It’s all those pandemic puppies.
Tag Archives: Pets
Men’s Wear Puts on the Dog
A pavilion dedicated to the multibillion-dollar market in pet apparel makes its debut at the world’s largest men’s wear trade show.
A New England Town Invaded by Coyotes Calls in the Sharpshooters
Compact, densely populated and surrounded by water, Nahant (and its small dogs) are on edge. It’s the first Massachusetts municipality to ask the government to kill problem animals.
New York Bans Pet Stores From Selling Dogs, Cats and Rabbits
The ban, which takes effect in December 2024, is meant to prevent the sale of animals raised by commercial breeders accused of keeping them in inhumane conditions.
Dog Flu Is Back, Too
Canine influenza can spread quickly through shelters, kennels and day care facilities, although most dogs will recover on their own, experts said.
Was the Pandemic Dog Boom a Myth?
Is New York City really overrun by barking hounds? The data might tell a different story.
Your Cat Might Not Be Ignoring You When You Speak
Cats have a reputation for being aloof, but a new study has found that their relationships with their owners may be stronger than we thought.
Puppies on Prozac: How to Handle Your Pet’s Anxiety
Veterinarians say they have seen an increasing number of pets experiencing mental distress. Here’s how to spot the signs.
The Great Guinea Pig Giveaway Has Begun
From geckos to chinchillas, small pets were a pandemic balm. Now shelters across the country say they are being surrendered.
How to Evacuate With Pets During a Hurricane or Other Disaster
Owners should make every attempt not to leave their pets behind, animal advocates say. You can avoid the worst by planning ahead.
A Fair Auctioned a Beloved Goat. Its Owners Filed a Lawsuit.
A Northern California woman said her young daughter bonded with a goat named Cedar that she was caring for. Sheriff’s deputies hauled it away to slaughter.
Did My Cat Just Hit On Me? An Adventure in Pet Translation
Entrepreneurs are aiming to put A.I.-powered pet translation tools into our pockets.
An Unidentified Illness Is Killing Dogs in Michigan, Officials Say
Veterinarians are not sure how contagious the malady is. Most of the dogs affected so far have been under the age of two, an official said.
Your Pandemic Puppy Was Not a Mistake
Living with an animal of another species has never been trouble-free. But the rewards are extravagant.
No More Pet Store Puppies? New York May Finally Ban Sales.
A bill prohibiting the sale of dogs, cats and rabbits in New York pet stores, passed by the Legislature in June, awaits a decision from Gov. Kathy Hochul.
How to Keep Your Dog or Cat Cool and Safe During a Heat Wave
Extreme temperatures pose particular dangers to furry friends.
How to Keep Pets Cool and Safe During a Heat Wave
Extreme temperatures pose particular dangers to furry friends.
A Canine Companion So Nice It (Maybe) Evolved Twice
Two different ancient wolf populations contributed DNA to modern dogs, according to a new study.
Love Your Dog, but Beware of Your Homeowners’ Insurance
Many firms have long refused coverage or charge more for pit bulls and other dogs considered more dangerous, but New York and other states say policies shouldn’t be breed specific.
Study Shows Case of Likely Cat-to-Human Virus Spread, but Risk Remains Low
People are far more likely to give the virus to cats than cats are to pass it to humans, experts stress.
Your Dog Is Not Ready for You to Return to the Office
Pets (and their owners) prepare for the inevitable.
They’re All Good Dogs, and It Has Nothing to Do With Their Breed
Retrievers that don’t retrieve and Papillons that point are all possible because the genes that shape dog behavior predate modern breeding that focuses on appearance, researchers find.
Amid Virus Chaos, Shanghai Residents Band Together
As the authorities in China’s biggest city fight to stamp out an Omicron outbreak, neighbors are turning to one another for support.
A Financial Services Company Illegally Leased Dogs, Massachusetts Says
Monterey Financial Services LLC has agreed to pay $930,000 in debt relief and restitution to settle allegations that it was conducting the practice, which is banned in the Bay State and others.
In a First, Google Goes After Puppy Fraud in Court
The company’s first consumer protection lawsuit, filed Monday, claims a Cameroon man tricked would-be buyers using Gmail and other services.
Rabbits Are Boring Pets. I Love Them Anyway.
My friends and family don’t get it. All I can do is try to describe what it’s like to be with them, the moments I’m not sure I can do without.
