The lifestyle magazine for modern dogs and their companions
Think Dog Victoria Stilwell on reward-based training + new tricks for old dogs
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Canine CancerFighting Super Foods How to make your own backyard agility course
10 More “People” Foods
Fab Finds
spr i n g 2 0 1 0
natural flea fighter The German Shepherd Vets without Borders Fast and healthy treat recipes
Vaccination Boosters, titers: 101 what’s essential and what’s not
Is your dog depressed?
Baby Dogs! Adorable, adoptable puppies p58
Try it. We Double Dog Dare You! Whether it is our pet beds, Throvers, Mess Mats, pillows or aprons, you can say goodbye to stains, odor and bacteria. Nothing penetrates Crypton’s patented barrier technology. Welcome to the world of Crypton, where life is cleaner and greener. Call 1.800.crypton or visit cryptonfabric.com
Š 2010 Crypton, Inc. All rights reserved. Crypton and the red planet logo are registered trademarks of Crypton, Inc.
SPRING 2010
VOL 9
NO 1
58 FEATURES
PHOTO TANYA KING
32
Road Trip! Man and Dog Hit the Road Have Border Collie, will travel. BY GARRY SOWERBY
38
Shadowed by a Coyote The joys of wild walks are, alas, not without their perils. BY PATRICIA KOMAR
42
Not Just Another Pretty Face Lu Parker on winning Miss USA, making a difference, and living with a monkey. BY MARY-JO DIONNE
46
DIY Eat Easy, healthy treats for all the pets in your household.
48
From Disaster to Dogtopia How Heidi Ganahl, founder and CEO of the world’s largest franchise of dog care camps, overcame personal tragedy to triumph with Camp Bow Wow. BY COREY VAN’T HAAFF
58
Depressed Dogs Can a dog really be depressed? The case of former French president Jacque Chirac and his sad dog, Sumo. BY STANLEY COREN
60
Little Dreamers It’s all baby dogs! Adorable, adoptable puppies seek forever homes. PHOTOGRAPHED BY TANYA KING
68
10 More People Foods for Dogs Healthy additions to your dog’s diet. From your dinner plate to your dog’s bowl. BY LAURA SCOTT AND ELIZABETH PASK
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PHOTO FROM DOGSCAPING (BOWTIE PRESS; 2009)
78
107
Think Dog Victoria Stilwell on taking the leap, reward-based training, and new tricks for old dogs. BY MARY-JO DIONNE
84
The Dogs of Todos Santos, Guatemala Veterinarians without Borders help a community in need. BY JENNIFER MESSER
96
Big Hearts in Bella Bella Two animal aid agencies combine forces to help dogs in a remote Canadian town. BY CONNIE WILSON
116
The Animal-loving Transformation of Carol Leifer On Celebrity Apprentice, Elaine Benes, and not being an animal person. BY MARY-JO DIONNE
THE GOODS 37
Great Dog Stuff: $10 or Less Barking good buys.
53
Flower Power Fab floral finds.
93
Answering the Call of Doodie When the “going” get tough…
FASHION COLLECTION
Visit us at the Interzoo 2010, Hall 5
F reedom
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BREED PROFILE 28
The German Shepherd The comeback kid. BY MARIAN
BUECHERT
64
My Best Friend’s Workout
64
Loco for Coconut
64
Herb for Health: Calendula
66
A Step-by-Step Guide to Clean Ears
66
Revenge of the Mutts: EqualOpportunity Dog Shows
66
Sanity Saver
66
Natural Flea Control
66
5 Signs of Fear
70
The Doctor’s In: The Vaccine Controversy
72
Can “Superfoods” Fight Canine Cancer?
PHOTO GR ACE CHON
BODY AND SOUL
42
LIVING 12
Stuff We Love Modern Dog staffers’ picks of the litter.
23
Pup Profiles Meet this issue’s gallery of smiling dogs, sharing their likes and dislikes, from Cheetos to the garden hose.
83
Dogs Gone Viral Top dog videos. BY TIA
BY LAURA SCOTT AND ELIZABETH PASK
37 REGULAR FEATURES 6 8 10 14 24 26 124 135
Editor’s Letter Contributors Our Readers Write The Scoop Calendar of Events Smile! Photo Contest Marketplace Giveaways
COVER LOOK It’s Me or the Dog’s Victoria Stilwell and her sweet chocolate Lab, Sadie. Photographed by Zach Wolfe. Styling, Jenni Bedel. Hair and makeup, Kiki Finley.
