A year ago, in May 2024, Tales of WellBeing included an article about dog longevity, which concerns many of us who live with canine companions. The article celebrated the 15th birthday of Pukka, a Labrador residing with his owner, Ted Kerasote, in Jackson Hole, Wyoming....
The first time we met Mason, he was six weeks old, having just arrived at the airport like some high-maintenance celebrity. And by that, I mean he incessantly barked his little Westie head off while waiting for us in the holding area. The attendant handed...
WellBeing News has periodically carried articles on global and US dog populations. For example, in the November 2020 Issue, we included an article summarizing several core findings from projects carried out by WellBeing International and others over the past ten years. For example, we noted that...
Ted Kerasote is an outdoorsman and author who has written three charming and insightful books about the human-dog relationship – Merle's Door (2007), Pukka, The Pup after Merle (2010), and Pukka's Promise (2013). Pukka's Promise relates the story of Kerasote's search for a dog that...
Introduction WellBeing International continues to explore the potential health benefits of the human-animal bond and return to the benefits of service dogs for veterans in this newsletter. There are now many organizations promoting and providing service dogs for veterans. WBI focuses on two organizations that provide...
February and March bring crocuses and daffodils to the Northern Hemisphere and extensive media coverage of “clothing and other fashions” in Milan, Paris, New York, and London. In mid-March last year, there were numerous media reports that the Labrador retriever had been deposed as America's...
For those of us who enjoy playing with our dogs, such as tossing a ball or stick for them to fetch, the world offers many more challenging exercise opportunities. Now, a new human-pet dog sport has appeared – CANICROSS or CANI-X. In canicross, the owner...
Thanksgiving is perhaps the most important family holiday in the United States. As we head into the coming week and the gathering of family members, it seems appropriate to reflect on our families and who is included at this critical time. In the Rowan household,...
An extensive study of the genetics of dog behavior (including individual dog personality) and appearance (physical traits) has just appeared in the major academic research publication, Science. The research team reviewed the behavior and genes of 2,000 dogs who had had their entire genomes sequenced....
One of my special projects is catching uncatchable dogs! These are dogs that have been lost after a car accident, on a mountain hike, or as a new adoptee that did not know the adopter intended to provide them a forever home. After such dogs...
