What goes on at a dog show?

The Woofstock Cluster, one of the biggest outdoor dog shows in the country, is coming up June 7-10. It's a great chance to familiarize yourself with more than 100 breeds of dogs, but if it's your first show, you might not have any understanding of what exactly is going on in the ring. Here's a guide, courtesy of the Northern California Brittany Club. More information for beginners is available from the American Kennel Club. Read more.

Guard against heat stroke

If you think you get hot in the summer, think how it must feel to go through the hotter months wearing a fur coat. Heat stroke is a major concern for pets as well as people. Symptoms include excessive panting and lethargy in both dogs and cats. If not caught early enough, heat stroke can cause metabolic changes that lead to death. Read more.

Contra costa humane society

Dog for adoption with scarf around the neck with words "Adopt me"

Founded in 1991, Contra Costa Humane Society (CCHS) works to improve and save the lives of animals in the county through a variety of successful programs, from low-cost spay-neuter assistance (SNAP) to the AniMeals program (a partnership with local food banks and Pet Food Express) to help people having hard times keep their pets, instead of having to give them up, by providing pet food to 450 needy families. CCHS also strives to educate people to foster compassion, responsibility and respect toward animals, with the goal of improving animals' quality of life and reducing euthanasia rates. Thanks to a grant from Maddie's Fund, CCHS, which doesn't operate a dog shelter (though it does operate the Kitty Corner adoption center in collaboration with Contra Costa Animal Services), has been able to launch a number of successful adoption initiatives, from its foster program, which pulls dogs from local shelters and gives them a safe haven till their adopters come along, to a re-homing service through which the humane society acts as a matchmaker between people who must give up their dog, and prospective adopters.

Skunk stuff

Skunk and baby skunk on lawn with apples

Pepe Le Pew is on the prowl. Yep, February through March is skunk mating season, and many of us in Northern California have been detecting The Striped Ones’ signature aroma on our morning walks or weekend hikes. Skunks can be found almost everywhere—including your back yard—and are highly active and excitable at this time of … Continued Read more.

East Bay treats

A chocolate-hued canine, sporting a stylish collar, amicably ambles toward the camera along a leaf-strewn forest pathway kissed by sunset's warm glow. The faint silhouette of their companion softens in the distance, their arms laden with delectable East Bay Treats - perfect nibbles for your four-legged friend on such adventure-filled outings. - Dogtrekker

If you live in the Bay Area, you don't have to go far to access some of the 1,150 miles of trails at your doorstep in the 65 parks comprising the nation's largest regional parks system. Only a small percentage of the East Bay Regional Park District's 100,000 acres is off-limits to dogs, so when it comes to places to roam with Rover, this patchwork of open space in Alameda and Contra Costa counties is your bag of treats. First time out? Give yourselves a bone by heading to Tilden Regional Park in the Berkeley Hills, where you can soak up the views along an easy, partially paved, three–mile stretch of the East Bay Skyline National Trail; or take your pooch on an enjoyable twelve minute steam train ride through woodland chaparral and views of San Pablo Bay. Read more.