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Tabe spots the opening in the ground. She whines and barks her little body is like a tight muscle, writhing, twisting. In the dark recesses of her mind, she must hear the howls of ancestors urging her on. I put her on the ground. She sniffs the earth. Picks up the scent. She's off. With her nose plastered to the ground, she runs, looking like a mini-rhinoceros, chasing the invisible scent line right to the hole, disappearing into the tunnel. She's gone.

Tabu, my Cairn Terrier, is one of many terriers and Dachshunds tested in simulated hunting situations at this earthdog practice held in Aldergrove, British Columbia. Owners bring their dogs here to test the dogs' instinctual behaviour on scent trails and in underground tunnels leading to quarry. They want to see if little Angus and Heidi can still do what their doggie ancestors were bred to do as early as 55 B.C.: go to ground and get rid of fox, badger, river otters, and other vermin that were wreaking havoc on their owners' land. Dogs that do well here can go on to participate in Earthdog Tests, Canadian Kennel Club (CKC)-sanctioned, non-competitive events leading to the titles Junior Earthdog, Senior Earthdog, and Master Earthdog. British Columbia held the first Canadian Earthdog Tests in 2002 and the Sea to Sky Earthdog Club now sponsors two sets of testing events each year. 

Early Sunday morning, the day of a scheduled practice, Tabu senses something's up when I begin packing the SUV with her special blanket, favourite bed, stuffies, snacks, and my gumboots. A dead giveaway, the green gumboots. Tabu knows. She races to her seat in the car.

We're off for an extreme adventure heading down the highway in the direction of rolling hills and fresh country air, leaving behind city noise and traffic jams. As I turn off the highway, Tabu remembers. She's been here twice before. Her body begins to shudder. She whines and barks. Weird utterances escape her little mouth as she talks in a language known only to other Cairns. She jumps from window to window, her instinct awake. She knows. We're here to play the game and she's ready.

I turn onto the rutted dirt road that leads up to the site. At the far end of the field, vehicles are lined up, tailgates down, people setting up kennels and walking their dogs.

I chat with other "earthdoggers" who have ventured out to the country. Janna Kumi, who works in the heart of Vancouver as a negotiator for the federal government, leaves the city behind to bring Bina, her Wirehaired Dachshund, to the practice. Kumi found Bina in Bavaria via the Internet. "She was destined to chase foxes in their dens-a most gruesome job. She's shy, always was, as I was told. We bonded immediately, and I promised her she would have a good life in a new land-far away from foxes."

I can't see the tunnels, as they are buried. Three-sided tunnels consisting of two 9- inch side walls and a roof are inserted in trenches dug in the ground, so that the floor is exposed earth. The tunnels are then covered with dirt and vegetation. At the end is a simulated den sprayed with quarry scent. A pet rat, kept completely safe in a secure container, separated from the dogs, serves as the faux quarry.

Ray Walden, from Richmond, B.C., is the "Dungeon Master." "I designed and built the tunnels used here," he says. "I've built several hundred feet of tunnels." His famous designs feature Plexiglas siding. Demonstrations at malls and expos using his design allow spectators to view the dogs making decisions as they maneuver through the tunnel.

In order to have a successful run at the beginner level, "Introduction to Quarry," dogs must traverse a 10-foot-long tunnel with one 90-degree turn within two minutes, then "work" the quarry (barking, growling, digging) for 30 seconds. At each level, tests increase in difficulty using longer tunnels and built-in obstacles, such as a tree root. At the Master level, dogs are worked two at a time, one underground while the other "honours," staying above and taking over when needed. Chris Roberts brings Andy, an 8 year-old Cairn, to practice at the Master level.

"Andy lost one eye to cancer. She's a pirate dog. You'll hear AARRRRRRR when she gets down there," Roberts jokes. Andy still has all the characteristics needed for being an earthdog. "The dogs that ‘go to ground' are the short-legged terriers [Latin-terra, meaning earth] and Dachshunds [German for badger hound]." They have good noses, excellent reflexes, are top-notch sprinters, courageous, persistent, strong, flexible, often able to turn around in a tunnel, and can think on their own.

To some, earthdogging is more than a timed run. Kumi, readying Bina at the Senior run, tells me, "Earthdogging is a sport primarily for the dog, overcoming their fear going into a dark hole and confronting their fears. When I saw her head pop up at the end of the 30 foot tunnel on the Junior test, I can't describe how I felt: very proud of her, happy for her. Brought tears to my eyes!"

