Our very good friend, Everett Police K-9 handler Suzanne Eviston and her K9 Axle are pictured here still alive and well. Suzanne was t-boned by a Burglary suspect who was fleeing the scene of a crime high on Meth. The suspect had been granted “drug court” which enables him to be in the community instead of serving time for his other numerous crimes, so he was very motivated not to be apprehended.
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Huddled under my umbrella the other day, I was dodging raindrops and puddles as I walked the three blocks from the parking garage to my office. As I was passing an apartment building, I saw an elderly woman standing near the entrance holding an umbrella over her little white poodle dog. Unfortunately, the umbrella wasn’t large enough to cover both her and the dog, so she was getting soaked. Unable to withhold comment, I said, “Do you think he’ll melt if he gets wet?” She responded, “Well, he’s sweet enough to melt, but the truth is that if I don’t hold the umbrella for him he gets angry and pouts and won’t eat his lunch.” And, by dinner time he’s an absolute bear! Welcome to the world of the pampered pet.

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Ask the average person to tell you whether a dog is happy or not, and they will advise you to look at its tail -- if the dog is happy, the tail is wagging. Yes. But this is only partly true. Some tail wags have totally different meanings. This can be especailly important in understanding canine body language.

- A rapid tail wag, where the tail swings from side-to-side in a not very large, but constant way, is actually a sign of excitement rather than pleasure.
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If any of the following 5 statements ring true, you should re-examine your reasons for wanting a dog and your ability to properly care for one.

1. You’re Always Really Busy with Work and Don’t Have Much Downtime

In order for your new dog or puppy to bond with you and properly acclimate to its new surroundings, you’ll need to set a lot of time aside just for him. You can’t just pick out a puppy, bring it home, play with it for a while and then forget it. You need to spend quality time with your new family member. This means lots of playtime (especially for puppies), two or more walks outside every day and obedience training. If you don’t spend time with your pet, you’re just asking for trouble. Often, neglected pets will act out by engaging in destructive behavior. Furthermore, if your pet is alone too much, he will not be properly socialized. This may result in his being unduly fearful of strangers and other animals which, in turn, may cause him to become aggressively defensive towards them. If you are too busy to spend quality time with a pet, then wait until your life is a little less hectic before you adopt one.

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