Best Friends just got BETTER

There is this amazing place in Angel Canyon, Utah called Best Friends Animal Sanctuary. They may as well call it heaven for lost dogs. They take in abused, abandoned and lost dogs from all over the country and work to rehabilitate them so they are ready to find their forever homes. Unlike some shelters, this place gives the dogs lots of outdoor and indoor safe space to play and socialize, and they get lots of human contact.

They just built a brand new outdoor park for their dogs! Click here to read about Ellen, a rescue from the Vick dogfighting enterprise, and how she is having the time of her life in the new park.

I am so happy to be in my forever home with my person, but am still happy that these dogs landed at Best Friends on their way to finding their own forever homes.

Stolen at Whole Foods (not your paycheck)

Please think twice before tying your pup up outside of stores, even if you are just running in for a few things. This sweet dog Molly was snatched from outside of a Whole Foods store in a good neighborhood in Washington, DC. They think it was because she was pedigreed and worth money, but you never know.

If you are a reader in the DC area and happen to see Molly, email tips to findmollydog@gmail.com. Best wishes for a safe and happy reuinion for Molly and the Newby family.

And please, please, please, don't leave your dog tied up unattended! Either leave your pup at home, or ask a friend to stay outside the store to watch your pup.

UPDATE: Molly's people contacted me to share a resource for updates and sightings--Click here to learn the latest and see more pictures.

UPDATE#2: Molly was seen with a disheveled woman twice at the Petco in the Cleveland Park area of Washington, DC, and a few other times in the Logan Circle area. If you think you see her, please contact her people @ findmollydog@gmail.com , use the phone number that was posted below in the comments.

Watch out for coyotes in Canada!

Up in Canada, this dog Duke was separated from his person and was hiding scared from coyotes that were hunting him. Yikes! Then a nice bus driver came by and saved him. The bus driver could see the coyotes stalking Duke, and opened her door and the very scared dog knew it was his chance at safety!

Passengers on the bus helped Duke relax until the bus driver finished her route, and was reunited with her person later that day.

Thats one smart dog, and one very nice bus driver. I've always heard the people are nice in Canada, but look out for coyotes!

10 Reasons to rescue an adult dog

My life didn't start out this easy. I was penned outdoors in NC for my first year, then I was dropped on the side of the road! I somehow found my way to a shelter, but they were going to put me to sleep because they didn't have enough room for me. I was so scared!

Thankfully, a wonderful rescue organization came in and saved me, and placed me in foster care until I found my forever home when I was 2 years old. I am really lucky that I found a person that didn't have to have a puppy.

If you are thinking about adopting, please consider an adult dog like me! Here are 10 reasons to consider adopting an adult dog. We are way easier than puppies, I promise!

A miracle worker for miniature pinschers

Someone has finally done it...they have found a way to get miniature pinschers to stop barking. I know that miniature pinschers were bred to be alert systems, but sometimes they seem like they just need to chill out. Give this guy an award for figuring out how to make that happen!

Check out this article about a crazy miniature pinscher that miraculously calms down at the ball park. Maybe we could tell other miniature pinscher people to try this?

I've seen worse looking dogs...

This guy, Pabst, was just crowned the Worlds Ugliest Dog. Ok, so he has an underbite, it could be worse. I am sure his personality makes up for it!

Kudos to the people who rescued him--they didn't hold it against him, and now they won $1,600 in pet supplies for Pabst! Way to work what ya got!

Have a little Faith

This dog walks on two leg like a human! I can only jump up on my two legs when I get really excited, but this dog does it all day.

The really special thing about Faith is that she travels around the county to serve as an inspiration for those struggling to overcome adversity.

Before finding my forever home, I was left on the side of the road to fend for myself when I was just a year old. So, I thought I knew about adversity. But a dog learning to live her life happily on two legs, and sharing her spirit with struggling humans, that is inspirational.

Read about Faith's visit to Washington DC (plus video) here. See a slideshow here. Faith's people even have a website for her!

Insurance for the important stuff

Insurance is important, even for us dogs!

I worry about my stuff all the time,

but I know that my person's homeowner's

insurance covers me and my stuff.

Check out this great commercial from

Travelers Insurance, featuring music

from one of my person's favorite artists--

Ray LaMontagne!

