PAST ISSUES

Story By Kelli Van Nuys Photo Courtesy of HoofsnHorns HoofsnHorns Farm Sanctuary is not easy to find, but it is more than worth the trip. After winding through seemingly endless dirt roads, Kia and Nia, two staggeringly large Great Pyrenees, stand ready to greet...

Kitty Korner: Diabetes = Unconditional Love

Story By Kelli Van Nuys Photo Courtesy of The Hermitage “Many of the people who rescue these cats are diabetics themselves, because they understand what it’s like and they know all of their care needs,” Karen Baden, Executive Director of the Hermitage Cat Shelter,...

Love and Greyhounds: A Story of Symbiotic Synchronistic Redemption

Story by Bonnie Craig Photos Courtesy of Jennifer Howard and Steven Wolf Anyone who has rescued a companion animal will probably tell you that it’s not a one-way street. So often that rescued animal turns around and rescues us. Jennifer Howard and Steven Wolf each...

Getting Gil Back On His Feet

Story by Bella Wexler - Photos by Natalie Mast Gil, the black lab, is just like any other puppy; he loves to play with his Chihuahua housemate, chew up toys and slippers, and he can’t contain his excitement at the prospect of food. The only thing that distinguishes...

Felines Are Worth Fighting For

Story By Emily Dieckman & Photos Courtesy of Tucson CARES Tucson CARES takes on tough feline medical cases and advocates for animal rights. When Alexis Ormbsy found a sick, abandoned cat near the Tucson airport, she took him in, but he wasn’t eating. Every place...

Wild Hearts Ranch Rescue and Escalante Springs Equine Rehabilitation and Sanctuary

Story & Photos By Kelli Van Nuys In July of 2018, the Pima County Sheriff’s office found a group of 6 horses and 1 donkey criminally abused, neglected, and starving. The group included two pregnant mares, fighting for their lives and the lives of their unborn...

Come One, Come All: WOOFstock is Near

Story By Claire Sheridan & Photos Frank Brinsley and Meredith Dunkel The Tucson Dog Magazine is excited to invite the community to a fun-filled day of Peace, Love, & Adoptions at our First Annual WOOFstock Adopt-A-Thon. The event will be held at the bandstand...

It’s Handy to Have A Dog: Handi-Dogs Saves The Day!

Story By Claire Sheridan Do you love dogs? Are you over 50, struggling with age-related difficulties or otherwise disabled? Have you ever wondered about training your own dog to become an assistance dog? If so, local Tucson organization Handi-Dogs just might come to...

Dogs ARE Allowed At Sister Jose’s

Story & Photos by Claire Sheridan Named for Sister Jose Hobday, a nun who dedicated her life to helping the poor, Sister Jose Women’s Center (SJWC) is the only homeless shelter in Tucson that has always allowed clients to bring their pet dog or cat into the...

Our Pets: We Love Them, Even When It Hurts

Story by Claire Sheridan Images courtesy of Emerge! Domestic Violence Center You would probably do almost anything to protect the people you love, your partner or spouse, children, parents, friends, other family. How about your furry family members? Do you ache...

Storytime at the Shelter

Story by Bella Wexler, Photos by Gina Hansen & Allison Wexler The atmosphere at Pima Animal Care Center (PACC) is warm and welcoming as eager children and parents file into the volunteer room. Long-time volunteer Lynne Stott describes the animal shelter’s mission:...

A Kingdom of Kittens

Story & Photos by Emily Dieckman PACC foster mom takes on some of the animal shelter’s neediest feline cases. You wouldn’t guess it from the eight grown cats she calls her own and the 26 kittens she was fostering at one point this fall, but Christina Aronson...

“Winterizing” Your Horse – Myths and Realities of Desert Winters

Story by Christine Staten, DVM • Adobe Veterinary Center, Tucson, AZ The days of 100-plus degree temperatures appear to be behind us, and we all seem to be enjoying the fall and dreaming of winter. Here in southern Arizona, we don’t have to hassle with heavy snow and...

Horsin’ Around: Karuna Horse Rescue: A Fresh Approach to Equine Rehabilitation

Karuna Horse Rescue: A Fresh Approach to Equine Rehabilitation Story by Bonnie Craig, Photos by Bonnie Craig & Karuna Horse Rescue Originally from the largest city in India, Candace Kratzer could never have guessed that she would end up living on the rural...

Special Feature: At St. Mark’s, Blessed Are the Animals

At St. Mark’s, Blessed Are the Animals Story by Claire Sheridan Photos Courtesy St. Marks Animal Ministry Team “You called forth the fish in the sea, Birds in the air and animals on the land. …We ask that you bless this pet.” –Prayer for the Blessing of Animals St....

Cover Story: Profiling Pet Partners of Southern Arizona

Profiling Pet Partners of Southern Arizona Story by Claire Sheridan, Photos courtesy Pet Partners of Southern Arizona Pet Partners of Southern Arizona is the local chapter of the national organization, headquartered in Bellevue, Washington. Locally, members volunteer...

Kitty Korner: Senior Feline Travels to Forever Okla-home-a

Special Feature 1, Uncategorized

Senior Feline Travels to Forever Okla-home-a Story By Emily Dieckman Some animals have names that fit them. The rational, sometimes cynical tiger from Calvin and Hobbes is named after the like-minded philosopher Thomas Hobbes. Simba, from the beloved Lion King movies,...

Special Feature: Valley Fever Vaccine is on its Way

Valley Fever Vaccine is on its Way Story by Emily Dieckman The Sonoran Desert is known for its Saguaro and Prickly Pear cacti, its blazing summers, and its outstanding Mexican food. But it’s also a hot spot for Valley Fever, a disease caused by the Coccidioides fungus...

