Next weekend (August 29) is Dog Day On The Green, perhaps the city’s biggest dog-centric event. Held at Montrose Harbor, the day will include look-alike-contests, pet trick contests, costume parades, informational vendors and other activities for man and dog.
Whatever you do, don’t forget to take plastic bags, extra water for you and your pup, and [...]

Dog Days of Summer
Ah, those last days of summer, enjoying the long hours of daylight, the homework-free nights, the summer temperatures. Okay, maybe not that last one. Those hot August temps can have us all panting like dogs.
But on breezy, beautiful Lake Michigan, there’s a way to enjoy the twilight of the season with your [...]

When I began working on the first edition of my The Dog Lover’s Companion to Chicago book, back in 2003, the idea of a dog-friendly bar was still considered a bit odd. There were plenty to fill the book, but they were the exceptions, rather than the rule.
Today there’s a dog-friendly everything. In fact, I [...]

It happens every summer, the temperatures climb, the Cubs’ record declines. But for pups and their owners, one of the stickiest situations about summer in Chicago is not the humidity, but what to do with your dogs when driving around town.
It is a hard city problem. Tying your dog up outside the post office while [...]

By Billy Rafferty and Jill Cahr, authors or Happy Dog: Caring for your dog’s body, mind and spirit.

Dogs come in all shapes, sizes and colors . . . and with all different physical capabilities. Some dogs can bound after a squirrel at velocities approaching hyperdrive, others are born with physical limitations that bring unique challenges [...]

By Billy Rafferty and Jill Cahr, authors or Happy Dog: Caring for your dog’s body, mind and spirit. We’ll be giving an autographed copy of HAPPY DOG to all of our March portrait clients.

Occasionally, during a portrait sitting, I’ll be looking for a way to get that ears-forward, alive look from one of my subjects. [...]

Excerpted and adapted from Happy Dog, Caring For Your Dog’s Body, Mind and Spirit by Billy Rafferty and Jill Cahr. We’ll be giving an autographed copy of HAPPY DOG to all of our March portrait clients.

I always ask clients to bring in their pet’s favorite plaything. We don’t always need it, but sometimes after being “on-task” [...]

Excerpted and adapted from Happy Dog, Caring For Your Dog’s Body, Mind and Spirit by Billy Rafferty and Jill Cahr. We’ll be giving an autographed copy of HAPPY DOG to all of our March portrait clients.

Our clients often ask us for grooming advice for their dogs. We strongly recommend that they NOT have their dogs [...]

Excerpted and adapted from Happy Dog, Caring For Your Dog’s Body, Mind and Spirit by Billy Rafferty and Jill Cahr. We’ll be giving an autographed copy of HAPPY DOG to all of our March portrait clients.
Cold temperatures, snow and ice can be challenging for our four-legged pals—especially when winter can last well into May. For that [...]