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Pet Week

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Pictured: Mercury, a very good boy who you do not need to be scared of. (Photo: Isla Treadwell, Image Design: Archi Banal)

Fur and loathing: What to do when you’re scared of dogs

And what dog owners can do to help too.
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By Sam Brooks | 2nd April, 2022
Contributing writer
Photo: Jane Yee

Dear Stella: To the dog who changed my life

On one of life's special dogs, and making the impossible decision to say goodbye.
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By Jane Yee | 2nd April, 2022
Partnerships multimedia lead
Albie, Morley, Buster and Yazz – four dogs with full-time jobs (Image: Tina Tiller)

Meet the big boss dogs of Aotearoa

Uniforms, rosters, bosses and wages. Some dogs have jobs, and that's exactly how they like it.
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By Chris Schulz | 2nd April, 2022
Guest writer
Image: Archi Banal

Oodles of oodles: The rise of the poodle-cross

It's the designer dog du jour, but how did we end up with so many cavoodles, schnoodles and labradoodles?
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By Alex Casey | 2nd April, 2022
Senior writer
(Photo: Getty Images; additional design: Tina Tiller)

How pet-sitting became a lucrative side hustle for animal lovers

Don't want to use a cattery or dog kennel? Try a pet sitter the next time you leave your fur babies to go on holiday.
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By Reweti Kohere | 1st April, 2022
Staff writer
Image: Archi Banal

Why are our planes filled with bees?

They even get an inflight meal – and jet lag.
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By Mirjam Guesgen | 1st April, 2022
Contributing writer
Design: Archi Banal

Best in show: Ranking the best pets from New Zealand TV ads

Featuring a lonely pig, a spaghetti-obsessed gremlin and a whole lot of toilet paper.
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By Tara Ward | 1st April, 2022
Staff writer
Gif by Tina Tiller

Is TV for pets any good? The reviews are in

We showed some of YouTube's finest cinema to the most discerning critics of all.
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By Group Think | 31st March, 2022
A bunch of people
(Image: Archie Banal)

How to choose the right pet for you

Because a puppy shouldn’t be an online panic buy.
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By Charlotte Muru-Lanning | 31st March, 2022
Contributing writer
Image: Tina Tiller

The day the dogs drove

'It’s just a guy being driven around a race track by a dog, what’s the worst that could happen?'
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By Alex Casey | 31st March, 2022
Senior writer
(Image: Tina Tiller).

Weird pets and the people who love them

Meet the owners of a clever fish, a clingy pigeon and a stick insect that loves to dance.
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By Naomii Seah | 30th March, 2022
Contributing writer
Image: Tina Tiller

A compilation of FIRST’s best pet stories

Featuring an aggressive budgie, a tadpole Squid Game and more.
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By FIRST | 30th March, 2022
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Stanley waits for a bus that won’t let him board (Image: Tina Tiller)

Why can’t Auckland dogs ride the bus?

Four years after the council gave it the OK, Auckland buses remain a no-go for pooches.
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By Alice Neville | 30th March, 2022
Deputy editor
Image: Archi Banal

I tried to track my cat’s movements with GPS. It didn’t go well

The Petrek 3G lets you keep an eye on your pet's secret movements. In theory, anyway.
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By Dylan Reeve | 30th March, 2022
Contributing writer
Image: Tina Tiller

In the era of RATs, the real rat trade is booming

An Auckland rat breeder has seen her site traffic double thanks to people searching for RATs.
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By Alex Casey | 29th March, 2022
Senior writer
Image: Tina Tiller

The truth about cats and toxoplasmosis

Should you be worried about the parasites lurking in your cat's litter tray?
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By Mirjam Guesgen | 28th March, 2022
Contributing writer
At Muriwai Beach, nearly 20 dogs are off on their adventure. (Photos: Chris Schulz; additional design Tina Tiller)

‘It’s the wild west’: Has the dog-walking industry become corrupted by cowboys?

Picking up puppies and frolicking through forests with happy doggies seems like the perfect job. For some, it is. For one, it all got too much.
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By Chris Schulz | 28th March, 2022
Guest writer
Image: Toby Morris/Tina Tiller

Why we’re celebrating Pet Week on The Spinoff

Given that there are over 4.35 million pets in Aotearoa, we think it’s about time they got a whole week of content.
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By Alex Casey | 28th March, 2022
Senior writer
(Photo: Getty Images)

Our dog is not a human, no matter what we like to think

The family dog is a special part of out lives. But are we taking the mollycoddling too far?
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By Linda Burgess | 7th January, 2022
Contributing writer
Illustrations by Sharon Lam

A letter to my future dog

Sharon Lam corresponds with the canine love of her life.
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By Sharon Lam | 28th November, 2021
Contributing writer

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