If dogs could read…

So many dog-mags, so little time to read them all!

In my “spare” time that is what I do — read dog magazines.  #1 on my list for “culture” (since 1997; I have an almost complete collection!) has always been The Bark (taglines “Dog is my co-pilot” and “the New Yorker for dog lovers”; lots of content available free online).  More recently, there’s a slew of new and not-so-new pubs on the market:  American Dog (target market predecessors:  Colorado Dog and Chicago Dog), Baltimore Dog (not related to American Dog or its affiliates), and NovaDog (not that much local content to start out other than the calendar; focus is almost 100% on Northern Virginia and the District, little or nothing on suburban Maryland).  Older dog lifestyle pubs include Modern Dog (since 2003), and Fido Friendly (also since 2003; for travels with your pooch).  These are all supported by advertising and take a hip, upscale approach to “life with dog.” 

For health and behavior, my #1 choice is the Whole Dog Journal (selected content available free online; other online content for paid subscribers only).  Other faves for health are two newsletters from vet schools — DogWatch from Cornell, and Your Dog from Tufts (index and selected articles archived online).  While there’s often some repetition as assorted stories take prominence depending on research announcements and breaking news, I like getting the reinforcement of content from multiple sources.  All three of these are independent to one degree or another, i.e., not supported by advertising.  The two vet school publishers naturally highlight their own vets; the good news is that the writing is consumer-friendly and informative rather than forcing you to take their word as gospel.  WDJ is completely independent, giving their writers 100% free range to be critical thinkers.  All three are more than favorably disposed toward positive training, especially WDJ.

If you’re in the (companion) animal welfare world, there’s Animal Sheltering Magazine (lots of content available free online), published by The Humane Society of the US.  If you’re in that world, you already understand that shelters and rescue organizations around the country are not connected to HSUS in any kind of parent-organization-and-chapters structure.  HSUS does provide support and guidance, and AS often does so through thoughtful, in-depth feature discussions.  You may not always agree with their conclusions; regardless, the discussion is plentiful to prompt your own thinking even more.  If you’re not already a staffer or volunteer with an animal organization, AS will give you some keen insights into the joys and challenges of this type of work.

I would love to hear from editors, publishers and readers around the country about other magazines and significant newsletters in your geographic areas.  Is anyone holding local animal care organizations (think shelters, rescues, animal control, nonprofits, etc.) up for scrutiny?  I’m not talking about coverage in your local media such as newspapers, TV and online.  I’m talking about hard copy magazines whose content focus is dogs.  I want to know who’s being looked at under the magnifying glass, why, and how the outcome of such investigation is evolving.  Not just the fun lifestyle stuff, but things like shelter management, how the animals are being treated (or not), community success (or failure) in finding a good balance between animal and human populations.  In other words, who cares enough to identify local problems and report on them regularly through specialty publications?  Is there a market for that kind of content anywhere?