Letter from the Editor On the cover

Our cover girl, Tiki, showed off her spunky Mexican heritage wearing a poncho and sombrero to celebrate the culture of Mexico and Cinco de Mayo in the month of May. Shown here with mom Caroline prepping her for the photo, Tiki is a rescue dog found at 9 weeks old and now she is a cover model! She is a regular at Believe in Dog Training, where her mom works as a trainer. Check out more canines from our World Tour in the feature story, showcasing local canines whose breed hails from 12 countries. We hope you enjoy learning a little about each dog personally and a few tidbits about their breed.

Cover: Allison Wilkins Photography

Bonjour…Hola…Salve…Guten Tag… God dag…Hallo…or as we say in Texas, Howdy! Greetings to you from around the world as we showcase a World Dog Tour of local Houston canines from breeds representing a cross-section of countries. As our world has become more accessible and global, learning about other cultures is fun, and learning about breeds developed in these cultures for various purposes is also fun AND informative! The idea was originally “hatched” while discussing the fact that May is Cinco de Mayo, a festive celebration in the Mexican culture and we thought, why not showcase dogs from around the world? We reached out to local Houstonians with breeds from a variety of international countries for our photoshoot. Meet them in our feature story and learn a bit about them personally, as well as a few “did you know” facts about each breed. By the way, if you are interested in seeing many breeds from around the world, the best opportunity is the annual Houston World Series of Dog Shows at NRG Center coming the third weekend in July!

To compliment our feature story, we curated pet products representing some of our global friends, and of course, the good ‘ol USA. Plus, we didn’t forget about Mother’s Day this month! Check out our Mother’s Day feature page showcasing products and facts about animal moms in the wild.

Next in this issue, we have an expanded health section. Dr. Noaker of VERGI discusses pet CPR, which is a very important skill to know BEFORE you need it. We also have Dr. Marvel of Chasing Tails Mobile Veterinary Services discussing the canine flu, Diana Herrera of Blue Pearl Hospice talks about what it’s like to be a hospice veterinary technician, and finally, we have Dr. Puksta of VCA Hospitals highlighting a rare disorder,

I would also like to encourage all of you to do a couple of things. First, sign up for our newsletter on our website, HoustonPetTalk.com. It is bi-monthly and features events, news, contests and more. Next, visit PetTalkGoFetch.com for local events. Third (and very importantly!), please shop with our Advertising partners. Without them, we cannot produce PetTalk and offer our publication as a free resource to the pet community. Understandably, they need to see results of their AD so please let them know you heard about them in PetTalk!

Finally, just a personal note. My daughter Kaia is graduating from Texas A&M this month and I am SO proud of her accomplishment and happy for her that she has obtained a Bachelors Degree. Kaia has been my sidekick, helping me with PetTalk since she was about 5 years old. It is so hard to let go of our kids in the sense they are now off to start a career and an adult life, and yet, it is what we most want for their happiness. So, with bittersweet feelings, Kaia, I just want to give you a shoutout for all the years you've supported my career and I can't wait to see what you'll do with yours. In this month of celebrating Mothers, I hope all of you moms out there, of both humans and animals, have a beautiful celebration with your loved ones and take a moment to be grateful for your blessings!

HOUSTON PETTALK MAGAZINE

14781 Memorial Drive, Ste. 510, Houston, Texas 77079 281-556-6560

Art Director: ANDREW BURWELL