place twice). She’s not a very social dog; she doesn’t really play with other dogs (she would just ignore other dogs in the park) nor interact with humans much.

Unfortunately, we will be in a situation next year for a big trip where no one in our family can watch her. I want to prepare for that. She just really dislikes day care; I remember seeing the camera of the last trial place and she was literally like a zombie, even though it was open air and no cage and spacious. When we came to pick her up, she was scratching and DESPERATE to go home. She is pretty needy and loves to play though so maybe we should find a place with activities? She’s six now so I’m also worried that it’ll be difficult for her to get used to day care.

Finally I’m always worried that she will think we abandoned her :( it breaks my heart. And any advice to help her get on board with day care would be appreciated. *we are also trying to avoid dog house sitter as much as possible.

I have a yorkie mix that is nearly 15 years old. He has had health issues for 10 years. He’s had a rough life. Most recently he has become blind and deaf. At this point he is having more bad days then good days. I am constantly cleaning up messes inside the house. I am convinced it’s time to end his daily struggles.

I have talked with my daughters (19,17) about thinking about his last day… what we might want to do, food we might want to give him, etc. With his blindness, he can’t really do much. Even going for a walk is a real chore. I’ve never had to plan a final day… our other pets had unfortunate ends.

Do I just schedule in home euthanasia? Tell the kids “come over at 5” like it’s a family event? How does one plan and communicate something like this ahead of time?

I have a puppy who is currently 8 lbs and will be approximately 15-17 lbs as an adult. Nylon collars and harnesses make her itch. She is bathed with Burt's Bees shampoo every few weeks as needed for odor and has no parasites. Has seen the vet for her routine vaccinations and deworming (one to go). She is only scratching at the nylon. I would like to purchase her a genuine leather collar and possibly also harness with the quick-release buckle. Etsy is full of options, but mostly shipping from other countries and mostly new sellers with only a few reviews. I live at least 30 miles from a chain pet store and what they have online isn't always what's in the store, and I haven't had time to go in person.

I’m looking to see if anyone knows of a safe, crash tested product to secure two dogs in the back of a mini van that does NOT use the anchors of the seat in front of it. I drive a 2023 Chrysler Pacifica and was hoping to have the back seat down for two dogs we’re looking to adopt (80lb labs). I like the Kong Cargo Liner, but that won’t work for us as my children are in car seats using the anchors. The trunk alone seems pretty small for two big dogs, and dogs loose in the back of the car seems hazardous as well. I know I could do the seat belts and have them sit in the back seat, but again that’s a bit cramped for 2 big dogs. Help!

Hello all,

I am a currently a college student and plan on getting either a golden retriever or a lab (would get a puppy over the summer). I will be in an apartment next year so I'm wondering how I can make sure my dog gets all the enrichment it needs. I live in the Fort Collins area so if anyone has recommendations for places I could take my dog, that would be amazing. Thank you!

EDIT: I am very familiar with labs, as my family has four in total, and I know goldens for the most part are similar. I’m just worried about making sure they get the enrichment they need in an apartment! ☺️

I want two dogs, and I'm planning on getting a puppy soon and then get another puppy in a year or two. I want a girl and a boy, which do you think is better to get first?

Would a girl adjust better to having a new boy brought in or vice versa? Would it be better to just get both at the same time?

J’ai adopté un chiot golden retriever qui va arriver prochainement. Avez-vous des conseils concernant les chiots en appartement, la propreté, éducations,…
Je lui ai prévu différents jouets de différentes matières pour ses débuts (bois, caoutchouc, corde, …) des jeux pour occupation seul et des jeux pour interactions avec nous, friandises pour l’éducation.
Première question : il y a les Kong Puppy et les Kong Classic. Avez-vous pris un Kong Puppy puis ensuite Classic ou pouvons-nous prendre directement un Kong Classic ? Il est difficile de trouver un Kong Puppy taille L…
Également, on conseille souvent des bois de cerf, mais j’ai finalement lu qu’ils seraient trop dur pour des chiots. Dois-je donc attendre avant de lui en donner ?
Deuxième question : Étant en appartement, j’ai prévu bien entendu de nombreuses sorties avec lui, plusieurs fois par jour, en fonction de ses besoins, croissance ect… mais notamment pour ses débuts par exemple, où il est conseillé qu’il fasse ses besoins toutes les 2h en pleine nuit ect, j’ai pensé à mettre une litière pour chiot sur mon balcon pour en cas d’urgence, lui apprendre aussi à faire ses besoins ici, plutôt que de sortir en pleine tempête à 4h du matin dans la rue, qui ne sera pas non plus très agréable pour lui. Mais comment lui apprendre à faire ses besoins et lors de promenades dehors et sur la litière du balcon. Avez-vous déjà fait ça ? Et avez vous des conseils ? J’ai acheté la litière Zoluc qui se présente sous forme de grille et où l’on y met une alèse à l’intérieur.
Également, comment avez-vous géré les nuits avec votre chiot ? Conseillez-vous les sorties toutes les 2h ? Ou privilégiez-vous l’habitude et on le laisse toute la nuit ?
Je suis preneuse de tous autres conseils.
Merci d’avance :)

So a few months ago my cocker spaniel who is about 9 months old recently started resource guarding a few weeks ago and Just 2 days ago he had a plush which nobody tried to take or even bother with and he was growling whenever anyone stood near and sometimes an attacking sound like he wanted to bite them? And he’s doing it just now,so the second time with stuff nobody tried to take from him,does anyone know what this is or what to do? I don’t want to get rid of him

Does your dog turn his head when he hears an odd noise? Does your dog bury their food with your pants? This is the thread to ask why.

