Innehållsförteckning för The Dogs Edition från The Goodnewspaper

Dolly, a 7-year-old black Labrador, is a regular at the DoveLewis blood bank in Portland, Oregon. In fact, she’s one of 94 dogs — and 48 cats — that regularly donates blood. “[She’s] not crazy about the actual donation, but she gets a treat of baby food after and a toy, so that’s what she’s looking forward to,” dog owner Denise Duncan told Oregon Live, pointing to Dolly’s wagging tail. Kelsey Reinauer, the DoveLewis blood bank manager, said that donations play a critical role in stabilizing dogs and cats during life-threatening emergencies. “There’s a very large deficit between the need and the supply in veterinary medicine for blood right now,” Reinauer explained. “There’s maybe just a handful of blood banks our size in the United States.” Reinauer provided a demonstration,…

As good as every dog is (and they really are very good), they come with a cost — and we’re not just talking about vet bills. An average-sized dog generates about 770 kilograms of carbon emissions per year, and an even bigger one can reach up to 2,500 kilograms, according to Earth.org. Much of this hefty impact comes from eating meat, with studies showing that dry pet food was responsible for up to 2.9% of global carbon emissions from the agriculture industry. Of course, it’s not easy for people to persuade their dogs to suddenly practice Meatless Mondays or go vegan altogether. But, as veterinarians remind The Guardian, dogs are omnivores and will likely be none the wiser if what’s in their bowl is a few more veggies. “As omnivores,…

Recently, the Universities of Bristol and Manchester enlisted the help of a golden retriever, Bumper, and a black Labrador, Peanut, for an important task: detecting Parkinson’s disease by smell. The canines, trained by the nonprofit Medical Detection Dogs, participated in a double blind trial in which they sniffed cheek swabs from people with and without Parkinson’s disease. Bumper and Peanut correctly identified Parkinson’s in 70% and 80% of patients, and were over 90% accurate in ruling out healthy individuals. “Sensitivity levels of 70% and 80% are well above chance, and I believe that dogs could help us to develop a quick, non-invasive, and cost-effective method to identify patients with Parkinson’s disease,” said researcher Nicola Rooney, an associate professor at Bristol Veterinary School. This isn’t the first time researchers have tested…

01 Keep your dog’s vaccinations up to date to prevent the spread of major, often fatal, diseases. Petco Love Care teams up with shelters across the country to provide free vaccinations. petcolove.org/care 02 Ensure your dog is microchipped with up-to-date contact information. According to the American Kennel Club, missing dogs with microchips are twice as likely to be reunited with their owners. akcreunite.org 03 Spay or neuter your dog. Not only does it lengthen their lifespan and lower the risk of various health risks, but it also reduces overpopulation. Consult with a local vet to see what’s best for your pet.…

WHAT'S THIS? THIS IS THE GOOD BAR. We believe in celebrating good and then joining in to make a difference. The Good Bar is full of advice from the Good Good Good community on how to take action. Start small and work your way up. GOOD Support cruelty-free brands, which ensure that no animal testing is performed during production, either by the company, their suppliers, or any third parties. crueltyfreekitty.com/list-of-cruelty-free-brands BETTER Donate to the Animal Legal Defense Fund, which works to end animal exploitation in factory farms, puppy mills, and research labs through litigation and legislation. give.aldf.org BEST Be a volunteer with Humane World for Animals, formerly known as the Humane Society. Positions range from calling legislators to cleaning cages. humaneworld.org/en/take-action…

Once a month at San Francisco’s Muttville Senior Dog Rescue, local senior citizens gather to snuggle up with gray-muzzled pups. They call themselves the Cuddle Club, and they’re a project of Little Brothers - Friends of the Elderly, an organization that works to reduce loneliness among seniors in the Bay Area. The Cuddle Club is open to anyone ages 62 or older -or nine, if you’re a dog. The goal is simple: To give senior citizens an opportunity to connect with one another, relax a bit with a furry friend, and show these elderly dogs some love while they wait to find their forever homes. “Our dogs get a whole hour of cuddles,” Angela Di Martino, Muttville’s community engagement manager said, adding that many of the Cuddle Club members are…

