Riding with a dog can be fun and easy, providing you are confident with your riding skills, but there are unique challenges. For instance, how do you keep an excitable 60lb American Staffordshire Terrier from pulling you a) into traffic b) off your bike c) into a lamp post, or d) with him after the nearest squirrel?

The 10th Annual Doggy Fun Day is set to happen Sunday, August 30th from 12:00pm to 3:00pm. It takes place, as in previous years, on the playing field above the dog park in Queens Park. Billed as “fun and games for dogs and their people”, this year’s DFD is being put together by the Pacific Volunteer Education and Assistance Team for Animals (VEATA, for short), which is a relatively new group helmed by long time well known animal volunteer, Cheryl Rogers (who some of you may simply know as “the lady …

The Urban Wildlife Series takes a look at wildlife we share our city with. This is the third in a series. You can view the others, as they are added, by clicking here.
Street cats are a part of our urban landscape, and it’s a rare alley/empty lot/junk-filled yard that doesn’t house at least one feral cat, if not an entire colony of cats. I think of these cats as ninjas – silent and fast but sneaking about and watching your every move. Many people have success “befriending” cats like …

The Urban Wildlife Series will take a look at wildlife we share our city with. This is the first in a series. You can view the others, as they are added, by clicking here. 
 I have a skunk who lives in my neighbour’s yard, under an old garden shed. I’m told by another neighbour that “Suzy”and her family have lived in the area for almost ten years. Whether it’s the original Suzy or not, I doubt – their lifespan is about 6 years.  But a skunk makes her way around our …

One of the more fun events to come across my inbox these days is the 7th Annual Ratstravaganza! 
You can’t make this stuff up. Seriously. 
My friend Simone heads a group called Little Mischief Rescue, an animal rescue and advocacy group dedicated to pet rats and ferrets in need. LMR doesn’t have a shelter -they have a province-wide small network of dedicated volunteers and foster homes. I’ve done a bit of help for Simone here and there – transporting ratties and what not – but Simone’s commitment to championing the rat as a …