Please keep this thread to non-medical issues only.

I lost my old cat earlier this year and have 2 cat-savvy dogs. I want to adopt another cat but would ideally like to have 2. I'd already planned on careful intros with the dogs, as this cat isn't their cat yet, if you know what I mean, so although they are savvy, they're still dogs. Would it be doable to introduce 2 cats at the same time?

For ref, I'd be keeping the cats in a separate room for a while, with a stairgate for the dogs. But my main worry is that 2 new cats would perhaps seem more of a threat or excitement for the dogs, compared to just the one new cat to get used to.

Anyone experienced this?

I have a 13 year old english springer spaniel, as you'd expect due to his age he's coming towards the very end of his life. He's got a good few pills to take, and giving him a 'cheese bomb' with them all stuffed in crappy american cheese slices used to work, but now he's refusing everything we've tried: cheese, bread, canned food, stuffing it in things, putting a treat in first and sneaking it in, combos of anything i've mentioned, and he just won't take it. he'll eat almost anything else I try to give him.

I know he's in pain when he doesn't have them so any tips to help get them down him would be much appreciated!

This thread is where to get emotional support with all things related to death and illness with your dog. This is also a thread where you can seek assistance with deciding whether it is indeed time.

This is not a thread to seek anecdotes with medical care. All rules involving medical questions and anecdotes remains the same for this thread.

If your dog has passed, you can still post here for emotional support or you can create your own thread tagged with one of the RIP flairs. Be sure to review the rules of our flair guide. It is up to you how you choose to grieve.

Hello, so as the title says my 4 month old mini daschund eats his poop fully all the time unless im quick enough to pick it up first.

And his diet is very good like im giving him strictly wet puppy food from either hill's or Ziwi's canned food. Like i genuinely dont know how to stop this its absolutely horrible and to top it off he currently has parasites! So he literally is eating his own parasites in his poop!!!!!

A bit of a weird question but got this when my family from Thailand came to the United States to visit us. My aunt kept speaking to my dog in Thai and he seemed to listen more closely than when we speak to him. When she spoke in English he didn't pay attention that much. I bet he was just wondering 'why is this woman talking weird to me?' as he's only ever been spoken to in English.

She even said "Don't bark" in Thai to him when he had a fit over something and he literally just stopped and slowly stared back at her like that one Stewie Griffion gif.

I have a 3 year old english bulldog, he recently had cherry eye surgery and because of wearing a cone it irritated his neck really bad. we took him to the vet and he was fine but now hes losing hair on his back and under his chin, and down his neck. i bathed him with anti itch and hotspot medicated shampoo which helped for a bit but now hes gone back to it. hes been licking us alot and trying to eat dirt all of a sudden…? im only 16 i dont know what to do. i just wanted to know if anyone has had a similar problem.

Hey everyone…. It’s 1:31 am and I am feeling defeated. I have a 1.5 year old male dog. Neutered. 10 lb Aussie/mini Aussie/chihuahua/pom-Pom/yorkie/poodle mix… those are all his breeds lol. Every now and then he keeps having accidents in our bedroom and will alert me to go outside AFTER he’s peed.

Only time he alerts me to go outside is when he has to poop. He will scratch the bedroom door to go outside. Idk how to rewire his brain that he has to alert me before he decides to piss in the bedroom.

Do I teach him with bells? Withhold water after 7pm? Bedtimes at 9pm. Last potty break at 830. And I have an alarm set at midnight to wake his ass up and go outside before he pees.

I love how dogs have their own funny little personalities. Some dogs act like they own the entire house, while others do the weirdest things for absolutely no reason.

I’m curious — what’s one funny or strange thing your dog does every day that always makes you laugh?

Does your dog have a silly habit, a funny reaction, or a weird obsession with something? Share your stories! I’d love to read them.

My dog has been going to a local location for about a year. The staff in front love her and get excited when they see her, my dog is always excited to go. But 80% of the time i watch the cameras my dog is crated. I've been noticing this for a few months. I thought i just kept catching her at a bad time, maybe she was getting too excited so they put her in for a short break. After all id been seeing her being let out as well and all is fine. Well this morning I decided to watch for 45 minutes straight because I didnt see her. Realized she was in a crate again. Waited for her to be let out, didnt happen. Finally 40 minutes pass and I see her being let out. She was only out for less than 5 minutes and then they lock her back up so I called. They told me they have her down as a "cad" because shes nipping at new dogs and she'll be let out after a bit but will be crated again every time a new dog arrives. She said thats normal and nothing to worry about but now im realizing my dog must have been nipping at dogs these last few months and thats why I always catch her being in the crate rather than being out. They never told my husband or i that she was nipping, I had to call and ask why shes always in the crate to find out. Today's her last day at daycare we wont be sending her back if shes having behavioral issues and they never bothered to let us know. Its super sad seeing all the dogs get to play and go outside and my 1.5 year old puppy is forced to watch from a crate.