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MIHALJ
95
Fun Things To Do With Your Dog’s Photo Dig into that digital forest of photos and put those pics to good use. BY MELISSA BARR
100
DIY Craft Silence is golden. Make your dog a cool tag silencer with this fun pet project.
103
Art Attack Profile in style: Elaine Brewer White brings signature humour to her joyous sculptures. BY MARNI WEDIN
107
Connie’s Book Club Curl up with a good dog and good book.
111
Ask Dog Lady Dog Lady delves into your most dogged dilemmas.
119
Training Help is Here! Our experts tackle your most daunting dog training problems.
136
Last Lick How to make your own backyard agility course. BY ROSE FROSEK
In USA: MODERN DOG (ISSN 1703-812X) Volume 9, Issue 1. Published quarterly by Modern Dog Inc. at 142 Churchill Drive, Newington, CT 06111-4003. Periodicals postage paid at Hartford, CT and additional offices. POSTMASTER: send address changes to Modern Dog, PO Box 310402, Newington, CT 06131-0402.
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PHOTO L IN DS EY DON OVAN
ED ITO R ’S LE T T E R
A
fter sixteen wonderful and crazy years together, I said a final farewell to my dog, Kaya. As difficult as it was to make the decision to help her cross over, I know I did the right thing. I could have prolonged her life by a month or two, but, with her increasing health and mobility issues, this borrowed time would have been for my benefit, not hers. Still, it was one of the hardest decisions I have ever made. My beloved best friend, loyal companion, and constant sidekick—she was always by my side and now that she’s gone I feel as if a part of me is missing. It’s been two months since her passing, and her bark still wakes me in the night. When I realize it was merely a dream, grief consumes me. When I think back on my life with Kaya, it certainly was not without its trials. Kaya’s hyperactivity, willfulness, separation anxiety, boundless energy, and hi-jinx more than tried my patience and often left me wondering why I was “blessed” with such a difficult dog. Believe me, there were plenty of times when I felt she was way more than I could handle. But we stuck it out and made it work. When I returned to the city, leaving a failed relationship, my country lifestyle, and social network behind me, Kaya was there, a reason to stabilize my life. She helped me overcome the trepidation I felt in starting yet another new chapter in my life. I was worried that my country dog wouldn’t settle into a city lifestyle, but rather, the opposite happened. We moved into an area just a few blocks from a popular dog beach, and Kaya became pals with the local doggie crowd, playing tag, swimming, and cavorting with her new playmates, while I was welcomed into a different social network from the one left behind, that of devoted pup parents. Sometimes we wonder why we’re dealt the cards we’re dealt, but I believe there is always a master plan. In retrospect, I see that Kaya was the catalyst that caused me to accomplish an unfulfilled personal goal: starting my own business. Realizing there were so many dog lovers—like me—looking for solutions and resources, I
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decided there was no better time to start a publication that would cater to us “dog people” and, hence, Modern Dog was born. Best of all, as the boss, I got to make the rules, the first one being, “Dogs Welcome.” Thus, Kaya came to work with me every day, resolving the separation anxiety problem that she never outgrew. She was a special, unique, and crazy dog who meant the world to me and who, throughout her life, gave me countless examples of just about every problem a dog owner could ever face, always inspiring me with article ideas for the magazine. In her final hour, the last and most difficult despite all our other trials and tribulations, I had to say goodbye, not to “just a dog,” but a canine child, friend, and confidante. My girl. I will always, always miss her. There’s the saying, “when one door closes another opens” and that’s the philosophy I’ve chosen to hold on to. And so, our spring issue, in celebration of new beginnings, features adorable, adoptable puppies (page 58). Just try and not smile! We have inspiring, famous faces galore, from funny-woman Carol Leifer and her pack of rescue pups to this issue’s cover girl, Victoria Stilwell of CBS’s It’s Me or the Dog, renowned for her “Think Dog” mantra and reward-based positive training methods (page 78). And that’s not to mention Twilight’s Rachelle Lefevre and CSI: NY’s Emmanuelle Vaugier out in support of Best Friends, plus rescue crusader and one-woman force to be reckoned with, Lu Parker (page 42). But my very favourite part of this issue is regular Modern Dog contributor Jennifer Messer’s account of her work in Guatemala with Vets without Borders. It’s a fascinating glimpse into another culture as well as the difficulties and rewards of international aid work. And that’s just the beginning. We help with all manner of training and behavioural issues, offer up great recipes and fun crafts, provide health and wellness advice with “Can ‘Superfoods’ Fight Canine Cancer?” and “10 More People Foods for Dogs” (page 68) and much, much more!