Lia Bijsterveld, president of the Sea to Sky Earthdog Club, says, "The event is as much a human social event as a dog-fun event." Her 9-year-old Border Terrier, who was the first CKC Master Earthdog, sticks his head out of the hole to orient himself, barks once, twists his body around and launches himself almost backwards right back into the hole. "Piper needed very little coaching to find his inner earthdog. He was destined to take part in earthdog and it would be cruel not to let him participate."

I'm watching for Tabu as she negotiates her way deep in the tunnel, flying on instinct, searching for the hideout. A muffled little growl. Digging. Barking. Clearly, my little earthdog hasn't moved all that far from the generations of working terriers that make up her ancestry; their drive, their joy in working a scent below the ground lives on in her. I couldn't be more proud. ■

Patricia Komar is a freelance writer living in the Lower Mainland. With her two dogs, Bruno and Tabu, she searches for muses in the wilds of B.C.

At a gathering of dog owners, I found myself sitting at a table with a woman who was explaining, "You can always tell which member of a family actually picked the dog. People always pick dogs that look like themselves. If you want a well-known example of this, just take the case of Winston Churchill. Now there was a man who certainly looked like his pet Bulldog!"

Winston Churchill was, of course, the British prime minister who helped to guide England through the dark days of World War II. The fact that Churchill, in his mature years, looked like a Bulldog is indisputable. The round full face, the flattened features, the jowly cheeks, the large wide mouth, the skin folds around the eyes-all look much like those of the English Bulldog. It was interesting to note that the woman who had been speaking about him had long blond hair, which, paired with her tan-coloured pants and vest, certainly had a strong resemblance to her own dog-a Golden Retriever.

Actually, there are scientific explanations for why people might have a preference for dogs that look something like themselves. The data is quite clear that, at least when dealing with people, we certainly prefer those who are similar to us.

Do you ever wonder what the secret is behind the success of computerized dating services? It is nothing more than a matter of matching on the basis of similarity. These services give extensive questionnaires in order to find out some basic information about their clients, including their religion, their family's social status and income, their political beliefs, their taste in music, entertainment and sports, and so forth. Then they match people on the basis of as many dimensions as possible. The better the match, the more likely that people will develop an attraction for one another.

The interesting thing is that the research shows that if you want to predict whether people will like each other, you tend to do better if you include some physical aspects of the person's appearance along with measures of attitudes and personal history. How tall a person is, how much they weigh, their hair colour and skin tones, will all have an influence since people prefer others who share their physical characteristics as well. While most people like physically attractive people, the most successful matches involve pairing people of about the same degree of attractiveness. Thus, beautiful people are happiest with other beautiful people, average-looking people with average-looking partners- making it highly unlikely that in real life, the ugly, misshapen, Quasimodo of The Hunchback of Notre Dame would ever live happily ever after with the beautiful gypsy girl, Esmeralda.

There is some evidence that people tend to select dogs based on how similar that breed's personality is to their own. For example, the classic film actor Humphrey Bogart was known for the strong, rugged, roles that he played in motion pictures like The Maltese Falcon, Casablanca, and Treasure of the Sierra Madre. Director Howard Hawks once commented that "Bogey thinks that he has to live up to the reputation of all of those tough guys he plays." Hard-drinking and rowdy in his personal life, he always owned dogs with tough and self-sufficient characters, such as Boxers and Scottish Terriers.

Contrast this to another classic film actor, James Stewart. The American Film Institute observed Stewart was an actor "so beloved by the movie-going public that they call him ‘Jimmy,' just like a member of the family." He had a real-life personality that was similar to the warm, down-to-earth, friendly men that he played in films like You Can't Take It with You, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and The Philadelphia Story. Stewart surrounded himself with dogs of the same temperament, namely Golden Retrievers.

You might feel that it would take quite a leap to get from the fact that we might select a dog that has a personality similar to ours and end up with the conclusion that we might choose a dog that looks like us as well. Yet there is a way to get there using a psychological mechanism that is subtle yet simple, namely familiarity.

Simply put, we like things that are familiar. This explains why we are so willing to read or view each new version of the King Arthur legend, or why people go back, year after year, to hear the same opera, and why radio stations that play only "oldies" are so popular. It explains why advertisers repeat the same ad so many times (they describe this as "repetition builds reputation"). It also explains why people vote for actors, and the sons, daughters or wives of well-known people without any knowledge of their actual competence for the elected position-it is simply because the name is so familiar that a positive feeling has grown up around it.

