About Neil Lurssen

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So far Neil Lurssen has created 21 blog entries.

Jack the Lab – Escape Artist, Fierce Hunter and Schemer

By |2023-09-12T13:20:50-07:00September 12, 2023|Behavior & Training|

By Neil Lurssen At first sight there was no real reason for Jack to get much attention. As Labrador Retrievers go, he wasn’t the handsomest member of his breed. His eyes were set quite close together for a blocky English lab and his black coat turned ash grey in blotches before he was two – maybe because he liked to plunge into our chlorinated swimming pool several times a day, rain or shine. After his swim he would sometimes find his spot under my desk, soaking wet, his head on my feet and ignoring orders to [...]

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Who Needs Four Legs Anyway?

By |2023-06-29T12:05:37-07:00June 13, 2023|Behavior & Training|

A feisty little Terrier by the name of Petey is showing everyone at the Marin Humane shelter how he gets about fairly well with only two good legs. Petey was born with his rear legs badly deformed and not very useful for the type of running and playing that every spirited dog enjoys. He has taught himself to be remarkably agile despite this problem. In games of chase in grassy paddocks at the shelter, Petey keeps up with doggie playmates in a way that is heartwarming to see. But his human friends at the shelter have [...]

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Old Dog Syndrome

By |2023-02-14T16:10:28-08:00February 10, 2023|Behavior & Training|

Chloe comforts her friend, Sally After a lifetime of living with dogs, my wife and I thought we knew nearly everything that could turn into serious issues as they grew old. We thought we could recognize all the signs that the end was near - that awful moment that all pet guardians must face.  But we were wrong. A recent episode involving one of our dogs – a 13-year-old senior named Sally  – introduced us to a condition we had not heard of. The condition is called Idiopathic Vestibular Disease and it is often [...]

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Judging (not judging) the Pampered Pedigreed Pooches

By |2022-12-13T15:24:44-08:00December 10, 2022|Behavior & Training|

Beautiful Malinois, Baloo We all have sleepless moments in the wee hours staring at the bedroom ceiling while pondering unanswerable questions. Like – how do bald people list hair color on their driver’s license? Another troubling uncertainty – how do farmers grow seedless fruit? Here’s a puzzle that makes me re-examine the imperfections on my ceiling: How do judges pick Best in Show at the glitzy dog competitions? How can a judge look at a row of dogs sitting expectantly in the hushed green-carpeted arena – all of them proud specimens that are there because [...]

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Can dogs predict the future?

By |2022-09-15T12:22:22-07:00September 15, 2022|Behavior & Training|

Yes – at times. "I'm just sayin..." Packing up to bug out The next time our family pooches start behaving in an agitated way for no good reason that we can see, we may want to check our disaster survival supplies – water, first-aid kit, essential medications, spare clothes, cash money, and the rest of what we need to cope with the Big One. And don’t forget our pet’s necessities. Fido and his pals may be telling us that another bad earthquake is about to hit the Bay Area.   We should [...]

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