There are all sorts of natural events most of us take for granted, or let slip by unnoticed, and the phases of the ever changing moon are on that list. September’s full moon is the one full moon many of us know by a specific name: September brings us the Harvest Moon....

Let me admit my very strongly held opinion that cats should be indoor-only animals. Cats allowed to roam outside are at risk of harm (from other cats, raccoons, dogs, poisonous plants, sewer drains, nasty humans, Chevrolets, etc.) and are themselves also a major risk...

Readers might have been surprised to learn last week that after hovering near extinction, 4 million wild turkeys now roam the lower 48 states. That’s nothing, however. By the time Thursdays’ plates are washed, Americans will have eaten 46,000,000 domesticated turkeys....

Defying several stereotypes, my mother was not a very good cook, and neither did she ever show much interest in becoming one. I remember asking about turkey one franks-and-beans Thanksgiving (not a good cook, she was a good warmer-upper) and getting quite a story in...

One need not be a partisan or a pundit to know that our political environment has become fully toxic, and while this one small issue might be a silly bone to pick in light of all we’re going through I just can’t let it go without comment. I am fed up hearing, from all...

I grew up in 1950s-60s Brooklyn, long before the place became trendy. I also grew up with a mother who felt cleanliness was two notches above godliness, which meant no pets (along with raking the shag rug, and clear plastic covers over the upholstered furniture)....

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...

From what I see, many of today’s Halloween costumes remain true to a theme familiar to those of us who haven’t gone trick-or-treating in half a century or more: the part human, part animal creature, whether monster or hero. For example, the half man, half wolf Wolfman...

I bet you’ve experienced this yourself. It’s been a long and especially hard day, you’re feeling all kinds of emotions, and that includes feeling all alone. You look over at your dog or cat, and things start to shift. Your cat does it with her eyes, the way she...

Having written weekly columns for decades, this is the first time I have chosen a dumb topic. (Readers, however, may think quite a few others also qualify.) With Halloween coming, I’m reminded how often I’ve talked about this holiday’s real risks to our pets (from...

Although we’re certainly not always kind to them, people’s feelings about dogs can be considered a long-time love affair. But when did that begin…? We now have evidence of a first date going back further than previously estimated for here in North America. Scientists...

Back a few weeks to my Labor Day column, I mentioned bees used to detect explosives. As promised to a doubting reader, this is my further explanation of what seemed to her a highly suspect reference. Quoting here from no less a source than the December 7, 2006 issue...

Lola, the world’s most perfect puppy (my column, my rules), is celebrating her first birthday. Well, we’re calling this her first birthday since, as with almost every shelter graduate, the day of her actual birth – along with other early details – is only a guess. But...

Here’s a question I often get asked: “What’s the relationship between Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA and American SPCA (ASPCA), Humane Society of U.S. (HSUS), and other national-sounding groups?” The question often comes as those organizations send mail asking...

There are several theories about the history of Labor Day but none I’ve found pay any attention to the other than human animals used in labor, and that seems an oversight. The history of animals used in labor is frankly neither humane nor pleasant (and although...