I have a friend who routinely mentions how she has an agreement with her dog that the dog will live to be at least 20 years old. She doesn’t understand how I could have a preference for bigger dogs which typically have a shortened life span. I told her we never know what’s going to happen in life.

There’s been a lot of discussion recently on the use of stem cells in the treatment of chronic conditions in humans. The use of embryonic stem cells has ethical and sourcing concerns in that it raises the question of whether these cells are viable and if they will be rejected by the recipient. With animals, this is not a concern as stem cells are sourced and harvested from an animal’s own fat cells, offering little danger of rejection.

Is it my imagination or are fleas already wreaking havoc on area dogs? It seems everyone we know is complaining about fleas! I don’t like using the chemicals currently on the market to control fleas, but occasionally I have to. If you don’t want to use chemicals, what are your other options?

My dog Yankee has walked all of his life in what’s called a “pace” gait. Unlike a standard gait where a dog’s diagonal legs move at the same time, a pace gate is where both limbs on the same side move forward and backward at the same time.

Thanks to DogTread, here’s a short video to show what I mean by a pace gait.

We are the only Orlando dog boarding and Orlando doggie day care center that has an indoor heated pool for dogs. See it for yourself by scheduling a tour!

Rocky's Retreat | 2826 Shader Rd. Orlando FL 32808 | info@rockysretreat.com | (407) 295-3888