Jon (Author's Website)

I am the proprietor of ShaynaTheMiracleDog.com, and the luckiest guy in the world to have been Shayna's "dad" since adopting her in 2002. I'm also the author of the upcoming e-book, "Saved By Shayna: Life Lessons from a Miracle Dog."
To learn more about me, please visit www.jonsutz.com.

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Dog-focused organizations

Dog-focused organizations

September 6, 2011 | By | Add a Comment

Dog-focused organizations.

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Research on the human-dog relationship

Research on the human-dog relationship

September 4, 2011 | By | Add a Comment

One in six Americans would pay for their dog’s medical treatment before their own (Reuters, April 4, 2011) Americans may be clipping money-saving coupons and delaying buying a new home, but when it comes to their pets they’re spending more than ever, according to a new survey. Between trips to the vet, specialty foods, treats […]

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Always write down healing instructions, and keep them

Always write down healing instructions, and keep them

August 31, 2011 | By | Add a Comment

When your dog contracts a curable illness (such as an upset stomach) or is recovering from an accident, your veterinarian will give you instructions of things to do, and not do, to help ensure speedy and thorough healing. If these instructions are fairly straightforward, you might be tempted to believe you’ll remember them, and don’t […]

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Resources: Home remedies and tips

Resources: Home remedies and tips

August 30, 2011 | By | Add a Comment

Here are some Web resources that may be helpful for those of us who like to gain insight on how to treat the simple things at home – but only in concert with the advice of one’s veterinarian. This is one of the issues I discuss in my book – how to tell the difference […]

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Jan. 17, 2011: How to make Shayna’s dinner

Jan. 17, 2011: How to make Shayna’s dinner

August 27, 2011 | By | Add a Comment

  On January 20, 2011, I was scheduled to undergo my first-ever surgery (outpatient). Were I a loner, it would be a pretty straightforward process: get to the hospital, pray for the best, come home, and heal.  But as Shayna’s “dad” and best friend, my life is blissfully more complicated. What happens if something goes […]

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January 17, 2011: A walk in the woods with Shayna and Gloria

January 17, 2011: A walk in the woods with Shayna and Gloria

August 27, 2011 | By | Add a Comment

  The first part of this story is here — in which I talk about my dear friend, and angel, Gloria, and a very hard time she was having in January 2011. As an continuation of my video postcard to Gloria, I thought, what could be more fun that taking her along for a “walk” […]

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December 28, 2009: Shayna versus the blizzard

December 28, 2009: Shayna versus the blizzard

August 26, 2011 | By | Add a Comment

  Charlottesville, VA is at the northern tip of the Mid-Atlantic South.  Since moving here in late 2001 (to rebuild my life, and look for my first dog – as discussed in my book), I’ve observed that we have very mild winters; they can be cold, but don’t have a lot of snowfall. All that […]

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April 12, 2009: Our seventh anniversary

April 12, 2009: Our seventh anniversary

August 26, 2011 | By | Add a Comment

  I cannot believe it’s been seven years since I met and adopted Shayna, as a little 14 pound bundle of black fur. How fearful yet optimistic I was, being that I was going to be responsible for another living creature. Yet look how it all turned out, after those months of hunting for the […]

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May 31, 2008: Shayna’s first swim of the year

May 31, 2008: Shayna’s first swim of the year

August 26, 2011 | By | Add a Comment

  This is one of the real high points of Shayna’s life. The whole drive up to the Chris Greene Lake Park, Shayna knows where we’re going – no matter how long it’s been since we’ve been there (in this case, months). She whimpers and whinnies the whole way, with her head on one of […]

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Pics: Shayna doing her “frisbee skiing”

Pics: Shayna doing her “frisbee skiing”

August 26, 2011 | By | Add a Comment

  This was one of the first indications I had of how inventive Shayna really is. She’d never been particularly interested in catching a frisbee. but was fascinated by its shape. Then one day when she was about six months old, she decided a frisbee could be used as a “skiing” device: she turned it […]

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