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When I was growing up, I would always hear the phrase, “A dog is a man’s best friend.” But in reality, a dog is a childhood friend. I always second-guessed getting my daughter a dog, but I wanted her to have that best friend she could grow up with and also have someone who would…

When my fiancée first asked me about making our little family of animals bigger, I was a bit hesitant. I was open to the idea but thought about the animals we already have. There is Diego, my silly green cheeked conjure, Hotdog, the clever ball python, and Spaghetti, the loveable corn snake; do we need…

As a child, the one thing that I would consistently ask for every birthday and Christmas was a dog. I dreamed of having a companion to take on long walks, play fetch with in the yard, and snuggle up with every night. Unfortunately, my dad was allergic to dogs, so I patiently waited eighteen years…

Respiratory diseases are a common concern right now given the current COVID-19 situation, and although companion pets appear unable to transmit the Coronavirus to humans, even if a very few dogs are obtaining it from their postive-tested owners, upper respiratory diseases are still a thing.  If your pet is coughing, it frequently needs to be…

I grew up in suburban Minnesota, very close to the Twin Cities. As you can imagine, that meant that I had little experience with the farming community. How I managed to end up as a Dairy Cattle Research Intern at the rural University of Minnesota Morris campus is as much your guess as mine. I…

My whole life I have always loved dogs. I hounded my parents for years until they gave in and let us adopt a sweet little puppy from a broken-down animal shelter in the middle of nowhere. When she, unfortunately, passed away from old age a little over a year ago, I knew I would not…

What is Pet Insurance? It is a policy that helps protect against the unexpected costs associated with owning a pet. It is available for cats & dogs, and even some exotic pets. It will sometimes cover some wellness or preventative care services, but that’s usually an additional component of the policy that generally costs extra….

This month’s blog is something I think we can all relate to right now and I would like to share my family’s personal experience with anxiety. It is possible to have healthy anxiety but what I would like to talk about is unhealthy levels of anxiety. For this discussion, we will define anxiety as “the…

Happy Holidays! It is that time of year, and to me December is one of the greatest times of year. Additionally, there is no better time of year to have a new companion; but what is the best pet for you or your family? Then, once you get a new companion, what do you do…

My first dog as an adult just turned 11 years old this past December. Murphy is a beagle/basset mix, and I absolutely adore my little old man. Within the last year, he seems to be developing gray hairs at a much quicker rate. He also appears to be slowing down more. Of course, he still plays fetch…