One scientist demonstrated this in an amusing way. He showed people a series of Chinese characters, without any translations of them. When the people were later asked to guess what these characters actually meant, the ones that had been shown a number of times (so they were now familiar) were more likely to be "translated" by people as meaning something positive and favourable.

Scientifically, we have now reached the important part of the story: your face. We all are quite familiar with our own face. We see it in the mirror every morning as we shave, put on make-up or comb our hair. We see images of our face thousands of times each year as we pass by various reflecting surfaces in the environment. Science, therefore, suggests that, as in the case of everything else that we have seen many times, we should be rather fond of it. It is also likely that we will also transfer some of that sentiment to anything that is similar enough to remind us of our face.

Some psychologists have argued that this explains why children who look very much like one of their parents tend to be favoured and treated more lovingly by that parent. It might also provide a link to why people end up with dogs that look something like themselves. If the general features of one breed of dog's face look something like the general features of our own face, then, all other things being equal, that breed should arouse a bit more of a warm and loving response on our part.

Since there had not been much scientific work done on the resemblance of dogs and their owners, I tested 104 women students enrolled at the University of British Columbia. First, they were shown slides containing dog portraits of four different dog breeds. Each portrait was simply the head of a dog looking toward the camera. The four dog breeds included an English Springer Spaniel, a Beagle, a Siberian Husky and a Basenji. For each dog, the women simply rated how much they liked the look of the dog, how friendly they thought it was, how loyal they thought it might be and how intelligent it appeared to be.

Afterwards, I asked some questions about the women and their lifestyles. As part of this, they were asked to look at a series of schematic sketches of hair styles and to indicate which was their own most typical hair style. I was not interested in details of their coiffure, but only in certain general characteristics. Specifically, I divided these hair styles into two groups: the first group contained longer hair styles that covered the ears, while the second group contained shorter hair or longer hair that was pulled back, so that the woman's ears were visible.

In general, women with longer hair covering their ears tended to prefer the Springer Spaniel and the Beagle, rating these breeds higher on the dimensions of likeable, friendly, loyal and intelligent. Women with shorter hair and visible ears tended to rate the Siberian Husky and the Basenji more highly on these same dimensions.

The reason for this result may have to do with familiarity effects on liking. Longer hair on a woman forms a framing effect around her face, which is much the same as the framing effect caused by the longer, lopped ears of the Spaniel or Beagle. Shorter hair gives more visible, unframed lines to the sides of the woman's face and allows her to see her own ears. Both the Siberian Husky and the Basenji lack the drooped ears that frame the face like long hair, and both have clearly visible pricked ears. Obviously, we are not talking about an overpowering effect on preference, since there were a number of women with short hair that preferred the long eared dogs and vice-versa. However, the size of this effect is large enough to be statistically reliable and could confirm the common belief that we look like our dogs to some degree.

Given that hairstyle variations of this sort are only sensible to talk about in women, this particular research model was somewhat limited, so Michael Roy and Nicholas Christenfeld, psychologists from the University of California at San Diego, decided to extend my research using another technique. They photographed 45 dogs (25 purebreds and 22 mongrels) and their owners, separately. They then showed photos of the owners to 28 volunteers and asked them to guess which was most likely that owner's dog from a pair of pictures containing the owned dog and another. A dog was regarded as resembling its owner if a majority of the volunteers matched the pair. The volunteers were able to correctly match purebred dogs with their owners in about two thirds of the cases. This seems to confirm that dogs and owners look alike.

There was an interesting quirk in the data, however. There was no link between the appearance of mixed-breeds and their owners. Co-researcher Christenfeld thought that this was reasonable.

"When you pick a purebred, you pick it specifically because of how it's going to look as a grown-up," he pointed out. "On the other hand, mutt owners like me make our choice on the spur of the moment at a dog shelter. The truth is that we really don't know what the grown puppy will look like."

So the science suggests that this bit of folk wisdom is correct. People do, indeed, tend to select dogs that look themselves. However, this is not a universal principal.

