Try our canine mall. . . . The days are getting shorter, the nights are cooler, and preparations for winter have begun. Mom has taken sweaters and jackets from storage, dogs have grown thicker coats, and the heat has come on once or twice already. Halloween is just around the corner, to be followed in short order by Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Kids stay after school for soccer practice and spend evenings doing homework.
Life has shifted gears, and Rover may need some help to adjust. The decline of daylight after the summer solstice triggers growth of lush undercoats in northern breeds and other double-coated dogs. Many dogs develop a voracious appetite, handy for wild animals that need a layer of fat to get them through the winter but less than useless in a family pet. Cool temperatures are a tonic to most dogs, and they'll romp and play long past time to go to school or work in the morning or get to the teacher's meeting in the afternoon if they're allowed. Most living takes place inside from October through April, and close quarters enhance the possibilities for trouble between family members, including the dog.