New leader dog Harper comes fully loaded, but … 

I recently came home to Midland with Harper, my $39,000 German shepherd. I wouldn’t use this expression in guide-dog parlance, but he comes fully loaded. He’s had nearly a year of socializing with a nice woman from Paw Paw who never, ever let him run in an unprotected place off leash and made certain he was a very obedient fellow. Read More…

Salt Lake City’s got one tough bloodhound. J.J., the city’s senior police dog, made his 223rd apprehension Feb. 16 despite being in the middle of cancer treatments, the Salt Lake Tribune reports. Read More…

That fur trim on your jacket that you think is fake Tell it to Fido. An animal advocacy group says its investigation has turned up coats — some with designer labels, some at higher-end retailers — with fur from man’s best friend. Some retailers scrambled to pull the coats from shelves, take them off websites and even offer refunds to consumers. Read More…

Some Seattleites say the word for female pooch doesn’t belong. SEATTLE Lori Pacchiano needed a catchy brand name for her high-end pet-products business. “High Maintenance Dog” didn’t have the right ring to it, and “High Maintenance Mutt” might offend pure-bred owners. Read More…