As Travel Restrictions Ease, Dog Sitting Isn’t For Everyone
As travel returns, so are requests for dog sitting — after all, those pandemic puppies aren’t taking care of themselves.
Love is in the Air. So Is Dander.
When marriages between humans slowed because of the pandemic, ceremonies uniting two animals only became more popular.
Yes, Your Pets Can Also Put on Pandemic Pounds
Dogs and cats have surprised their owners by gaining weight during the coronavirus pandemic. Veterinarians blame the extra treats and table scraps.
Pet Obituary: ‘Good Dog, Finnegan. Rest in Peace.’
“It is the most human of things to want to memorialize and honor someone we have loved and lost, no matter of skin or fur,” a reader writers.
Noise Complaint: A Neighbor’s Dogs Bark Incessantly
City dwellers are expected to tolerate some amount of noise. When it comes to disruptive pets, you need to prove it’s a problem.
The Diet Worked For Them. Now Their Pets Are on It.
Paleo, vegan, gluten-free: Owners are putting animals on human regimens and fueling a huge pet-wellness industry. But some health experts are concerned.
A Pandemic Puppy Changed the Way I See (and Hear and Smell) My World
As a first-time dog owner, I didn’t anticipate how thoroughly a dog would demand that I experience my neighborhood from a different perspective.
Is the Coronavirus in Your Backyard?
White-tailed deer could become a reservoir for the virus, putting people and animals at risk, health experts say.
Vaccine Hesitancy Comes for Pet Parents
Some pet owners have extended vaccine worries to their furry pals. When is it appropriate to skip a dog or cat’s shot, and when is it absolutely crucial?
Pope Francis Is Troubled by Your Pet
On Fido and fruitfulness.
Can My Dog and I Be Forced to Use the Service Elevator?
Most apartment owners are subject to the house rules, which a board can change. But some rules are not always enforceable.
Pope Scolds Couples Who Choose Pets Over Kids
Expressing concern about global birthrates, Francis said such couples were acting in a selfish way that diminished humanity.
Can We Make Our Granddaughter Give Up Her Scary Dog?
The magazine’s Ethicist columnist on what terms we can attach to our plans to help loved ones — and more.
Hoping for a Dog Phone? You May Have a Long Wait.
A scientist in Scotland tested a so-called DogPhone to let her dog make video calls. He did use it, but mostly by mistake.
What I Learned Testing My Dog’s DNA
There are some mysteries that even genetic science can’t explain.
Why Don’t We Have a Covid Vaccine for Pets?
Scientists have developed vaccines for cats and dogs, but vaccinating companion animals is not necessary, experts said.
What Are the Effects of Sleeping With Your Dog?
Although the scientific literature makes a compelling case that our pets are good for us in many ways, research into the effects of co-sleeping is more limited.
Flying With Your Pet? It Just Got a Lot More Difficult.
A recent C.D.C. rabies rule, pricey pet ‘tickets’ and limits on animals in airline cabins are making traveling with a pet more complicated.
Recalled Pet Food May Be Linked to 130 Dog Deaths, F.D.A. Says
The agency warned Midwestern Pet Foods Inc. that its dry dog food may also have sickened 220 pets.
SoftBank-backed Embark Veterinary valued at $700M after $75M Series B
Now that you have that COVID dog, Embark Veterinary wants to help him or her be in your life for a long time by offering DNA testing with the goal of curbing preventable diseases and increasing the lifespan of dogs by three years within the next decade.
The Boston-based dog genetics company raised $75 million in Series B funding in what the company is calling “the biggest Series B for a pet startup to date.” SoftBank Vision Fund 2 was the lead investor and was joined by existing investors F-Prime Capital, SV Angel, Slow Ventures, Freestyle Capital and Third Kind Venture Capital.
The new round boosts Embark’s total funding to $94.3 million since the company was founded in 2015, according to Crunchbase data. It also gives it a post-money valuation of $700 million, Embark founder and CEO Ryan Boyko told TechCrunch.
Boyko has been a dog lover all his life, and also interested in biology and evolution. Dogs, in particular, are fascinating to him because of their variety: they can be bred to be two pounds or 200 pounds, and come in all shapes and sizes. His interest led him to study dogs in order to understand their evolution.
“I began to think about health problems, and honestly, dogs are a better system for using genetics to better their health than humans,” Boyko said. “You can breed them, so genetics has as much power to cause health problems as it can improve quality and life.”
