The Associated Press is reporting on the continuing grim outlook for the economy in the U.S., highlighting the reluctance of consumer to spend any spare cash the more fortunate ones may have.

Kasey Doshier, a graphic designer in Chicago, said the recession taught her to rein in her spending. The key moment came early last year, when her employer cut her pay 15 percent to avoid layoffs.

“I just lived paycheck to paycheck and had a good time,” said Doshier, 32. “It’s kind of scary to think that I am a paycheck away from being homeless.”

Doshier’s pay has been reinstated, but she’s still watching her money. Dinner and drinks with friends are gone. Now she goes to free street festivals and the city pool. She explores Chicago neighborhoods by taking her dog on long “adventure walks.”

That is one of the great pleasure of owning a dog, although one that perhaps few enough dog owners really take full pleasure in. In the suburbs or in rural parts, one might be lazy and generally just let one’s dog out in the yard or environs and rarely take the animal for really long walks. In the city, some grudgingly walk their pooch around the block, or to the nearest green patch, but never out of the neighborhood. That’s a pity, and one should fight back against such laziness. Most dogs love long walks, and the smells and sights of new places. A place you would doubtless never go on your own might be a great destination for you and your dog, where you can see the habitat through Fido’s eyes.

There are few dogs, and fewer people, who can’t benefit from some really long walks. And especially in the city, all that sidewalk strolling wears down the claws, and so cuts down on clipping. And of-course, as the lady mentioned above is well aware, another wonderful thing about walking is that it is totally and utterly free. Admittedly, you’ve got to pay for your own shoe leather, and pack some water and snacks, but compared to almost anything else you might do with that time, it’s pretty darned cheap.

And I do practice what I preach. Being poor helps as a motivator, and having a dog with endless curiosity and energy. Our little mutt Billie has walked many times from river (East) to river (Hudson) in Manhattan. She’s been up and down and all around. It’s nothing for her to do eighty blocks on a Saturday. And when what’s reachable on foot alone seems uninteresting, she’s fortunately the right size to fit in a Sherpa bagand hop on the subway to find new streets to pound, or to get on the commuter rail and spend a day in the country. We’ve been so many places that we otherwise would never have gone, in the interest of finding new territory to walk with our dog; we’ve been to so many parks in other towns and boroughs, city beaches (in the off-season) and blocks we just never would have walked down. It keeps Billie fit, and keeps me from being more unfit than I otherwise would be.

Sadly, a bad economy can lead to people abandoning their pets, believing them to be too great a burden. It would be nice, with the continuing recession, if more people might actually consider getting a mutt from the animal shelter and taking advantage of the really inexpensive gifts it brings, not least a good reason to do a whole lot of walking through God’s beautiful creation.

From section: News

Here’s a New York story. Percy, a five-year old French Bulldog, was a pet belonging to a couple living on Manhattan’s West End Avenue. They went out of town and left their dog at a facility in Queens, called “Doggie Love.” The next day — well, let the New York Post describe it, as based on the affidavit filed by the couple in Queens Supreme Court:

One worker drove the dog — whose breathing and ability to regulate heat were already limited because he was a “flat-faced” breed — from Astoria to the couple’s apartment on West End Avenue in the back of an enclosed Econoline van, the suit says. [Read more →]

From section: News

The first rule of gun safety is “never point your gun in an unsafe direction.” And yes, that does and should include leaving it lying on a seat pointing in your direction, loaded or not.

So, we have just another dog-shoots-man story, from New Zealand, as reported [Read more →]

From section: News

From the indispensable book How to Raise a Dog in the city and in the Suburbsby Dr. James R. Kinney with Ann Honeycutt (illustrated by James Thurber, 1953 edition):

IF YOUR DOG HAS A FIT ON THE STREET

If your dog has a fit on the street, throw a coat over him and get him into a doorway, into a small shop or house, or into a taxi, if that is possible, and just sit there with him until the fit subsides. But get him off the street. [Read more →]

From section: Care and Health

The story is from Pennsylvania and WPTZ: Dog Left In Hot Car Honks For Help.

[Owner Donna] Gardner said she took [11 year-old labrador] Max with her when she ran an errand, but forgot the dog was still in the car when she returned home. [Read more →]

From section: News

These recalls always expand, right?

Previously mentioned was a recall affecting Pro-Pet Adult Daily Vitamins, certain lots of which were apparently contaminated with salmonella. [Read more →]

From section: News

I guess I’m naive, but I admit to being flabbergasted by this bulletin from the ASPCA:

The ASPCA is advising pet parents to immediately discontinue the use of Natural Balance Sweet Potato & Chicken Dry Dog Food with the “best by” date of June 17, 2011, in 5- and 28-lb. bags. The manufacturer has announced a voluntary recall due to potential Salmonella contamination. No illnesses have been reported, and the Sweet Potato & Chicken Dry Dog Food with the aforementioned “best by” date is the only product affected. Pet parents should avoid direct contact and wash their hands thoroughly after handling any potentially contaminated food.

This is really quite shocking stuff for me. [Read more →]

From section: News

A story from Cambridgshire in England, via the BBC:

Snowy, a white West Highland terrier, was given a routine X-ray after her owner brought her in to the Cromwell Veterinary Group at Huntingdon.

She had been unwell for about two weeks, associate vet Carol Barker said. [Read more →]

From section: News

A nine pound Italian greyhound (named “Tiny”) is recovering after being attacked by a pit bull at a dog park in Springfield, Oregon. The story provides some salutary lessons in what you can and can’t expect from authorities in the wake of such incidents.

It happened at Willamalane’s Lively Park Monday evening. The park is divided in a large dog section and a small dog section.

Toshika Wilson told KVAL News she moved her dog Tiny to the large dog side so that he could have more space to run. She said her dog was standing in the middle of the park minding his own business when she saw a pit bull heading straight toward him. [Read more →]

From section: News

It’s a dog’s life. That expression was originally coined and used to characterize a life of misery (where you might be treated like a dog, get sick as a dog, and die like a dog). In more contemporary times it’s often heard and used in exactly the opposite sense, that of a dog’s life as one of carefree laziness, with every want fulfilled. Since dogs have, in many societies, gone from working beasts thrown scraps to pampered pets who shop at canine boutiques, it’s not hard to understand how the expression has garnered its new meaning. [Click to read the rest ...]

From section: Reviews