Frequently Asked Questions

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A: Ten years ago black lab Tucker wandered the streets alone, afraid, and hungry. His prospects for the future were not bright; he was close to becoming one of the millions of homeless pets that die in shelters every year. Luckily for Tucker, he ended up with Conservation Canines, a unit of the University of Washington that employs dogs. Tucker has an extraordinary sense of smell, and exemplary work ethic, and turned out to be very good at tracking scents so vague a human would never detect them. He has followed his handler all over the world, tracking Iguanas in the tropics, bats in old forests, and caribou in the arctic where he had to wear special boots and neoprene cape to withstand the cold. He can also track whales on light scents carried over water. Tucker's kennel mate Sadie went on a four month safari to Cambodia and helped determine how many tigers are left in two national forests. Read more about Tucker in the Wall Street Journal

A: Lost dogs need help to get home to their families. If your dog wanders off, people might tell you some of these myths. It's very important that you don't believe them - keep looking for you dog! Some tips of what to do if your dog goes walkabout can be found here. Myth One: Just wait for your dog to come home Around 20 percent of lost dogs find their way back home, and it is a good idea to have someone at the house in case your pet shows up. However, the vast majority of lost dogs don't come home on their own. That means you'll never see him or her again if you don't go out and look. Myth Two: Old dogs go off to die Old dogs wander off for many reasons. Intending to die alone is usually not one of them - lost old dogs who are found are generally extremely relieved to be found. Elderly dogs often have diminished sight or hearing, they can be confused, have trouble with their balance, suffer a stroke, or have problems with their back legs and fall. They don't mean to wander off any more than a human with dementia really means to leave home. If you have an older dog, always watch him or her. Myth three: Your dog was killed by a Coyote Over the past decade records on missing dogs show over 70 percent were found, and fewer than 3 percent were killed by coyotes. This myth is much more dangerous to dogs than any predator, because if people believe it, they stop looking. Almost any other explanation you can think of is more likely than your dog being killed by a Coyote.      

A: Bunny is a friendly bulldog who was found wandering along the highway. Skinny as a stick and riddled with ear and eye infections she certainly needed help, and Will and Cindy Sherman rose to the occasion. Bunny got good food, vaccines, toys, and checkups. When Bunny developed a cough related to her heart worm treatment, Will took her back to the vet. She got a steroid shot and they returned to the car - where the world went black. Bunny bolted to the vet's office and barked and scratched at the door until the receptionist opened - and saw Will convulsing with half his body in the car. Luckily, help was close. People streamed out of the office - including an EMT who knew what to do. Thanks to Bunny's swift intervention, Will could be rushed to the hospital, and the attack was diagnosed as a grand mal seizure. These are caused by an abnormal electrical activity in the brain, most often triggered by epilepsy, but also by low blood sugar, high fever, or a stroke. Many people who have a grand mal seizure will never have another one. Nothing like that ever happened to Will before, and he hasn't had another seizure since. Doctors say that if help hadn't arrived so quickly, the outcome come have been very bad. Luckily, Bunny was there, and repaid her rescuer in a way no one could have anticipated.

A: Standard Pacific Homes is one of the nation's largest home builders with around 190 communities around the USA. Building houses isn't new, but some of the builder's options are innovative. The builder offers in-home pet suite and spa with everything from special storage for toys to easy-to-enter showers. The pet suites range from 50 square feet up to 170 square feet. The cost of the addition varies depending on size and area. FOX 35 News Orlando

A: There are many amazing stories about dogs saving people from everything from house fires to traffic accidents. Cats are more rarely featured in such news. Smudge is a hero cat who shows that cats do care about us, probably more than we know. Smudge's owner is Ethan; a five year old boy. Ethan played in the yard with his little brother when three other kids started picking on him, taunting him. His mother saw them from the house, and saw Ethan trying to ignore them.  One of the bullies pushed him to the ground and Ethan's mom ran for the outside, but Smudge beat her to it. The cat flew out from under the car and jumped on the bully's chest. The boy stumbled backwards, burst into tears, and fled. Ever since then, Smudge sleeps by Ethan's bedroom door, keeping guard. Slinky Malinki is another hero cat who recently saved his owner. Slinky's mom has a back problem and was prescribed morphine. No one knew that she had a strong reaction to the drug, and drifted in and out of consciousness for days. Slinky did his best to get the neighbors' attention. He tormented their dog and tapped on their windows until they realized something was wrong. Ever since, Slinky keeps a close eye on his human. If he doesn't see her for a couple of hours he'll go find her, and tap on her arm until she responds.

A: Lady is an elderly black lab who suffers arthritis. She ended up in a shelter in 2012 when her owner died, but she was adopted and everything seemed to work out okay. That is, until her new owners got another dog. Lady was promptly back at the shelter. She wouldn't have any of that. She walked 30 miles home to her family. Not a small feat since her arthritis make walking difficult. Unfortunately, they rejected her once more. This could have been the end for Lady, but one of the volunteers posted about her on Facebook, and the heartbreaking story spread over the Internet all the way to Helen Rich, heiress to the Wrigley chewing-gum fortune. Ms Rich has had some hard turns in life herself and could sympathize with Lady. She promptly sent a private jet to pick up the dog! Now Lady lives with Helen on a farm with seven other rescue dogs. Helen is also involved in the On the Wings of Angels initiative, helping innumerable dogs find homes. Helen Rich and Lady, image from the "On the Wings of Angels" Facebook page.