Let's go back to Winston Churchill, who many people claim as a perfect example since he clearly resembled his pet Bulldog. The problem is that Churchill did not own a Bulldog. The British often consider the Bulldog as the symbol of their country, and Churchill was the leading political figure in Britain. These facts are what probably led to the erroneous conclusion in the public mind that the great man also owned a Bulldog. Churchill's own dog certainly was not selected on the basis of visual similarities. If you could have looked into Churchill's bedroom, curled up around his feet on the bed you would have found a Miniature Poodle named Rufus. With his narrow pointed muzzle, clean, unwrinkled face and close-set eyes, this dog did not look even faintly like his master. This breed of dog was not merely some accidental match since, when the original Rufus died, his owner replaced him with another who looked virtually identical to the first one. "He is named Rufus II-but the II is silent," Churchill explained.

Still, despite the case of the prime minister and his Poodle, research does seem to show that the idea that dogs and their owners resemble each other is more likely to be true than false. And in Churchill's case-well, his daughter owned a Pug, which might be close enough!

Dr. Stanley Coren is professor of psychology at the University of British Columbia and author of many books on dog behaviour, including The Intelligence of Dogs, How Dogs Think and Why Does My Dog Act That Way? His website is stanleycoren.com.

Dear Dog Lady,
How does my Shar-Pei, Wilma, select where to go to the bathroom? What criteria must be present? I don't understand why she is so picky about where she goes. -Nisreen, Vancouver, BC

Nisreen, you ask one of the cosmic questions about the canine culture. Dog Lady has studied this fussy phenomenon over thousands of hours spent walking with darling, so you might think there would be an easy answer. Unfortunately, only dogs truly understand the piddling details.

For Wilma, the elaborate lavatory procedure is a ritual of identity. Imagine she uses her output the way a graffiti artist uses a spray paint can-to mark up the earth with messages such as: "Wilma, a five-year-old spayed female who last ate canned lamb and chopped carrots, was here." Dogs want to get a leg up to put down their scent. They announce themselves and seek to cover up another dog's smell. It's a very precise process, a mystery only their noses know.

Our dogs can drive us crazy while they deliberate about where to send the pee-mail. They sniff up and down or go in circles, ensuring their output will hit whatever benchmark they've assigned. Bear with them.

Dear Dog Lady,
True story. My girlfriend moved in with me a few months ago. However, she is growing sad (not with me) because my building does not allow dogs. We have an incredible apartment. I don't want to move, but I don't want her to be unhappy. Help me out here. -Michael, New York, NY

Michael, for some people, living in a dogless building is godless. Pets provide warmth. A condo community or apartment association that bans animals can seem like a colder, more self-absorbed place. The frosty habitat must be getting to your girlfriend.

On a brighter note, Dog Lady, ever the busybody, presumes the two of you are living large. Maxi-pads in dogless housing can be tres chi-chi because residents have nothing else to do but carp about keeping up appearances.

Dog Lady knows of a ritzy condominium that bans dogs. Big warning signs are posted. If a dog even ventures onto the grass outside the building, a frazzled person leans out a window and screams for the dog and the human leash-holder to scram. Considering all the problems in the world today, this pet-as-pest policy seems excessive.

Hug your girlfriend. Tell her you understand and really mean it. Promise her, for the short-term, you will be her happy hound. Don't do anything precipitous, such as offer to move right away from your luxe digs. You don't want to resent her because she seems to be a keeper. You're still getting to know one another. And you've learned an important lesson: your lady likes living with animals-both hairy and furry.

Dear Dog Lady,
I went to a professional mixer and met a man who is very good-looking, well-dressed and fun. We made easy conversation and laughed a lot. Afterward, he took me to dinner. He talked about his dog, Yahoo, a big mutt (a Shepherd-mix) that he got at the pound. I was thrilled when he asked me to join him and Yahoo on a long walk the next day. I love dogs and think guys with dogs are sexy-until this guy left a big Yahoo pile behind. I couldn't believe he ignored the mess. I wanted to say something but didn't. Now, he's asked me out again but I can't decide whether to go or think up an excuse. Advice? -Becca, Portland, OR

Becca, you seek a man who scoops to conquer your heart. Your aim is true, but don't dump this fellow immediately. Give him another chance to clean up his act. Some guys have a thing about picking up dog poop. Call it queasiness, embarrassment, or just plain obliviousness, but they don't like to do it.

Remember, this indiscretion occurred during a self-conscious first date. If it happens again, be direct and say something to him-something light and airy instead of confrontational. Or you could magically pull a baggie from your pocket and pick up, although the preemptive strike would probably shame him, which you should avoid because he's sounds like a decent man who adopted a shelter dog. This generous act alone should tell you he has a big heart even if his environmental manners require a tutorial.

