It’s reading cats and dogs: How Peninsula shelters are improving literacy on the Peninsula

Kittens, cockatoos and lizards are stepping into virtual learning (and they’re available for adoption too — see our local list of shelters) (Image via Pets In Need) One topic weighing on many Bay Area parents’ minds has been engaging squirrely kids through, often monotonous, online learning sessions. But what if the next time they checked in on little Timmy, they found him reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar to a bearded dragon? This whimsical circumstance is ...

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Meet the furry, feral cats of Silicon Valley

Two volunteers gave us an inside look at a decades-long quest to humanely rein in (and care for) the Bay’s homeless felines OJ peers up at an elevated feeding platform at Coyote Point. He is one of 13 feral cats that calls the San Mateo park home. (Photo by Magali Gauthier) The Baylands of the Peninsula used to have a cat problem. That’s how Dave George — a longtime volunteer with the Homeless ...

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Mastiffs and mohawks: photos of California’s most interactive dog show competition

The Golden Gate Kennel Club’s annual Best in Show showdown was curiously adorable, or perhaps adorably curious. By Kali Shiloh Images by Jason Backrack & Amar Dillon Madison, a Silver Grand Champion Dalmatian, focuses on her breeder-owner-handler, Dawn Mauel of Los Altos, at the Golden Gate Kennel Club on Saturday. “She’s a lot of fun,” Mauel says of the two-year-old, who goes to a couple shows per month. Here Madison stands almost perfectly still — she just can’t ...

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In the age of the rescue dog, the Bay Area’s most prestigious purebred show still matters

Local champions on the care and criticism of a canine crucible: the Golden Gate Kennel Club Dog Show “You don’t have to show dogs to love them, but I think you have to love dogs to show them,” says breeder-owner-handler Pat Trotter, a Golden Gate Kennel Club maven who’s also been to Westminster 11 times. (Photo courtesy of the Golden Gate Kennel Club) The semen is always cold. It has to be. At home ...

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Five of the best dog-friendly hikes on the Peninsula

Perfect outdoor spots entirely conducive to your canine By Juliette Spirson Like small children, bonsai trees and just about any surfer, dogs are simply happier if they get proper outside time. It’s a simple equation really, though one that can ultimately require a bit of know-now for navigating dog-friendly locations around the region. Luckily for Peninsula residents, the area contains some spectacular spots for man’s — and less face it already, woman’s — best friend. From beaches to hillsides to ...

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