Wishing you a happy, healthy, and prosperous spring season,
Constance Wilson Publisher and Editor-in-Chief
Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole. –ROGER CARAS
CO N T R IB UT OR S SPRING 2010
VOL 9
s
NO 1
Publisher
Modern Dog Inc. Editor-in-Chief
Connie Wilson Editor
Jennifer Nosek Contributing Editor
Marian Buechert Creative Director
Jennifer Nosek Circulation Manager
Jessica Nosek Administration and Circulation Assistant
Jonathon Brown Design & Production
Carolyn Howse Design & Production Assistant
Maxine Matishak Design Intern
Vanessa Dong
Grace Chon is one of Los Angeles’ most sought-after pet photographers and has been voted Best Pet Photographer in LA two years in a row. She combines her background as an award-winning art director with her photography, creating modern, editorial-style portraits of pets and their people. Her clients include celebrities, magazines, publishing companies, and TV shows. On weekends, Grace volunteers her time photographing homeless dogs to help them find their forever homes, making her the perfect photographer for our shoot with journalist and rescue crusader Lu Parker (page 42). See more of Grace’s work at shinepetphotos.com.
Sales & Marketing
Annica Tong, Tia Mihalj, Lillian Wei Editorial Assistant
Karin Sinkevicius Editorial Intern
Melissa Barr Accounting and Subscription Services Assistant
Celine Benipayo Controller
Cecilia de Roca Chan Web Consultant
Dave Egan Donations Program Liaison
Jessica Nosek Okanagan Representative
Jytte Wilson Subscription inquiries call (800) 417-6289 Advertising inquiries call (866) 734-3131 In Canada: MODERN DOG (ISSN 1703-812X) Volume 9, Issue 1. Published quarterly by Modern Dog Inc. at Suite 202–343 Railway St, Vancouver, BC Canada V6A 1A4 POSTMASTER: send address changes to Modern Dog, Suite 202–343 Railway St, Vancouver, BC Canada V6A 1A4 In USA: MODERN DOG (ISSN 1703-812X) Volume 9, Issue 1. Published quarterly by Modern Dog Inc. at 142 Churchill Drive, Newington, CT 06111-4003. Periodicals postage paid at Hartford, CT and additional offices. POSTMASTER: send address changes to Modern Dog, PO Box 310402, Newington, CT 06131-0402. PHONE
(604) 734-3131 OR TOLL FREE (866) 734-3131 (604) 734-3031 OR TOLL FREE (866) 734-3031
FAX
The publisher is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts, images, photographs or other materials. By accepting and publishing advertising the publisher in no way recommends, guarantees or endorses the quality of services or products within those advertisements.
Garry Sowerby, who makes his Modern Dog debut with this spring issue, executed a record-setting drive around the world in 1980 and went on to break another three world records in longdistance driving. As founder of Odyssey International Limited, Garry has been creating and implementing international driving adventures for 31 years. A member of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada, Garry is a columnist for the Halifax Herald newspaper, Wheelbase Communications News Service and the author of Sowerby’s Road… Adventures of a Driven Mind. For his first article for Modern Dog, Garry wrote on—what else?—a road trip taken with a trusty canine co-pilot (p 32).
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Copyright 2010 by Modern Dog Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced by any means, electronic or mechanical, including the Internet or photocopying without the written permission of the Publisher. Modern Dog and its logotype are the trademarks of Modern Dog Inc. One-year subscription prices: Canada $18CAD, U.S.A. $15USD, foreign $45USD. Subscription orders and customer service inquiries should be sent to Modern Dog Subscription Services, Suite 202–343 Railway St, Vancouver, BC Canada V6A 1A4
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www.moderndogmagazine.com Publications Mail Agreement Number 40743013 PAP Registration No. 11049 We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Publications Assistance Program and the Canada Magazine Fund towards our mailing and editorial costs.
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