Dear Dog Lady,
We have a Poodle, and she seems to exhibit obsessive-compulsive disorder. Is this normal? When I brush my teeth, she flies up the stairs to stand next to me, no matter where she is or what she's doing. This is just one example of many. We love our Poodle, however, I would never get another one because I don't want a dog smarter than me (just kidding). In the hierarchy of dog breed intelligence, where do Poodles rank? -Bob, San Francisco, CA

Bob, your letter caused Dog Lady to erupt in a fit of giggles. Indeed, it sounds as if your tooth fairy is a bit daffy. Take heart because it is not a cause for worry-unless your dog is hurting herself, other dogs, or humans. Most dogs have OCD. They are obsessive about their people and their stuff. They are compulsive about their people and their stuff. Dog Lady's darling is possessed by a chewed-over frog whose fading squeaker plays a slo-mo version of "Jingle Bells." With dogs, it's always something.

You are fortunate to live under the same roof with an Einstein. Poodles are considered way above average on the canine intelligence scale. When your dental assistant grabs your floss and rigs up a cat's cradle, don't be surprised.

Dear Dog Lady,
Our neighbours allow their dogs to piddle on our front door stoop and sidewalk on a daily basis. Needless to say, it is unpleasant to come across every time we enter and leave the building, not to mention smelly and unsanitary. We love our neighbours and their dogs, but we are growing tired of this lack of doggie etiquette that we so frequently come across living in our city neighbourhood. What's a person to do? -Cathleen, Chicago, IL

Cathleen, you have Dog Lady's ear-and her scruples. Every dog walker must examine his or her conscience on this one. Rushed while urging a dog to do business quickly, an owner often doesn't even think about where the dog piddles as long as it gets the job done. You speak up for everybody who must endure this thoughtless wave of urination.

Say something the next time you catch a canine lifting its leg or squatting on your stoop or sidewalk. Be cheerful, not confrontational, but firmly remind the dog's walker you would appreciate more consideration.

We dog owners believe poop is the offensive big magilla. We carry bags to clean up. Unfortunately, pee doesn't fit in a baggie. Still, responsible pet walkers should make every effort to steer their sweeties away from front stoops and stones attached to private property. These pissing contests are disheartening. People should know better, even if the dogs don't.

Dear Dog Lady,
My dog, Zeus, watches TV intensely. He likes cartoons, babies and other animals (especially when those animals "speak" to him). I like to take Zeus on weekend drives in the country but I noticed my dog did not enjoy the drives as much as I did. Since then I have installed a TV in the car so he has something to do. Am I rotting his brain? -Brendan, South Bend, IN

Brendan, talk about bendin' to the comfort and convenience of a dog. No wonder your Zeus is the god of the heavens. Dog Lady has rarely heard of such indulgence, except for C-List celebrities who tote around their poochies in hobo bags and interior designers with clients rich enough to afford raffia dog beds from Italy.

Dogs have small brains, so rotting Zeus' frontal lobe is not a big problem. If your dog enjoys watching cartoons and shoutouts from his beastie boys, go ahead, although Dog Lady cannot imagine dogs enjoy country drives any more than toddlers in car seat lockdown. Make sure you give your glazed TV hound regular bathroom breaks and romps in fields of green away from the automobile. ■

Visit askdoglady.com to ask a question or make a comment.

When I take my dogs for a walk, all my neighbours recognize my little Papillons. They don't always recognize me. I'm about half the size I was two years ago; I've lost 125 pounds. What's my secret? Actually, I owe every ounce of my weight loss success to my little dog, Pogo.

Pawsing For a Reality Check
I didn't start out planning to lose weight. It was my dog who was dieting. Pogo needed to lose about half a pound; on his small-dog frame, the equivalent of 10 pounds worth of love handles on me.

I'd cut down just a bit on the serving size of his super premium dog food and added some pumpkin and veggies for volume, a sensible option for my little guy. One night, after scarfing up his dinner, Pogo gave me a sad look that clearly asked, "Isn't there more?"

"You're just fine. You've had plenty," I lectured him. Then I looked down at my heaping plate of spaghetti and had an epiphany. "Deborah, you are such a hypocrite!" I said out loud. The next day, I was at my first Weight Watchers meeting.

Until that moment, I was in absolute denial about my own serious weight problem. I viewed myself as sort of plump. As middle-aged. As a victim of a fashion industry that for unknown reasons had started making sleeves on clothes surprisingly small.

