Vacationing with pets. When you mention vacationing with your pet, most people think “taking the dogs to the cottage”.   And that is what the majority of vacationing pets are.   But not everyone has a dog that they bring to the cottage.  You’d be surprised at the variety of pets that get taken on Read More

Its that time of year again, time to start planning summer vacations, and how to integrate your pets into those plans.   Some pets, mainly dogs, enjoy traveling with their families, and are quite at home in the car, or in a kennel at the hotel while the family is pursuing activities where a pet might not be appropriate or even Read More

I’m always looking for topics for these columns that will both inform and entertain our readers.  So when a question comes in, the old juices get flowing and I attack the task like a dog on a bone. My last column was about Hedgehogs.  I tried to, in 500 words, give you as full a picture of the pet as I could.  And at the Read More

Responsible Pet Ownership By-Law, how it affects exotic pet owners. If you own a cat, it will require a license as of Jan 1 2015.  Great idea if the funds are used for spay/neuter programs.  Circus animals are no longer allowed into the city, good idea.  Dogs that look like pitbulls are not allowed in the city, bad idea, many Read More

My last column dealt with keeping our local wild animals in captivity.  I got some very nice response from a number of people, even some that are involved in conservation who applauded the idea of temporary captivity with release in time for preparation for winter.  Thank you all that responded.   Among the responses were some Read More

Many years ago, in a city far, far away, there lived a young newywed, with a lovely young wife.  He knew that making her parents happy would go a long way to keeping her happy, so he set out to find a way into their hearts.   Lo and behold, he found out that her mother wanted a canary.  The young man had contacts, including a Read More

Hedgehogs aren’t just in Video Games The City of Winnipeg recently passed the “Responsible Pet Ownership Bylaw” replacing our previous Exotic Pet Bylaw.  This bylaw was originally proposed as a direct copy of Ottawa’s bylaw, and pet industry stakeholders were asked for input on it.  I took the task to heart, and Read More

When I was a kid, I shoveled walks, mowed lawns, had paper routes and such to pay for my hobbies.  I can't remember a time when I wasn't actively involved in some sort of entrepreneurial venture.  But a lot of my expenses in my hobbies were covered by my hobbies.    From the time I got my first aquarium, I always had a "wet Read More

Ferrets. Loveable little critters that can weasel their way into your heart.  Bigger than a Hamster, but smaller than a Cat, for many people they are a good fit as a pet, giving them an interactive pet without needing a huge commitment of space.   While space is not a big issue with ferrets, time can be. They are very interactive and Read More