Tag: Pets

How to help your local animal shelter

You can help!

Every year, about 3.1 million dogs and 3.2 million cats enter animal shelters throughout the United States. According to ASPCA statistics, only about 4.1 million shelter animals get adopted every year. That leaves millions of animals stuck in shelters and without a permanent home.

Don’t get too bummed out, though. There are ways you can help! Start by supporting your local animal shelter. While contributing to nationwide animal welfare causes can be great, most people can make the biggest impact by focusing on their immediate community. If you want to help critters in need, explore these six ways to support local animal shelters.

The 10 most dog-friendly national parks

Explore parks with your pet.

Want to make your next national park adventure even more magical? Consider bringing your dog! While some national parks don’t allow pets for safety and preservation reasons, several sites welcome animals. Here’s what pet owners need to know.

At many National Park Service (NPS) sites, pets like dogs and cats can accompany park visitors. Each park has its own rules, but the NPS makes it easy to understand these guidelines. Before visiting a park, explore its official NPS website for pet-related regulations.

Even at the most permissive parks, pet owners will have to follow a few important rules. The NPS outlines the most important of these rules using the BARK acronym. BARK principles include bagging your pet’s waste, always leashing your pet, respecting wildlife, and keeping a respectful distance away from all wildlife.

Now that you know the rules, explore the list below for a round-up of the most dog-friendly national parks. Find even more NPS sites to visit with this map of pet-friendly parks.

Want to SUP with your pup? These tips will help you learn to paddleboard with your dog

No doggy paddling required.

Samantha Eastburn is living her dream, spending her days on the water in San Diego with dogs as her constant companions. The Arizona transplant runs a business called SUP Pups. She has trained thousands of dogs and their human companions to stand up paddleboard (SUP) together.

Eastburn is stoked about paddleboarding’s physical and mental benefits for both humans and dogs. “It’s a sport, it’s a hobby, it can be therapy,” she said. “I see dogs all the time leave the lesson and they have this little pep in their step. It builds their confidence, and it’s a bonding experience for both of you as well.”

With the right coach, board, and water, Eastburn says, anybody can learn to paddleboard. Here are some tips to help you and your canine BFF take to the water.

A blond dog on a paddleboard.
Photo by Teresa Bergen

Outfit your pet for the outdoors with these dog coats, cat clothes, and more

If you’re cold, they’re cold! Keep your pets warm with these cozy clothes.

Back in the day, dogs mostly ran around in fields, did their business on fire hydrants, then lazed under the porch. They wore a collar and leash if anything. But now, a new generation of intrepid pets has taken up various adventure sports. And they demand the gear to match these new interests. Whether your dog is perched in front of you on your stand-up paddle board or your cat has developed a taste for hiking, these essentials will help keep your pets safe and stylish outdoors. Some of these outfits will even be good conversation starters on your favorite trails and waterways.

Pet dog on the loose and scared in Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone National Park rangers are hoping to capture a tourist’s pet dog that has been loose in the wilderness since last Thursday.

Yellowstone National Park rangers are hoping to capture a tourist’s pet dog that has been loose in the wilderness since last Thursday.

“We lost our dog ‘Delta’ at the Artist Paintpots at 12:45 p.m.,” Mike Mastis, owner of the 70-pound female goldendoodle, posted on a Yellowstone-themed Facebook page late Saturday. “We have not seen her for three days and we are devastated. Please look for her when you are in the park.”

As of late Sunday, despite efforts to locate and catch Delta, she was still at bay, presumably across a river, and probably frightened.

ALSO ON FTW OUTDOORS: Woman lands record cutthroat trout; ‘I’m in the books boys!’ 

“She’s still alive and unharmed,” Mastis stated in a new post Sunday night. “She has been seen alive everyday in the same area. The rangers are trying to trap her. She is only gonna come to food so people yelling her name and chasing her is not working.”

As of the time of this post, Yellowstone National Park had not responded to a request for a statement.

Dogs are not allowed off-leash inside the park. They’re allowed only in developed areas and must be physically controlled – on a leash, inside a car or a crate – at all times.

They’re not allowed on hiking trails, boardwalks, or in the backcountry.

Off-leash they’re a potential threat to wildlife and, likewise, could fall prey to large predators such as wolves, coyotes, cougars, or grizzly bears.

Artists Paintpots is a thermal-feature destination south of the park’s Norris Geyser Basin.

–Image showing Delta the goldendoodle is courtesy of Mike Mastis

Our favorite at home training partners

Sports Pulse: With gyms closed and social distancing in full effect, here are some at home animal training partners

Sports Pulse: With gyms closed and social distancing in full effect, here are some at home animal training partners