Pogo and I weren't alone in needing to lose weight. About half the people and half the pets in North America are overweight. Everyone knows it's important for humans to lose weight, but you may not know it's just as important for your dog. Northwestern University (NU) in Chicago did a study with overweight people and portly dogs. Almost half the owners described their pudgy dogs' condition as "ideal."

However, in a study done by Purina, slender dogs lived almost two years longer than dogs that were just a little bit overweight. Slender dogs have less health problems, too. Arthritis, diabetes, and other diseases that are caused or made worse by extra pounds can dramatically reduce your dog's quality of life.

Treating Ourselves As Well As We Treat Our Dogs
In my case, I soon realized that for many years I'd been taking much better care of my dogs than I was of myself. I shopped for them in the all-natural food store, and then went to the bargain brand supermarket for my own food. I took them to their veterinarian if they sneezed, but it had been a lot of dog years since I'd seen my own doctor.

I made a simple pledge to myself to take care of all of us in my home with the same diligence. I was committed to the health of my dogs-and to my own. In addition to following my new healthy regimen, I finally went to see my human doctor for all those middleage tests we should have. I was happy to find I was quite healthy and my new lifestyle will help me stay that way.

The World's Best Exercise Equipment
When it comes to exercise, dog-lovers have a leg up- make that four legs up-on the rest of the world's dieters.

In the NU study, the overweight people were given a sensible diet and advised to take daily walks with their dogs. A control group without dogs got the same diet and exercise recommendations. Not only did the dog owners lose more weight, they were happier.

"What surprised us was how much fun the participants had. That isn't common in a weight control program," says obesity expert Dr. Robert Kushner, who designed the study. "They didn't say they felt deprived. Many participants said they wouldn't have entered the program or stayed in the program without the dog."

Kushner and veterinarian Dr. Marty Becker wrote a book called Fitness Unleashed! A Dog and Owner's Guide to Losing Weight and Gaining Health Together (Three Rivers Press, 2006). This book is a healthy and sensible guide to dieting and exercise for both people and their dogs.

For those of us who were never jocks, exercise can be intimidating. I can't imagine going to a gym full of hard-bodies. Walking my dog is a Lycra-free zone of acceptance. Because I'm focusing on my dog instead of myself, I feel free to take the risk of exercising my less than perfect body.

People who exercise with their dogs have fun, no matter what their level of fitness may be. That's not always the case with other exercise plans.

"You don't grow to love the StairMaster. No one talks to their free weights. In walking your dog, you develop a richer, deeper level with your dog," says Dr. Becker. While he was working on his book, he decided to practice what he preached and walk his dogs more. The result was a 42-pound weight loss for him.

Pogo and I started out with one-mile walks. It's now common for us to log five or six miles. But I had a problem: though my two older dogs weren't up for the demands of longer, faster paced walks, I didn't want to leave my other buddies behind. My solution was to buy a pet stroller, a flashy red jogging model. I let the old dogs walk at their pace as far as they feel comfortable, and then put them in the stroller. Pogo and I pick up the pace and power walk the rest of the way.

Points To Ponder
Our dogs don't wait to go have fun until their rear-ends are a certain size. We shouldn't either.

We know that a round, short Pug is just as wonderful as a tall, slender Afghan Hound. We should accept our own kind of beauty so easily.

The fact that some of us gain weight more easily than others is also explained in the world of dogs. As much as 70 percent of the risk factor for obesity in dogs can be traced to your dog's breed, according to Dr. Becker. Greyhounds and Whippets almost all stay naturally lean, while stocky breeds like the Labrador Retriever and Beagle tend to pack on the pounds. Still, with the right diet and exercise, dogs of all breeds can weigh the appropriate amount for their builds.

Of course, my weight loss and Pogo's won't last if we don't keep our eating and exercise habits for the long term. Because of my dogs, I'm optimistic that I've made a true lifestyle change. I look at what I put into my mouth just as carefully as I always monitored what my dogs ate.

And exercise? There is no personal trainer as demanding as Pogo. He expects fun every single day, rain or shine. I hope a lot of people and dogs will be inspired to come join us. Summer is here. It's the perfect time to snap on the leash and go for a walk. ■

Deborah Wood is the pet columnist for The Oregonian newspaper and the author of 11 books, including The Little Dogs Activity Book released in January. She lives in Portland, Oregon, with three Papillons and a cat, and follows the Weight Watchers program, attending their meetings weekly.