Smoking Stinks

If you need another reason to quit, look no further than the furball curled up next to you. Did you know that if our person smokes, it makes us dogs more likely to develop cancer? It seems obvious, because pets are stuck breathing in all that second hand smoke. A new survey showed that a third of smokers would be motivated to quit if they knew it was harming their pets. Spread the word!

Just because I look guilty doesn't mean I did it!

Finally, science proves what we have been trying to tell our humans for eternity: just because we "look" guilty does not mean we did it!

Read about the new study in Science Daily:

"People see ‘guilt’ in a dog’s body language when they believe the dog has done something it shouldn’t have – even if the dog is in fact completely innocent of any offense."

The dogs that looked the "most guilty" according to the researchers were the ones that did nothing wrong but were scolded anyway! Not cool...

I feel a little bad for the pups that had to participate in the study. I hope they got lots of treats and bellyrubs afterwards.

Today is Take Your Dog to Work Day

Humans are always complaining about going to work, so why would I want to go? I am perfectly happy at home hanging out on the sofa and looking out the window. Sometimes I even get to sleep in the bed if my person forgets to close the bedroom door!

If your person decides to take you to work, make sure they check out The Do's and Dont's of Take Your Dog To Work Day. Squeaky toys are on the "don't" list--that is no fun!

I also learned that this "holiday" has been celebrated for ten years! Who knew? According to the Official Website for TYDTWD, the day was created to "celebrate the great companions dogs make and to encourage their adoption from humane societies, animal shelters and breed rescue clubs. This annual event encourages employers to experience the value of pets in their workplace for this one special day to promote pet adoptions." Now that is a cause I can support!!

In the meantime, I already have two jobs--taking care of my person and writing this blog!

Dogs can help soldiers struggling with PTSD

Dogs like you and me help our people a lot. But some people need a professional dog to help them. I was excited to hear that this group, Freedom Dogs, is helping out soldiers returning from war and struggling with post-traumatic-stress-disorder. I bet war is scary, but coming back to a normal life is probably hard too. I am happy some great dogs are being trained to make life easier for our veterans.

Flying is no longer just for birds

Check out this new airline--PetAirways, just for us pets! Before, flying in the cargo hold with all those suitcases seemed pretty scary, but this sounds like a huge improvement. They are partners with Best Friends Animal Society, so that makes me think good things about them already! Read about it here, or check out their youtube commercial.

Microchips & Tools

Get this--you can use a stud finder to detect microchips in dogs! I bet you are skeptical, I was too. I asked my person to check to see if our stud finder could find my microchip. It worked!

My microchip has anti-migration technology, so it will always be on my back. But if you are looking for your microchip that may have moved...just have your person grab the stud finder!

On a related note, I am really glad my person decided to get me my own microchip last year...that way if I ever get lost, I know I will find my way home. Tell your person to ask the vet about getting your own microchip, it doesn't cost much money, but it buys a lot of peace of mind.

Pet Polls

My name is Scoop, which is not very human sounding. In fact, I think it is a verb. But according to a new AP poll, most people give their dogs people names!

Also, this poll says that most people consider us dogs just as much a family member as the people in the house. I know my people always treat me like family....I even get to sleep in the bed. I didn't know how lucky I was until I learned from this poll that only a third of pets get to sleep in their people's beds! Maybe my name should have been Lucky....

Dogs Get Cancer Too

The worst thing that ever happened to me was a really bad splinter in one of my pads. It wasn't so bad, but my person said it was expensive. But some dogs get cancer, and that is scary! Good news though—the FDA has just approved a new cancer treatment just for us dogs!

Dogs are colorblind, people should be too.

Why are humans always so worried about color? I only see a short spectrum of color (everything looks greenish yellow to me), but it still shouldn’t matter what color your dog is. We all have a lot of love to give!!! Don’t discriminate against black dogs…they have plenty of tail wags and sloppy kisses to share. Read more about how black dogs face tough odds in shelters.

Dog Yoga?

I thought we invented the “down-dog” position, now some humans want to take us to yoga class? It seems a little silly to me. What do you think?

The Dog Diet

Did you know that dogs like me can help you lose weight and stay in shape? If you don’t have a dog, you can just pick one up from the local shelter…it will brighten his day and keep you both healthy!

Commuter Dogs

Check out these smart city dogs that learned how to ride the train! Since we work in packs, we make sure no one misses a stop. It must be so fun to ride the train…so many people so many smells…

Check them out!