According to the Washington Post, there were 26,000 more pet adoptions in the first nine months of the Coronavirus pandemic than the year before, January 6, 2021. Puppies purchased from breeders were also dramatically increased. Rover.com polled 1000 owners and 68% of Generation Z owners, and 42% of millennials plan to hire dog walkers or reserve spots in doggy daycare for their transition back to the workplace.

Myths follow us through life, from the idea that lightning won’t strike twice in the same place to the infamous penny thrown off the Empire State Building being lethal for an unsuspecting pedestrian below. Our dogs are no exception, being the subject of many myths themselves. As veterinarians, we want to correct as many misconceptions as possible so owners can steer clear of falsehoods and let their dogs live their best lives. Following are some of the most common we hear, and the truth behind them.

It’s a hard concept to digest, but it’s been proven time and time again that dogs respond best to positive reinforcement over punishment – so get ready for extra praise, plenty of ear scratches, and a stockpile of treats if your dog needs training or has some behavioral corrections to make. We know that training a dog and, in particular, a puppy can be challenging and even frustrating but, as veterinarians, we also know that yelling and berating versus positive reinforcement is not going to work.

We all know having pets around helps decrease stress and creates a positive environment...at home. When it comes to bringing your dog to work, you might envision your little fur baby sleeping the day away next to you on their pet bed, disrupting you only with a tiny dog paw scratch to let you know that they have to go to the bathroom...or perhaps a kitty stretch and yawn. This idea sounds amazing, but you know this is Kitty and Doggy Dreamland, right?

“That’s a face only a mother could love.” Perhaps this has been said about your dog, and it’s true—even if your dog’s got an underbite and googly eyes, they are likely perfect to you. You love them unconditionally and think they’re perfect...that is, perhaps, until you take them for a walk. This trouble with dog-walking is an all-too-common scenario that we veterinarians hear about, and in honor of this being National Train Your Dog Month, we’d love to help you nip this bad behavior in the bud.

The holidays are behind us and, if you’re like a good portion of our country or even the world, you may very well have brought a new puppy or dog home. You’ve got their dog bed in the perfect spot, you’ve hopefully found a nutritious brand of dog food they like, you’ve set up your veterinary appointment and gotten them on a vaccination schedule, and you’ve surely had your share of top-to-bottom face kisses.

There’s nothing that warms the heart more than seeing the videos that pop up after the holidays of a pajama-clad kiddo popping the top off a box to reveal a puppy or a kitty. Chances are, that child has been bugging his or her parents to get a pet for eons so the payoff is usually a lot of happy tears. And while this can tale can have a happy ending, as veterinarians, we see the alternatives far too often.

Doggos. Need we say more? Probably not, but we will because, sigh—aren’t they just the best? Admit it - you even love their funky smells, including that stinky breath and those paws which inexplicably smell like Frito’s. As Author of tearjerker Marley & Me, John Grogan, says, “Such short little lives our pets have to spend with us, and they spend most of it waiting for us to come home each day.” Need a tissue? We get it.