Today’s Top Bark: Is Your Dog Licensed?

The City of Vancouver is actively checking for dog licenses these days -- especially in dog-friendly parks and beaches. Fines for an unlicensed dog range from $150-$350. A license for a neutered or spayed dog is only $35 per year and $65 for an intact dog.

When you buy your license, your information will automatically be entered into the City of Vancouver's Emergency Pet Registry. This service will give you a better chance of your pet being rescued and you being reunited with your dog. All things considered, it makes that token licensing fee seem like a pretty good deal! You can read about that as well as the other services provided by Vancouver’s Animal Control division here.

Where The FREE Treats Are!

In a world where all things are created equal, a lot of dog owners choose their destinations based on who is handing out the free treats. Here are a couple to get things going and we’ll add to this list periodically. Meanwhile, if you and your dog know where the cookies are, please drop us a note so we can spread the word. We love to support pet-friendly merchants in Vancouver and all over the Lower Mainland. If you have a dog-friendly destination in mind, write to us, including a picture of you and your dog if you can.

Here are a couple to get things rolling:

Higher Grounds Coffeehouse is located at the corner of West Broadway and Vine in Kitsilano. Troy and Tonya and their delightful, smiling crew serve an excellent latte plus their delicious morning ham'n'eggers and fresh baked muffins sell out each and every day! Delicious food for us and a full dog cookie jar by the door for our pooches!

At MayFair News there is always a cookie at the post office in back when you visit on West Broadway just off Granville. A great selection of magazines and newspapers, plus full postal services for us humans and a cookie for Fido... yum!

Remember: let us know when you encounter pet-friendly businesses in Vancouver and the GVRD!

Is Your Dog Psychic?

On a recent road trip I listened to an interesting program called Dogs that Know. I found it so fascinating that I dug around for more information as soon as I got home.

Now, you may be wondering if you’ve heard of this somewhere before. Dr. Rupert Sheldrake, a biologist, and former Fellow of Cambridge University investigated this phenomena in the mid-90s. He even wrote a book titled, Dogs That Know When Their Owners Are Coming Home. While many dog owners, trainers and other experts have witnessed this behavior, some scientists remain unconvinced. This research project aims to resolve this question.

You can check out their theories and even take part in their study if you wish. The Dogs That Know website is here.

Does your dog seem to know when you're coming home? Do other people in your house tell you they knew you were on the way home based on how your dog was acting? Do you have a story of unexplainable communication between you & your dog? If so, please share your story and photo with us for publication in our upcoming newsletters.

Pet Friendly Housing in Vancouver

All of us at Love on a Leash would like to see landlords recognize both the need for pet friendly housing and the responsible tenants who do not abuse the privilege of having pets in their homes.

Please check out this section on the BCSPCA website regarding pets and rental housing. We all know how difficult it can be for responsible pet owners to find a nice place to live with a beloved pet.

Welcome To The New Love On A Leash Blog

When I think about it, the creation and development of Love on a Leash Trusted Dog Care Services has been all about love and evolution. It’s a sweet thought, here in the new year. One I wanted to share with you.

Love on a Leash was born of my own frustration in trying to find really excellent overnight and extended vacation care for my dog, Casey, a Bichon Frise. Leaving town for more than a day became a nightmare when I couldn’t find a place for Casey to be where I felt she would be really happy and comfortable. I didn’t want to put her in a kennel and I wasn’t okay with just having a daily service look in on her periodically. I wanted really great and present care, but when I could find that sort of attention for her, it was over $80. per day. And, more or less directly from that experience, Love on a Leash was born.

Like a lot of good ideas, though, it didn’t stop there and for several years, in addition to providing truly excellent care for so many delighted and delightful canine clients, we’ve been publishing PADS, a monthly newsletter focused on all things dog in Vancouver, from what’s hot in the dog park (and where the good ones are!) to tips regarding dog care, health, nutrition, grooming... and just about everything related to dogs.

While the newsletter has been inviting an ever-larger following, we realized that what was needed was a home for the news we gather for PADS on the web because, while it’s wonderful to get a monthly message stuffed with great information, some people prefer and nibble and bite approach, which seemed a perfect fit for blogging technology. Also, it’s all terrific information, and where could it be archived in a more or less permanent way? And all of this, of course, leads us right back here: to our brand new blog. While we continue to invite you to sign up for PADS, make sure you check back here frequently to see what sort of canine-driven fun we’ve been getting up to.

So thank you for joining us in another permutation of what is essentially a single service: we are completely involved in providing excellent and worry-free care for your canine companion when you can’t be there. And the rest of it -- newsletters and blogs and whatever else we might dream up to add -- it’s all good and wonderful, but it’s icing on the cake.