About DogAware.com

Hi, my name is Mary, and I'm a Dogaholic. I've lived with dogs all my life and consider them part of my family. I became interested in dog training and behavior in the 1980s, attending several seminars with Ian Dunbar, who lives in my local area (the San Francisco Bay Area). In 1997, I attended a seminar on Wolf Ethology at Wolf Park in Indiana, which changed my life. I was introduced to clicker training for the first time (for more information, visit Stacy's Training Tips page), and I began to consider the question of how we feed our dogs after watching the wolves eat whole deer carcasses.

At that point, I started researching information on the raw diet for dogs, and after a year of study, I converted my dogs to a home made raw diet in 1998. I continued to want to learn more, and in 1999, I joined the K9Nutrition list, and became a moderator there in 2002. In 2007, I left K9Nutrition to focus more on writing and my web site.

I have spent literally hours every day for several years now doing research for people whose dogs have health problems. In the course of this time, I have learned a great deal about dog nutrition and health, including the role of diet, supplements and nutraceuticals. Because of my time spent on the K9Nutrition list, I have learned much about what has worked for other people, and what has caused problems. My own investigations and that of others has also made me aware of recent research in many areas, much of it contradicting what was formerly considered true and often is still propagated, not only by dog owners, but by veterinarians.

In September, 2004, I attended a seminar given by Dr. David Mech on the Diet of the Wolf in the Wild. There I met CJ Puotinen, frequent contributor to the Whole Dog Journal, and author of The Encyclopedia of Natural Pet Care as well as other books. She and I ended up collaborating on two articles for the Whole Dog Journal on kidney disease, When to Say No to Low-Protein," about diet for dogs with kidney disease, and  Not So Fast, about how chronic kidney disease is often misdiagnosed. CJ then encouraged me to begin writing articles myself, and my first article was published in the March, 2006 issue. I have since become a regular contributor to that publication.

This site has been created to help make people more "aware" of how to make the best decisions for their dogs. It's designed for people who like to ask questions and understand the reasoning behind decisions, rather than just being told what to do. The information provided will help you become aware of such things as:

• How to identify and select the best commercial foods.
• Alternatives to feeding just dry or canned commercial food to your dog.
• The thinking behind the use of various supplements and nutraceuticals.
• The latest research in many areas, including:
• Vaccinations -- did you know that annual vaccinations are no longer recommended?
• The importance of pain control for surgical procedures (and the options available).
• The importance of protein in the dog's diet, and how it has been falsely accused of causing such problems as joint abnormalities in growing puppies, and damage to kidneys in both healthy dogs and dogs in kidney failure, all of which has been disproven by recent research.
• The role of nutrition, supplements and nutraceuticals when dealing with various health problems.

I do not claim to have all the answers, but I can offer my own understanding of various topics, as well as providing links to web sites that I recommend for learning more yourself. I do not claim to know everything, I have changed my mind many times as I have learned more about a subject, and will do so many times again, I am sure. I do make an effort to keep my web site updated every time I do learn something new, or change my opinion on a subject, or receive feedback that indicates I need to add clarification or additional information to what I have written. I have no formal training in any veterinary or medical field, but I do believe that the education I have gotten thru my own efforts, which includes veterinary books and conference proceedings, exceeds what I would have been able to learn from accredited courses (most of which are designed and taught by dog food companies). Although I believe strongly that you must rely on your vet when it comes to diagnosing and treating health problems, I have also been successful in at least a half dozen situations in diagnosiing a dog with a life threatening illness when one or more vets were unable to do so, including dogs that had leptospirosis, ehrlichiosis, masticatory myositis, calcinosis circumscripta and hypoadrenocorticism (fortunately, in most cases, the dogs were able to be saved).

I will also add that I have no commercial interest in any of the products or links on my site, other than product links on Amazon, which I provide only for convenience (if I find a better price elsewhere, I provide that link instead or in addition). I feel that, by remaining free of commercial ties, I can be more objective and people will not have to filter the information on my site in terms of any underlying motives.

For those of you who are wondering why BowChow.com became DogAware.com, I was contacted in January, 2005, by representatives of the Nestle Purina company, who claimed that my domain name was an infringement on their trademark of the word "Chow". We were able to come to an amicable agreement where they reimbursed me for the costs of changing my domain name to DogAware.com, which I think is more descriptive of what this site is about, so I am not unhappy with the change.

Below are pictures of my current dogs. I have owned Shar-Pei for almost 25 years, although I have not been involved with the breed since the 1980s. All of my dogs have come to me as adults needing homes, as will my future dogs. I will not be getting any more Shar-Pei, however, due to my concerns about dog aggression and my need to be sure that I have dogs I can physically manage, including being able to pick them up, as I live alone and grow  older. I am hoping my next dogs will be Norwich or Norfolk Terriers, or possibly Cairn Terriers.

Piglet at age 15, born 12/22/91

Nattie at age 12 and again at age 15, 9/20/88 - 1/31/05