Whoever said “A dog is a man’s best friend” had it right all along.

As humans we all get caught up into our daily lives, taking our pets for granted. We forget sometimes how short of a life they have, and most of the time they spend it waiting to greet us when we come home every day. It’s as though it’s their only mission in life is to make sure we are happy and feeling loved by them.

Did you know that dogs don’t sweat? If you think about it, you’ve never seen your dog drenched in body sweat after a good long run. What you do see, however, is a dog with a huge fat dripping wet tongue rolling out of his mouth. This is because a dog’s primary mechanism to expel heat from his body is through panting. Unfortunately for our four legged friends, we humans have it made in the shade when it comes to regulating our body temperature. Despite common misconceptions, when compared to humans, dogs are incredibly inefficient at cooling themselves on a hot summer’s day. Dogs do not have the benefit of overall cooling because their bodies have very few sweat glands, and most of those are in the footpads. This means that when the temperatures soar, your faithful companion is far more likely to overheat and suffer from heat exhaustion before you do.

close links to the sea and the tides. Thus, this canine is likely to jump into water at every given opportunity. The Cancer Dog is something of an “up and down” type of creature with a strong determination to “stay put.” Indeed this dog is probably the most patient and tenacious of the entire Zodiac. Superficially a timid and retiring type of canine, content to be left unnoticed, this dog will, in fact, be quite the opposite. Moodier and more sensitive than most, he or she is prone to deep extremes of emotion. Joy, despair, terror, boldness...and more besides... will shift beneath this dog’s rather crusty exterior. It is important that the Cancer Dog feel he or she is needed. Consequently, this dog requires constant patting and reassurance, and any owner is likely to be saying, “Good boy” or “Good girl” until the throat is sore. Physically, the Cancer Dog is bony with any bulk invariably being found around the shoulder area. The legs will be long in comparison to the body and this canine’s movement will bear a vaguely sideways motion. The Cancer Dog is prone to psychosomatic problems he never life becomes too overwhelming. Indeed, any misunderstanding is liable to cause a total breakdown, both emotional in reason and physical in appearance. Nonetheless, this dog falls under the jurisdiction of an excellent Sign for breeding purposes, with the dam accepting her responsibilities and not expecting an owner to take over after a couple of days. However, there will certainly be trouble when it is time to remove the puppies, since this canine mother will put up a fight to keep them with her at least one more night...and then another...and yet another. The Cancer Dog can settle almost anywhere. Taken to a new home, he or she immediately views it as the place in which life will be lived out. Possessing a true nesting instinct, this canine will establish his or her corner and then set about filling it with treasures which will be enjoyed and protected. If those treasures happen to belong to another then that is unfortunate, for the Cancer Dog will literally hang on to anything that he or she feels is a personal belonging. In the eyes of this canine, possession is nine-tenths of the law.

It is with a broken heart I must report that Laser, the original Vegas Dog, has crossed the Rainbow Bridge. He died peacefully in my arms on April 13. Laser celebrated his 15th birthday on February 10, 2011.