Beyond love, a snuggly place to sleep, healthy food, and fresh air, a canine’s needs are relatively few, especially if you think about how much they give us in return. Here are some resources that will enrich the life of your furry companion.

If you’re looking to add a dog to your household, there are many dogs at local shelters looking for forever homes. A few places you may want to check:

The San Francisco SPCA
The Marin Humane Society
Contra Costa Animal Services
The East Bay SPCA
Berkeley Humane Society

This is by no means a complete list! Check the animal services department or humane society in your county or town. If you’re partial to a particular breed, most breeds have their own rescue groups. Ask at your shelter or check the internet for breed-specific rescue groups.

Jen is a big fan of the BARF diet (Bones and Raw Food, or Biologically Appropriate Raw Food). We feed our Rotties the BARF diet and have seen what a superior diet can do for overall health. You can purchase pre-made food or you can make it from scratch using ground meat. If you’re interested in this way of feeding, you should do some research and reading. Books by Kymythy Schultze or Dr. Ian Billinghurst are both excellent sources of information.

For the creature comforts such as toys and beds, mail order companies like J-B Pet and Doctors Foster & Smith are wonderful! Both companies have great prices and everything you could possibly need. Also be sure to check out ProActive™ pet products for low prices on Kong toys; use discount code 1517-LYXZ to get your discount price. Dogwise is a terrific source for dog-related books. Two must-read magazines are The Bark and Whole Dog Journal.

If you’re looking for some off-leash romping, Point Isabel is a large off-leash dog park in the East Bay. The Point Isabel Dog Owners and Friends website will keep you current on all the goings-on at Point Isabel. When visiting a dog park, please remember to carry a leash, poop-bags, and keep an eye on your dog. Not all dogs get along, so please manage your dog carefully.

If you’re looking to get out of town for a few days, Sheep Dung Estates is the place to go! Humans can relax and enjoy the scenery while their dogs can run leash-free until they drop from exhaustion!

Please email us if you have a can’t-miss dog resource!