Hope you had your red, white and blue bunting out because last Wednesday was National Dogs In Politics Day. Why this date? On Sept. 23, 1952, California senator and then Republican vice presidential candidate Richard Nixon gave his “Checkers Speech.” Back then, long before Watergate, Nixon w…

Last week’s column included a list of animals my wife and I’ve lived with who started out with severe behavioral challenges, including cats rescued from traps (my sweet, sweet Lily) and dumpsters (Sniff, who loved Carolyn but absolutely loathed me). I noted that some folks refer to such cats…

There’s nothing simple about the death of a loved pet: when to let go, how to even approach making that decision, how to grieve, how to talk about our grief. Another and potentially quite touchy piece of that awful puzzle is the question of animals’ “soul” and place in the “hereafter,” and t…

When Carolyn and I first got together 35+ years ago, our two incredible dogs fell quickly and completely in love. Less expected was how her Lilly (a wild kitten rescued from a trap) took to Savannah (a parrot seized while being illegally smuggled into the country). Over time we were able to …

I love animals. That said, not every lovely-dovey thing we think about animals is necessarily all that lovely-dovey. Take, for example, the Kissing Gourami. As anyone who had an aquarium as a kid can tell you, these are relatively hardy, interesting and unfortunately inexpensive animals, whi…

Break out the party hats, or at least the big bag of mixed nuts, because tomorrow, Jan. 21, is World Squirrel Appreciation Day (No, despite my job title, they don’t let me make these things up). Squirrels are members of the pint-size rodent family Sciuridae which includes tree and ground squ…

While absolutely a fan of his poetry, I don’t necessarily accept T.S. Eliot’s prediction, “This is the way the world ends, Not with a bang but a whimper.” If it is going to end, I suspect the globe is more likely to spin off its axis as an unfortunate side effect of the hyper-energy released…

Considering who is likely reading my column it’s safe to assume none of us here think black cats are unlucky or evil — but how did they get that rap? Researchers of such things point to ancient Greek lore: Zeus’ wife Hera magicked a servant named Galinthias into a black cat as punishment ove…