Kids and Animals: Sparks ‘N Barks

Sparks ‘N Barks Story by Bella Wexler, Photos by Natalie Mast July 22nd the Tucson Jewish Community Center (JCC) had its first Sparks Pupsicle Party, where pups and people alike enjoyed some frozen sweets to beat the heat. This event brought therapy dogs, their...

Special Feature: A Haven for the Wild: Tucson Wildlife Center

A Haven for the Wild: Tucson Wildlife Center Story & Photograph by Bonnie Craig Summer in the Sonoran Desert sees soaring temperatures, along with an influx of wild baby animals, but as cities grow and stretch further into rural areas, humans and wild animals are...

Horsin’ Around: Miniature Ponies, Big Impact

Miniature Ponies, Big Impact Story and Photo by Emily Dieckman What could make the giggling, sillystringed, balloon-popping wonder of an eighth birthday party any better than it already is? How about a pony? When Nancie Roahrig, the president and founder of Step Up...

Cover Story: Stitching Together the Fabric of Dogpatch

Stitching Together the Fabric of Dogpatch Story by Claire Sheridan | Photo by Claire Sheridan and Judith Clark “The true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members.” - Mahatma Gandhi It is an area fraught with difficulty, a...

Kitty Korner: Tucson Shelters Extend a Paw to FIV and FeLV-Positive Cats

Tucson Shelters Extend a Paw to FIV and FeLV-Positive Cats Story & Photo by Devon Confrey A little understanding goes a long way in the cat community. Of all the reasons not to adopt a cat, feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and viral feline leukemia (FeLV) can...

Feature Story: A Look Inside the Canine Mind

A Look Inside the Canine Mind Story by Emily Dieckman | Photo by Canine Cognition Center and Emily Dieckman In the Haury building on the University of Arizona campus, Evan MacLean turns to his fellow researchers and asks them a question he must ask them often. It is a...

Kids and Animals: Learning to Read One Dog at a Time

Learning to Read One Dog at a Time Story by Bella Wexler | Photo by Natalie Mast We’ve all been told at some point in our lives that the best way to overcome anxiety towards public speaking is to envision our audience naked. But, what if your audience isn’t wearing...

Special Feature: The Many Tails Of Cochise Canine Rescue

The Many Tails Of Cochise Canine Rescue Story By Claire Sheridan | Photo Courtesy of Sybil Erden, Cochise Canine Rescue Cochise Canine Rescue (CCR) was formally founded in 2014. Sybil Erden and her husband, co-founder Jeff Robbins, began taking in rescue dogs in 2009....

Feature Story: Ahh, That’s the Sweet Spawt

Ahh, That's the Sweet Spawt Story & Photo by Emily Dieckman Tashi, a 5-year-old German shepherd, was limping, or as his owner, Jodi Gabriel, put it, he was “bunny hopping.” His back legs were out of shape, and she could hear Tashi sigh when there was any amount...

Horsin’ Around: Wildhorse Ranch Rescue – A Place Of Love At A Rough Road’s End

Story by Bonnie Craig Photograph Courtesy of Wildhorse Ranch Rescue Owning a horse is a massive responsibility. Any horse person will tell you that buying one is the cheapest part; proper care, maintenance, and nutrition costs thousands of dollars each year. This is,...

Kitty Korner: The Hermitage Cat Shelter Re-Opens in its Renovated Home

Story & Photos By Claire Sheridan The renovations are mostly complete, and the doors are open! At 50 years old, the Hermitage is the oldest cat shelter and sanctuary in the area, if not in all of the southwestern US. Beginning last February, the old building,...

Kids and Animals: Roman Saves the Day

Story by Bella Wexler Photo by Jennifer McConn Who is your favorite superhero? If you ask six year-old Roman, it’s Batman. If you ask hundreds of dogs (and even cats) around the country, it’s Roman. This is because Roman and his family have dedicated themselves to...

Beagles & Hounds & Rescues, Oh My!

Story by Claire Sheridan Photo Courtesy of Southern Arizona Beagle Rescue Lest the name Southern Arizona Beagle Rescue (SOAZBR) has you conjuring images of a desert Snoopy on top of his adobe doghouse, rest assured that, while this amazing group of folks takes...

Kitty Korner: ABC’s of TNR: Tucson Guide to Community Cats

ABC’s of TNR: Tucson Guide to Community Cats Story & Photo by Devon Confrey There are a lot of cats in Tucson. Kind souls and shelters take in as many as they can, still more remain outdoors. Advocates here, particularly those at Tucson Feral TNR Advocates, agree...

Horsin’ Around: Angels in Autism: Healing the Hearts of Humans and Horses

Angels in Autism: Healing the Hearts of Humans and Horses Story by Bonnie Craig | Picture by Michelle Mastrangelo The partnership between humans and horses is something we often take for granted today, although this ideally symbiotic relationship has existed for over...

Special Feature: Friends Indeed: Friends of PACC

Friends Indeed: Friends of PACC By Claire Sheridan | Photo Courtesy of Michael Kloth for FOP Friends of PACC (FOP), or just “the Friends” for those in the know, is an independent nonprofit organization formed to support the operations of the county’s animal shelter,...

Feature Story: Getting Another Chance: Pima Paws For Life

Getting Another Chance: Pima Paws For Life Story & Photo By Claire Sheridan In January, the nonprofit Pima Paws For Life celebrated its fourth anniversary. The organization’s mission is “to partner with our community in creating a No Kill Pima County; to...

Cover Story: Every Greyhound Gets A Silver Lining