Back in May, Officer Dan Waskiewicz of the Balimore City Police was on duty when he got a call about a vicious dog chasing kids. When he arrived at the scene, Instead of jumping to conclusions, Officer Waskiewicz got out of his patrol car and called the dog over to assess the situation. The Pit Bull mix came over panting, with his tail between his legs. Officer Waskiewicz  offered the tired pup some water and the two became fast friends.

I'm told that the pesticides used on my lawn are “organic,” but I still worry about the adverse effects that they might have on my pets. The dogs walk with their bare paws, roll around, and sometimes snack on the grass, so I usually keep them off of the lawn for a few days following treatment. Turns out that my fears may not be unfounded.

The warmer summer weather correlates to an uptick in ER visits, many of which are related to dog park dilemmas. Interestingly, there has been a 34 percent increase in dog park utilization over the past five years, and these designated areas are the fastest growing segment of all city parks in the U.S.

There’s a carpet in the back room of my house that is shockingly dirty. Between kids and pets, it has taken a lot of abuse, and it wasn’t in great shape when we bought the house, either. As soon as we moved in, my husband and I both said, “That has GOT to be replaced!” When our 19-month old son threw up on it later that day, we decided we should wait until the kids were a little older. That son is now nearly 9 years old, we still have the carpet, and it is appalling.