ArcaMax

Dog walking may seem simple — leash, dog, out the door — but anyone who spends serious time pacing sidewalks, trails or neighborhoods with a canine companion quickly learns the small accessories matter. A good walk can become more comfortable, safer and more enjoyable with the right gear, especially for people who walk multiple times a day ...Read more

Dear Cathy,

I recently adopted a four-year-old Boston terrier named Marcie from a breeder. I chose an adult dog to avoid house training and was told she was already trained.

Since coming home, she has had very inconsistent bathroom habits. At first, she rarely went outside, even with frequent leash walks. We’ve since added a small, fenced ...Read more

The mailbox at the end of the gravel drive reads “Juniper Hill Farm,” though the woman who lives there admits she hasn’t grown anything successfully in years except cats.

“There’s always another cat,” she said, barefoot on the wide plank porch of her antique farmhouse outside Amelia, Virginia, silver rings clinking softly against ...Read more

Dogs do not announce themselves as life-changing companions. They arrive as a set of small, practical decisions — a leash, a bowl, a routine — and then quietly rearrange the emotional architecture of a household. Over time, their presence becomes less about ownership and more about partnership, a steady, wordless exchange that reveals itself...Read more

Your Singapura may be the smallest of the domestic cat breeds, but don’t mistake that for quiet compliance. If anything, the tiny, sepia-toned observer in your home has a running commentary on your habits, your priorities, and your baffling inability to live correctly. If we could translate the chirps, trills, and insistent stares into plain ...Read more

Tall, elegant and often described as “cats in dog bodies,” the Borzoi has surged in visibility thanks to social media, where its flowing coat and distinctive profile lend themselves to viral moments. But behind the aristocratic look is a breed with specific needs that can surprise first-time owners.

Originally developed in Russia for ...Read more

The first thing people notice is not the women themselves, but the pattern.

Five images, posted hours apart from different parts of the world, somehow feel synchronized. A shoreline at dawn. A desert trail under high sun. A park thick with autumn leaves. A rain-darkened city street. A snow-covered path at the edge of a quiet village. In each, a...Read more

Dear Cathy,

I recently adopted a four-year-old Boston Terrier, Marcie, from a breeder. I chose an adult dog to avoid house-training and was told she was fully house-trained, with only one prior crate accident after being left 12 hours.

I understand there’s an adjustment period. In the past 26 years, I have adopted two other adult Boston ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota’s toughest food critic is a fluffy orange cat named Milo.

Milo sees what you’re eating and he is (urp) appalled.

Pizza slice? Chicken nugget? Potato? Milo greets them all with a suspicious sniff, a look of slowly dawning horror, followed by cartoonishly exaggerated gagging — tongue out, eyes wide, hope lost.

As...Read more

Dear Cathy, Our dog, Ginger, is an almost five-year-old mini-Labradoodle. In the past year, her personality has changed. She has become overanxious and barking at certain times of the day for no apparent reason. This can happen after she’s eaten or gone out for a walk. It comes out of the blue. It’s almost like she’s complaining to us.

We...Read more

There are some household realities that never make it into the glossy home magazines. One of them is this: if you live with elderly pets, rescue animals, puppies, medically fragile animals, or simply a very full house of dogs and cats, eventually someone is going to miss the litter box, leak on the floor, or leave a surprise in the hallway at 2 ...Read more

For millions of people, the dream of sharing a home with a furry companion collides with an unfortunate reality: allergies. Sneezing fits, itchy eyes, congestion and asthma symptoms can quickly turn affection into discomfort, especially in homes with cats or dogs. While some allergy sufferers attempt to manage symptoms with medication or strict ...Read more

For many would-be pet owners, apartment living once meant giving up the idea of having a dog. Limited space, shared walls and strict building policies have long been seen as barriers. But veterinarians and trainers say that with the right breed—and the right expectations—dogs can thrive in smaller living environments.

The key is not size ...Read more