My Pet World: Helping readers is the name of my game

More than anything else, I hope my columns help families, as most pets are considered members of the family. During 2014, I was proud to elevate several topics to a public platform.

--Journalist Julia Szabo spoke with me about her book, "Medicine Dog: The Miraculous Cure that Healed My Best Friend and Saved My Live" (Lyon's Press, Guilford, CT, 2014; $16.47), and about how her hobbled arthritic dog might have been euthanized had she not discovered stem cell therapy. Once barely able to cross the street, within a month Szabo's dog was acting like a puppy again and lived three more years.

Subsequently, the same type of therapy saved Szabo herself. Suffering from inflammatory bowel disease, she landed in the emergency room and was near death. Doctors offered only solutions which would have dramatically impacted Szabo's quality of life. Instead, she sought stem cell treatment and her problem soon vanished.

"Stem cell therapy saved me," she said. "My life is now normal, and I love it. But I also think about all the animals, and people who might benefit and are unaware of stem cell treatment, or who can't afford it."

--Vicki Santo, widow of Hall of Fame Chicago Cub Ron Santo, launched the Ron and Vicki Santo Diabetic Alert Dog Foundation to train service dogs to alert for insulin spikes and crashes.

"No doubt, these dogs can save lives," Vicki said. "Ron lived to make a difference in people's lives, and he loved dogs. He would have loved this idea."

--"The Problem with Pit Bulls" was the headline on a Time magazine story I took issue with this past summer. The story was filled with inaccurate descriptions of dogs referred to as pit bulls. The social media backlash was fast and furious, but I stand by my words.

Simultaneously, I was co-authoring (with veterinary behaviorist Dr. Sagi Denenberg) an American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior position statement regarding breed bans and breed-specific legislation (communities banning or restricting ownership of dogs referred to as pit bulls and often other breeds). We determined that breed bans don't work to lower dog bite numbers -- the purpose of breed specific legislation (BSL).

It turns out cutting-edge genetic testing proves that dogs with a "pit bull look" are mostly merely mixed-breed dogs, often with no real pit bull in them. So what are community officials really banning?

Moreover, how high is the risk for people from dog bites of any breed or mix? While one serious dog attack is one too many, the sad truth is that people are far more dangerous toward each other than dogs are toward people. Over 1,500 children died of child abuse and/or neglect within their own families in 2010 (according to the Administration for Children and Families), and there were over 16,000 homicides in the U.S. in 2010 (according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).

Sadly, in some major U.S. cities, more than 27 people can die of homicides in a month. That's about how many dog-related fatalities there are annually in America, and most might have been prevented. No matter, the alleged breed (often incorrectly assessed) is greatly irrelevant. The position statement is free to download: http://avsabonline.org/resources/position-statements.

--I interviewed several celebrities in 2014, including actress Katherine Heigl. Heigl and her mother, Nancy, founded the Jason Debus Heigl Foundation in 2008 in memory of her brother, who was killed as a teenager in a car accident.

"He was a compassionate and very kind person who loved dogs and cats, and all living things," said Heigl. "His short life inspired us to try to do more to help end the plight of homeless animals in his memory."

Entrepreneur and actress Kathy Ireland launched her Loved Ones collection for pets, including everything from dog beds to cat toys. Ireland said she was inspired by her friend Elizabeth Taylor. Puppies Gracie and Delilah were left to Ireland and her family when Taylor passed away.

"It was a blessing to be mentored by this amazing woman," Ireland said.

I had to the honor of speaking with comedienne Joan Rivers about a month before she died. At the time, her Pekingese, Max, had just died, and Rivers was planning an elaborate funeral. I asked her if she felt there was "another side," and who she'd want to see there when her time came. I expected a show biz answer, but Rivers said, "All my dogs. Dogs are easier to love than people; they're certainly more dependable. Once they love you, that's it. A true friend in life is a dog."

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