Blog Posts by vetstreet.com

By Lisa Granshaw

Christopher and Lily both benefited from Dogs on Deployment during a six-month deployment for Christopher.When Alisa Johnson, a member of the U.S. Marine Corps, was called to military training in Virginia at the same time that her husband, Shawn, a U.S. Navy officer, was deployed, she realized neither of them would be able to care for their dog, JD.

Luckily, family members stepped in to care for JD while the couple was away, but the fact that their dog's fate could have been unsure worried Johnson. "We were so thankful that we had family to help us, but if we didn't, what would we have done then?" she says.

[See Also: 20 Hottest Breeds in America]

When Johnson started looking to see if there were resources offered to military pet owners who needed someone to watch their pet while they were deployed, she was disappointed at the lack of help available. "I don't think anyone really thought about this problem before," she says. "We recognized it and decided to provide an answer."

The answer became Dogs on Deployment, an organization

By Amy Sinatra Ayres

After 18 months, Alfaba was reunited with soldier Brandon Patterson.Soldier Brandon Patterson was serving in Iraq when he got a call telling him that his dog had disappeared. Alfaba had squeezed through a gap in the sitter's fence and wandered off. A distraught Patterson asked his friends to post flyers and share the story on Facebook, but they had no luck finding Alfaba.

Patterson eventually returned to Atlanta, and kept looking for his beloved dog. Then, Cobb County Animal Control found nearly 40 dogs in the home of an elderly woman - and Alfaba turned out to be one of them. Erika Dillingham, a volunteer who'd been asked to find a home for the Welsh Terrier, could feel a microchip that had been missed on her shoulder. She tracked Patterson down, and was thrilled to see Alfaba reunited with him after a long 18 months. "She started bouncing in the air and her tail was going a million miles a minute," Dillingham said. - Watch it at Atlanta's 11 Alive

More on Vetstreet.com:
* Dogs on Deployment Helps Military Pets Find

By Mikkel Becker | vetstreet.com

Puppy walkingWhat is the best time of day to train my dog? Should I train him before or after his walk? My problem with training him before walking him is that he is too excited to pay attention, but I worry that he'll be too tired after.

Getting to go on a walk is often the most exciting part of a dog's day, so it's no wonder your dog is exuberant when walk time comes. It's essential, however, that he display calm behavior before he is rewarded with a walk and that you teach this behavior throughout the day, not just at walk time.

See Also: 20 Hottest Dog Breeds

We like to think that we are the ones training our dogs, but they are often training us at the same time. Dogs learn from experience what works to get what they want. If barking, whining, pawing, jumping, spinning or other excitable antics result in a walk, your dog is very likely to repeat this behavior in the future when he's ready to hit the pavement. In this way, many dogs have

By Lisa Granshaw

A Hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) swims through the water.May 23 is World Turtle Day, an annual event created to celebrate and increase awareness of turtle species around the world.

"Turtles are not as popular as cats and dogs, so interest, awareness and understanding is pretty slim," says Susan Tellem, cofounder of American Tortoise Rescue. World Turtle Day was started 13 years ago by the ATR, who have rescued and rehomed over 3,000 turtles since Tellem and her husband founded the organization in 1990.

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"This day is a good way to educate people about how to care for turtles, and to learn what danger they're in and how to be more aware of what they need," Tellem says.

According to ATR, turtles and tortoises are threatened by the exotic food trade, habitat destruction, global warming and the pet trade.

Tellem believes the illegal pet trade is significantly harming turtles of all kinds, as demand for turtles in pet stores remains high and

By Amy Sinatra Ayres

Susie, whose photo went viral after she was found, was reunited with her owner on Wednesday.Thanks to social media, a dog who was found mud-covered and standing by the body of a man who'd died in Monday's devastating tornado in Moore, Okla., has been reunited with her owner. The Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office tweeted her photo on Monday, and shared it on Facebook on Tuesday, with the post: "Man's best friend to end. The dog was standing guard over a deceased individual, possibly its owner..." The office followed up saying one of its deputies would be interested in adopting the dog.

See Also: How to Help Pets After the Oklahoma Tornado

Millions viewed and commented on the moving photo - including Sheila Collins, who told the office that the dog's owner, her brother, was actually alive, and desperately searching for Susie. The 12-year-old Schipperke-Border Collie mix and her owner, Curtis Collins, had an emotional reunion on Wednesday. Susie and Curtis Collins live about a half-mile away from where she was found, and didn't know the man she was

By Susan Wagner

@pitbullsintutus

Ask any Pit Bull enthusiast and they will tell you: Pitties are sweet, loving dogs. Unfortunately, it's hard to get that message across to people who assume Pit Bulls are all vicious fighters who want to eat their children. So how can Pit Bull owners show their pups' softer side?

By dressing them up in tutus and posting their photos on Instagram -with the hashtag #pitbullsintutus, of course.

See Also:Teen Starts Nonprofit Rescue to Help Dogs Including a Pit Bull that Stole Her Heart

Pit Bulls in Tutus was started by three friends who are all devoted to their bully breed dogs. Their mission: "To promote a positive image for all breeds through education and awareness and to encourage adoption and rescue by growing a network of advocates and supporters." Their plan: Gather photos of dogs (and the occasional cat) wearing tutus - because there's nothing scary about a dog in a tutu, no matter what the breed.

Mia in TutuThe Pit Bulls in Tutus

By Lisa Granshaw

Here Claire Fraise is with another one of her adopted friends, Lucky the Pit Bull.Some teenagers may dream of helping animals when they grow up, but how many take their passion and start their own nonprofit animal rescue? That's what Connecticut teen Claire Fraise did. The 13-year-old started a nonprofit organization called Lucky Tails Animal Rescue.

See Also: 20 Trendiest Dog Breeds

The eighth-grader was inspired to start Lucky Tails after adopting her first dog, Tuggles, whom she found on Petfinder.com and adopted through a rescue. Tuggles had a rough start, roaming the streets as a puppy, at which time he was hit by a car, causing an injury that required a plate and screws inserted in one of his legs.

Soon after Fraise adopted Tuggles she realized something was wrong when he began favoring a leg. After taking him to a vet, she discovered that the previous surgery was not done properly.

"Of course, we got it all fixed, and he's now living happily," Fraise says, but the research she'd done prior to adopting Tuggles and the

By Vetstreet.com Staff

Is your pet part of your disaster plan?Tornadoes, earthquakes, hurricanes, fires and floods can cause massive damage quickly. It is essential to have a disaster plan in place - for you and your animals.

Are you ready? Since today is National Animal Disaster Preparedness Day, we're sharing several things you can do.

Video: Preparing Your Pet for a Disaster

1. Make a plan. Prepare for all situations, including the possibility that you may be away from home when disaster strikes. Get to know your neighbors, and be ready to help others out. Ask your neighbors if they will try to take care of your pets in an emergency and offer to take care of theirs. Learn about your local emergency and disaster services, including area emergency response plans. Speak with your vet and local shelters to find out if there are designated animal hospitals or shelters to go to during disasters and learn what help they can provide you and your pet.

2. Always keep ID on your pets. Most animals