Julie Patterson

Dog owners often claim that their dogs are just like kids, and thanks to a raft of new products and services, they're getting closer to being right. Adopting a fur-baby (yes, that's what they're really called) can mean feeding it with a bottle, baking it special puppy food, outfitting it in diapers and hiding the diapers under cute little leopard print panties. Puppy gear ...

We can't know for sure what our pups feel. But from every indication, our puppies are every bit as devoted to us as we are to them. Here are some of the ways they show their love to you. Puppies love with licks. Slurping your hands or—even better—aiming a smooch at your eyes or mouth is a canine declaration that YOU are TOPS ...

If you spent time at the beach this summer, you probably encountered seagulls screeching overhead and eating trash. You probably also encountered their poop. Seagull droppings can carry disease-causing microbes like Escherichia coli and Enterococcus, which can contaminate beaches and water. Now scientists have found a way to fight back: Release the hounds. In a new study, researchers show that unleashing ...

LAKELAND - In March of last year, three Chihuahuas were pulled out of a Lakeland couple's home by Polk County Animal Control. The house had been declared unfit, covered in fleas and feces. Fast forward to today and those same three Chihuahuas are lying comfortably on a couch in the Winter Haven home of Carlton Sanford and his wife, Patricia Brown. "They're my ...

Sandy Ball and her assistance dog, Quincy, have been nearly inseparable for five years and have formed what she calls a “real partnership.” “He goes to work with me, and I have to travel a lot, so he goes to conferences with me,” said Ball of Beltsville, who uses a walker to get around. “He’s with me all the time.” Since Quincy came ...