Embark’s dog DNA test retails for $199 and enables dog owners, breeders and veterinarians to personalize care plans based on a dog’s unique genetic profile. It can test for over 350 breeds and 200 genetic health risks, as well as physical traits. Similar to a 23andMe test, test users can learn characteristics about breed, health and ancestry.
For example, the test could show that a healthy dog may have a gene that predisposes them to slipped discs. If the dog has that, then weight management would be an important factor in their care regime, as would not allowing them to jump off the couch. Another common genetic risk is HUU, or Hyperuricosuria, which is elevated levels of uric acid in urine that could lead to bladder stones due to the way dogs process minerals. By changing the dog’s diet, it could reduce the risk for developing the stones, which are painful and expensive to treat, Boyko said.
The test’s technology revolves around proprietary genotyping technology that analyzes more than 200,000 genetic markers, currently two times more information than any other dog DNA test on the market, Boyko said. This gives Embark the world’s largest database of canine health and biological information, enabling the company to provide insights into certain conditions and make new discoveries about health risks, traits and breeds.
Embark aims to become the standard of care for dog owners and vets. It grew 235% between 2019 and 2020 and saw five times the sales over the past two years. To support that growth, the company intends to use the new funding to bring on key hires and expand its database. Boyko anticipates adding more than 100 employees between 2021 and 2022.
Boyko said the opportunity in the pet startup space is huge. Indeed, U.S. spending on pets reached nearly $100 billion in 2020, up from $95.7 billion in 2019, according to the American Pet Products Association.
At the same time, venture capital interest in U.S. pet-focused companies, from nutrition to travel to healthcare, grew 29.5% from 2019 and 2020, according to Crunchbase data. In addition to Embark’s funding, 2021 was good to other pet startups as well, including pet insurance company Wagmo, raising $12.5 million, connected pet collar company Fi received $30 million and Rover, which announced plans to go public via SPAC.
Lydia Jett, partner at SoftBank Investment Advisers, told TechCrunch that this was her first pet-based investment, and what Embark is doing brings advances to a category right now where people care about their pets enough that they want to do something that will expand their value of life.
Jett said the management team being dedicated to DNA-based analytics is the future, and Embark is starting this big curve when it comes to pets and the convergence of real emotional ties to pets and the ability to improve their lives.
“This company is a driver of change to happen,” she added. “We are the largest consumer investor in the world, and Embark is very much aligned with what we are seeing across our portfolio that consumers are revisiting priorities and choices. That is a major trend, but still early in the cycle of personalization for their pets.”
Fi’s smart collar adds sleep tracking for dogs
Conventional wisdom holds that one ought let sleeping does lie. But no one says you’re barred from tracking them while they do. New York-based smart collar maker Fi announced today that it’s adding sleep to the list of the device’s tracking.
The added feature uses the collar’s on-board motion sensing to monitor your best friend’s sleep during the day and night (and almost certainly leave you jealous about how much shut-eye they’re getting).
The information is presented on a timeline that should look familiar to anyone who has used the human equivalent. It also offers a live check-in to see what the dog is up to during the day while you’re at work (assuming you ever go back to the office).

Image Credits: Fi
The goal here is to offer up some sharable metrics about your pet that might point to underlying health problems, be it too much sleep, not enough or frequent trips to the water bowl in the middle of the night. Sudden changes also present potential red flags for the dog’s health.
“We are excited to move into holistic health tracking that empowers dog parents to take the best possible care of their pets,” founder and CEO Jonathan Bensamoun said in a release. “If your dog is tired, it can’t tell you, so Fi will. Fi can answer critical questions like, ‘Is my pet sleeping the right way?’ or ‘Did its activity levels decrease lately?’ long before more serious issues have time to develop.”
Fi raised $30 million back in February and is working to grow its reach in the U.S., including a recent distribution deal with mega-online pet supply seller, Chewy.
Cats Are Better Than Dogs (at Catching the Coronavirus)
Cats and dogs can be infected by the coronavirus — but cats are more susceptible to infection, a new study suggests.
Everything I Know About Hope I Learned From My Dog
In any household, the true master of hope is the family dog.
Champ, Presidential Pet German Shepherd, Dies at 13
Champ, who was the family’s cherished companion, “died peacefully at home,” President Biden and the first lady said.