Learn From Your Dog

One of the highly anticipated events during National Dog Show Month in Philadelphia is the theatrical adaptation The Perfect Dog . The family-friendly show is based off of John O’Hurely’s children’s book of the same name. He was inspired to write the book after an interaction with his young son back stage at the National Dog Show, where he was asked, “Who is the best dog?” The short story has become a huge hit for families with young children. Many copies of the book have been donated to the Ronald McDonald House to provide comfort and guidance to sick children.             John O’Hurley has been one of the faces of the National Dog Show since its debut in 2002. The dogs that he has met and interacted with have had a huge impact on his life. Through this story and theatrical performance, he hopes to spread some of the happiness that dogs have given him to other families. The show is a musical performance comprised of a cast of ...

On Sunday, October 16 th , I attended the first of many events during Philadelphia’s National Dog Show month, the annual National Dog Show Charity Walk. Having never attended anything like it before, I had no idea what to expect when I arrived. However, quickly upon my arrival, crowds of happy owners and excited dogs on leashes began to pour in. I was attending the event as a volunteer, working to help out wherever needed, but it was hard to concentrate when so many friendly animals kept walking up to me. It was hard to resist petting each and every dog, and I just wanted to give them all love and attention.             After experiencing the event for the first time, I can say that I am so impressed and elated that something like this goes on in my own community, and I am so disappointed that I never knew about it before. The four hour event was all about celebrating the wonderful canines in our lives, and making sure that the...

One day, I was walking out of work only to see that I had a missed call from my boss at my new internship. After assuming that we would be discussing logistics for my first day of work, I dialed him back, only to be surprised by our conversation. “I know you haven’t officially started yet, but I have an exciting assignment that I would like you to work on…” He began. Several minutes of discussion later, I hung up the phone with the realization that I would be taking on a task that could tremendously boost my portfolio. I had been offered the opportunity to interview David Frei, the host of the annual Thanksgiving Day Kennel Club Dog Show and one of the biggest names in the dog show world. Following our interview, I would be writing an article to be published in Hamptons Pet Magazine, including my own byline and picture. The realization that I would be taking on my very first big assignment made me nervous, anxious, and excited all at once. I felt so incredibly lucky to be ...

A Day I Will Never Forget: The Day I Got My Puppy! I was studying at Temple. My parents were back at home in Scranton.  We communicated for several weeks about getting a puppy for the family to keep our seven-year old golden retriever, Eli, company.  We couldn’t decide on the type of dog we wanted throughout the two weeks.  They pretty much put me in charge of deciding which breed or mix we would get.  The search ended when I saw this cute, three-month old puppy, which was a mix of a boxer and a black lab.  She was so cute, with a lab's flappy and long ears, and the boxer's snout.  So without telling my parents, I quickly went and adopted her that day. The next day came and I received a text from my mom saying that they were going to pick out a golden retriever at the end of the week.  They still didn’t know I had this puppy that I had adopted sitting on my couch at my apartment.  I immediately FaceTimed my father and opened up ...

Just kidding. But now I have your attention. I am ecstatic that my first blog post is about two of my biggest passions: dogs and community service. I’ve lived on the Main Line all my life and I would bet that we have as many dogs per capita as any big-city suburban area in America. But, we also have our own dog walk. Calling All Dogs is a charity fundraising dog walk set for Saturday, October 10 from 9am - noon, at the local Wilson Farm Park in Wayne, PA. Who can pass up an entire morning of fun activities for adults, kids and canines? The walk will feature the National Dog Show Therapy Dog Ambassador Team and performance canines from the PennVet Working Dog Center doing demonstrations.  The lineup will feature David Frei, the TV personality and America’s foremost authority on all things canine plus contests for various contests for dogs organized by the well-known boarding/training facility What A Good Dog.   There will be food an...

Just like humans, dogs feel the pain of the loss of a loved one. When my father passed away last November, I wasn't the only one dealing with grief. Our family dog Colbie, a Scoodle (half Poodle, half Scottish Terrier), felt the loss in his own way. There was not a day in the seven years we had Colbie that my dad did not spend outside with him. Whether taking Colbie on his daily walks at the local track, or gardening in the spring and summer, Colbie and my father, Gary, were always side-by-side. Originally, Colbie was a surprise for my mother on my parent's anniversary. I found Colbie, and my dad and I went and bought him and brought him home. My dad never was a fan of smaller dogs, but little by little, Colbie warmed my dad's heart. It may sound cliche, but Colbie changed the man who was my dad. He became kinder. He became softer. He became a man who loved life more, and took the time to appreciate the small things. My dad became ill in late October 2014. I s...

Hello hello! I am excited to officially introduce myself as the new contributor to the Learn From Your Dog blog. I am a rising college senior, home for the summer and working to find my place in the world, and who better to be by my side through it all than my dog, Cody. Cody is a 9-year-old border collie, although from his childish energy he's still a puppy at heart. I am working from my computer this summer doing a part-time internship, which gives me the perfect opportunity to network with people in fields I'm interested in, and time to visit my friends and family in their various locations this summer. During this time, I have discovered one of my favorite parts of returning from these brief trips is coming home to Cody, who welcomes me back with a genuine euphoria that never wavers in vitality. Someone somewhere once said that there is a certain irony to how much people focus on all the things they need to teach their dogs, when our dogs have so mu...