Reliving our dog days of summer

It's with puppy dog eyes that I've been reading news about a distant friend's recent addition to the family. She hasn't yet fallen head-over-heels for her family's little Labradoodle, grumbling to the world through Facebook status updates and Tweets. She e-complains about how much the puppy barks, about how much he hates his crate, about the seemingly endless chore of housebreaking, while I ...

How to help a nesting mallard duck

Q: A mallard duck took up residence in our flower bed and she's anxiously awaiting the birth of 10! She's been here for about 3 1/2 weeks now and we expect the eggs will hatch shortly. What should we do? The closest water is about a mile from the house. Should we take mom and the hatchlings down to the creek so they are safe from traffic and roaming dogs, or leave her alone and let them take ...