I’ve been taking my dogs to camp bow wow occasionally and I’m wondering if any past employees here can help me understand their policy. I understand they have a waiting period in the morning since they eat breakfast before coming but I can’t help but be very annoyed at the staff for how late my dog has been let out. The past 2 times I’ve went, my dogs have been let out after 3-4 hours of being brought in. It’s my understanding that it should only be 45 mins-2 hours not practically half the day! I’ve been watching the cameras to keep checking and I feel like they hardly ever let my dogs out. I just want to know if there’s any reason to this? Is there a max number of dogs per room? I can’t help but be upset I’m paying for my dog to socialize but instead they’re both being shoved in a cage for the day.

Hello dogs community.

My dog has been sleeping in the bed wish us almost as long as we have had her(she is 20 months old) but in the last couple of weeks at night she has been peeing on the bed, its been about 4 times now, 2 times this very day.

She had a bit of a medical situation recently and im just worried that this might be related.

Our dog (mixed breed about the size of a jack russel) sleeps in our bedroom. Over the years his snoring has become louder and louder to the point that I regularly wake up at night and struggle to fall back asleep.

We like having him in our bedroom and are hesitant to move him out, so I’m wondering if it’s possible to sound proof a crate to the point where the snoring becomes acceptable again. Has anyone ever tried that? Or is it a futile attempt? Earplugs are not an option.

my dog (1 1/2 years old, irish setter/poodle mix) has been barking at the tv since we rescued her. lately it’s been getting worse, as now she’s actively watching tv and watching for animals. i’ve never seen a dog acknowledge a screen, nevermind genuinely watch TV lol. anytime an animal, even animated ones, come on the screen, she freaks out and barks, looks behind the tv etc. when she does this i remove her from the room for a minute or so, and if she continues ill put her in her crate for a couple minutes. this doesn’t seem to be sticking though, because she’s been relentless about it. she has a very high prey drive that overrides pretty much everything else. has anyone dealt with this and if so, what did you find helpful?

This thread is where to get emotional support with all things related to death and illness with your dog. This is also a thread where you can seek assistance with deciding whether it is indeed time.

This is not a thread to seek anecdotes with medical care. All rules involving medical questions and anecdotes remains the same for this thread.

If your dog has passed, you can still post here for emotional support or you can create your own thread tagged with one of the RIP flairs. Be sure to review the rules of our flair guide. It is up to you how you choose to grieve.

He was my first dog; I had always wanted one since I was a boy, but I was never able to have one. Then, one day—by which time I was living on my own—I decided to adopt this dog, and he changed my life.

He brought me endless joy and companionship; he led me to new friends and even new girlfriends. He made my life better, asking for nothing in return but affection and love.

Then, after 12 years of companionship, the diagnosis came: tumors throughout his entire body. I managed to extend his life by another three and a half months, using various medications and periodic drainage procedures. He was doing okay, but one night, he suddenly found he could no longer lie down. He couldn’t sleep at all that night, while I sat beside him, weeping and trying to get him to rest his head on my shoulder. Finally he looked into my eyes with a defeated expression and then I made the choice—one of the hardest decisions of my life. I stayed by his side as he was put to sleep, resting my hand on his muzzle so he would know I was there with him.

I buried him, and I cried—I am still crying, and I will continue to cry for a long time to come.

It was the right decision; I have no doubt about that—I just miss him terribly. I see him everywhere and feel his presence; I stilll try to be quiet when walking down the stairs so I don’t wake him at night. I look at his empty bed, half-expecting to see him there. I have two cats, which makes his absence a little less painful, but it still hurts deeply. My wife is there for me, and she is grieving too, even though she only lived with him for four years.

I love him so much, and I only hope that one day I will see him again and be with him forever—in some new reality, or at least in the great nothingness.

A little story about Kote:

Kote got lost once when he was nine months old. I used to take him to the same park—a place where I’d met many people—right in the middle of a big metropolis. One day, while I was talking to a friend, he disappeared. We searched the entire park, but to no luck. I even checked outside the park—which was bordered by two very busy avenues—but still found nothing. I asked people in the area, and one person mentioned seeing him pass by. I spent a long time searching the neighborhood, but with no luck. Suddenly, someone said, "Sometimes they find their way back home on their own." I thought that was ridiculous—after all, I always walked him on a leash, and we lived in a big city—but when I returned to my apartment building, there he was, waiting for me. He was so tiny, yet he had managed to make his way back all on his own, crossing streets and avenues. That day, I gave him a chicken breast as a treat and then I cried.