In today's issue:

-Meet our adoptable dog of the day

-Learn about our Shelter of the Week

-Enjoy a laugh with our dog meme of the day

-Get great information in our featured article

-Take our action of the week

-Check out our family photo of the day

Join our Facebook group - Post Your Pooch!

Miri’s Haven Senior Dog Rescue is an all-volunteer, foster-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation, and adoption of senior dogs. Operating primarily in the DMV (DC, Maryland, Virginia) and surrounding areas, their mission is to create a kinder world for older dogs by providing them with comprehensive veterinary care, safe and loving foster environments, and placement into permanent, forever families. Guided by the promise that every senior dog matters and is worthy of love, the organization strives to ensure that older, neglected, or medically vulnerable dogs live out their final chapters in comfort, dignity, and deep affection.

What Makes Miri's Haven Special

• Specialized Focus on Complex and High-Need Senior Cases: Unlike organizations that focus primarily on younger or easily adoptable animals, Miri’s Haven routinely welcomes senior dogs with complex, costly, or terminal medical conditions—cases that many shelters or rescues often pass over or cannot accommodate.
• Foster-Centric and Sanctuary Support: Instead of being housed in stressful kennel environments, all rescue dogs live directly in loving foster homes where they are spoiled, closely monitored, and transitioned to good health. For dogs whose age or medical conditions make traditional adoption difficult, the rescue provides a permanent sanctuary program so they are never displaced.
• Entirely Volunteer-Run with a Community-First Philosophy: Operating with zero public funding, the rescue relies completely on a passionate network of volunteers, donors, and foster families. They are deeply committed to public advocacy, educating communities on the joys of older pets, and matching each dog thoughtfully to ensure the best possible fit for both the animal and the adopter.

What Vets Feed Their Own Dogs

When a veterinarian can’t find a dog food she feels good about, that’s a bad sign for dog food. So Dr. Tory made her own — for her dog, Mabel, first. That became Sundays, and it’s still vet-operated today.

The dogs have noticed. In an independent taste test, 39 dogs were given a choice: Sundays’ chicken recipe or traditional kibble. Kibble lost, 39–0. Every recipe is human-grade (if you wouldn’t eat it, why should they?) and air-dried to lock in nutrition and flavor — no fridge, no prep, no cleanup.

I Love Every Dog readers can feed like a vet — and get 30% off their first order.

Feed Like a Vet — 30% Off Your First Order With Sundays

What a Fascinating New Study Tells Us About Canine Empathy

If you’ve ever stubbed your toe and found your dog resting a heavy chin on your knee, looking up at you with eyes full of pure, unadulterated concern, you already suspected the truth: dogs feel our pain.

A fresh study published in Frontiers in Ethology, titled "Let's get it together: the relationship between different measures of empathy in dogs," dives deep into the science of how our four-legged companions tune into our emotional world. Led by researchers exploring the nuances of canine social behavior, the study offers a heartwarming—and scientifically rigorous—look at just how deeply our dogs are wired to care about what we’re going through.

The Science of Soft Hearts: How the Study Worked

Measuring empathy in animals isn’t easy. After all, a dog can’t simply fill out a questionnaire about how they feel when you're having a rough day. To crack the code, the research team (featuring K. A. Otzelberger, T. Romero, and J. E. Meyers-Manor) brought together 35 dogs and their human owners to look at how different metrics of empathy line up.

They tested the dogs using various emotional triggers, such as watching humans express distress or joy, and measured how the dogs responded. They looked at:

• Person-oriented behaviors: Did the dogs approach, touch, or comfort the person?
• Attachment and owner ratings: Using specialized questionnaires (like the Dog-Owner Relationship Assessment), how did owners rate their dogs' everyday empathetic tendencies?
• Physiological responses: How did the dogs' bodies react (such as tracking heart rate variability) when faced with human emotions?

What Did They Find?

The results give us an even greater appreciation for our bond with dogs:

1. You’re Their Main Priority: Unsurprisingly, dogs showed significantly more person-oriented, comforting behaviors toward their own owners when they expressed distress compared to when a stranger did. While dogs can recognize human sadness generally, their heart—and their comforting nose-nudges—belong most profoundly to their family.
2. The Power of Negative Emotion: The study added to a growing body of evidence showing that dogs are particularly sensitive and responsive to negative human emotions (like crying or distress) rather than positive ones. To a dog, your distress acts as an immediate social call to action.
3. Empathy Has a Cost: Interestingly, the study noted that dogs who displayed higher levels of person-oriented comforting behaviors also showed subtle signs of physiological stress when humans experienced distress or emotional shifts. In short? When you hurt, they genuinely share a slice of that emotional weight.

Why This Matters for Us and Our Pups

This research reinforces what dog lovers have known in their bones: our dogs aren't just reacting to us out of learned obedience or looking for a treat. They are true emotional partners sharing our domestic space.

The next time your dog comes over to lean against your legs while you're stressed or sad, give them an extra scratch behind the ears. They aren’t just keeping you company. Instead, they are actively carrying a piece of your emotional burden, proving once again why they truly are man’s best friend.

Dog Food and Supplement Recalls

Here are the recent recalls and advisories:

• FI - Pet Supplements: Potential Salmonella Contamination
• Northwest Naturals - Chicken Recipe: Potential Salmonella and/or Listeria Monocytogenes Contamination
• Fromm - Wet Canned Dog Food: Potential Metal Contamination
• Oma's Pride - Canine Food: Contaminated with Salmonella

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