Search-and-rescue dogs have long been vital partners to emergency responders, able to find a scent trail, locate their subject at the end of that trail, and alert their handler, guiding assistance to someone who might be lost, trapped, injured, or, tragically, dead. But AI company Scientific Systems is working on a tool that combines the brilliance of canines with digital information gathered by AI systems, relying on humans as a bridge to analyze them both, helping save people faster than any of the three ever could alone. It’s called Collaborative Intelligence for Olfactory Search Missions Integrating Canines and Technology, or COSMIC-T. As dogs do their sniffing, a drone gathers information about the dog’s movements along with environmental factors, like weather conditions, wind patterns, and geography. From there, AI software makes…

1. Buy gently used pet supplies: See if your local thrift store has a section for pet products! If they don’t, peruse local Facebook marketplace finds, buy-nothing groups, or start a group chat with your fellow pet parents to sell, trade, or upcycle the items you no longer need. 2. Shop sustainably for your treats and toys: If you are looking to buy a new item for your pet, there are ways to shop more mindfully than at major retailers. In fact, we have a whole guide to help you find what you’re looking for. ggg.news/articles/sustainable-pet-products 3. Look at adoption as secondhand shopping: Just like getting your consumer goods at a secondhand store is more sustainable than buying something brand new, adopting a dog from a shelter means you’re getting…

In 2024, 5.8 million dogs and cats entered shelters and rescues, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. While this is down slightly from the year prior, the length of time dogs are staying in shelters before being adopted has grown in the last five years, straining already-overburdened shelters. That means rescues and shelters have had to get even more creative to help these millions of furry friends find their forever homes. 1. A Doggone Good Birthday Gift With Andrew Duhe’s wife, Jennifer’s 40th birthday quickly approaching, he was racking his brain for the perfect gift. The couple volunteers weekly at Chesapeake Animal Services in Virginia, so Andrew knew the shelter always had 40 kennels that were always full. He wondered: What if I were to…

Since it began in 2018, the Dog Aging Project has gathered data on more than 50,000 dogs in an effort to better understand how quickly they age and, potentially, how to prolong their lives. In the study, researchers made a distinction between a dog’s lifespan — the total number of years lived — and a dog’s healthspan — the total number of years lived in good health. Their goal was to maximize the quality of a dog’s health, not just simply extend their lives. The research, which is still ongoing, could also serve as a promising model for humans, too. “Given that dogs share the human environment and have a sophisticated health care system but are much shorter-lived than people, they offer a unique opportunity to identify the genetic, environmental…

A new study from researchers at Chiang Mai University in Thailand reaffirmed what many dog owners already suspected: Spending just 15 minutes with a dog can significantly reduce a person’s stress. “Even brief interactions with dogs can significantly reduce stress levels among university undergraduate students,” wrote lead author Jaruwan Khonmee. The researchers tested the blood pressure, pulse, and saliva of 122 student participants. Then, after 15 minutes of playing and petting a pup, the students were tested again. “Compared to immediately before, students’ self-reported stress levels decreased by 33.5% after interacting with the dog,” the researchers reported, adding that their pulse rate and cortisol levels had also improved. The researchers also noted that the dogs participated in the study without their owners present to reduce the risk of distracting their…

At Kindness Ranch Animal Sanctuary in Hartville, Wyoming, John Ramer tends to a farm of dogs, cats, pigs, horses, sheep, goats, cows, and llamas rescued from testing facilities. All of them were slated for euthanasia — until Ramer convinced the research laboratories otherwise. “It’s so easy to be against something. I could tell everybody that I’m against euthanasia and that they need to change their ways to appease me, but that doesn’t get anything done,” Ramer, the executive director of Kindness Ranch, told Cowboy State Daily. “But then I have to figure out what I’m in favor of.” “I’m for building relationships with these facilities and informing them that there’s alternatives to euthanasia,” he reasoned, “and we can do it while still objecting to the practice of animal testing, but…

Losing a beloved pet elicits an especially difficult kind of grief, one that’s often even harder and more confusing for children. But when Nikki Campo’s family unexpectedly had to say goodbye to their goldendoodle, Turtle, her kids, aged 12, 10, and 7, rallied in an equally unexpected way. One night as the family grieved, Campo wrote in a piece for The Washington Post, her son asked, “Mom, could we invite a bunch of dogs over to play? Like a party in Turtle’s honor? Turtle would want us to do this.” So, they did. The kids designed invitations with pictures of Turtle, which read “Come Celebrate Turtle’s Life: Dogs Welcome, Humans Tolerated.” They made a list of their neighborhood dogs and biked through the streets delivering their treat-laden invites. The morning…

01 Validate their grief, just as you would if they lost a close family member or friend. Support them with tangible resources, like providing meals or taking on some household tasks, as you would for any other tragedy. 02 Share memories. Keep asking questions or swapping stories about their beloved dog. While it can be painful, celebrating the time they had together is a balm for the pain and helps ensure their memory endures. 03 Honor their dog’s legacy. Whether it’s a special memorial gift or a donation fund in their dog’s name, create community and connection by giving this dog a story that lives on with others.…

GOOD First and foremost, if you see a working dog in public, like a person’s service dog, or a sniffer dog in an airport, leave them be! You wouldn’t want a stranger approaching you at work, right? BETTER Learn about the vital work dogs are capable of doing. We recommend the documentary “SEARCHDOG,” which tells the stories of “unadoptable dogs” who have been transformed into heroes. searchdogmovie.com BEST Donate to nonprofits that train working dogs to save and improve lives, including National Disaster Searchdog Foundation (searchdogfoundation.org), and Canine Companions (canine.org).…

If you asked Paige Bavin what her favorite animal was, she would say rhinoceroses without hesitation. But dogs would be a close second. The 8-year-old, who lives in the small village of Bardney, England, has spent the last two years raising money for Dogs 4 Wildlife. The U.K. nonprofit trains conservation dogs to protect endangered species — including rhinos — throughout Africa, from the wetlands of Rwanda’s Akagera National Park to South Africa’s Bonamanzi Game Reserve. By organizing walk-a-thons and community raffles, Bavin has raised over £2,000 for the organization, enough to support Rocket, a Labrador currently training in the nonprofit’s anti-poaching program. In a joint statement, the founders of Dogs 4 Wildlife, Jacqui Law and Darren Priddle, called Bavin “a true inspiration.” “The younger generation is the future of…

Before Russia invaded in 2022, Ukraine was already grappling with a high stray animal population. When 6.8 million people were forced to leave the country, over one million pets were left behind, and that population ballooned. By the time veterinarian Colleen Lambo traveled to Ukraine in 2024, animal shelters across the country were overflowing, and Europe was on the brink of a rabies epidemic. But she took a note from the locals leading animal welfare efforts in the face of war. “The Ukrainians we met were carrying on with their lives despite the war,” Lambo told Roo, the veterinary relief organization that funded her trip. “They were considerate, generous, and tolerant.” In the city of Brody, Lambo grew particularly close to a family who ran an animal shelter out of…

As more and more people see their dogs as quintessential members of the family, their care is incorporated into a dog owner’s “cost of living.” But in the United States, everyday people face a cost-of-living crisis. Therefore, so do their pets. Along with rent and grocery costs, the price of pet care has risen dramatically in recent years. A Bank of America Institute report found that since 2019, prices of services like veterinary care and grooming have gone up 42%, with the cost of goods like food and treats surging 22%. These barriers are leading to an influx of people surrendering their pets to shelters. “The main reason for pet surrender is, ‘I can’t afford it.’ Vet care is expensive, food is expensive, I mean, just human cost of living…