This post is brought to you by GOOD, in partnership with PurinaONE®. We’re teaming up to share stories about how pets—and the people who love them—can brighten lives and strengthen our communities. Read more stories on the GOOD Pets hub.


Our pets mean a lot to us, as family members, best friends, and good neighbors. They’re there for us when we’re having tough times, and they bring us closer to our surrounding communities. A conversation about pets is almost always a great way to break the ice, and most definitely an opportunity to learn something new.

Beyond being personal companions, pets inspire creativity and healthy ways of living in our community. Do you know about an inspiring pet story or do you have one of your own? GOOD and Purina ONE are teaming up throughout 2013 to bring you the GOOD Pets hub, where you can share posts about pet care, adoptions, or animal heroes. Starting today, we’ll be bringing you more than cute and fuzzy posts about cats and dogs. We’ll provide food for thought, including content like:

  • Pet Diaries: Our continuing column features comedians, authors, musicians, and other pet owners writing about how their relationships with their neighbors and communities changed after pets came into their lives.
  • Profiles about animal shelters and nonprofits that are finding inspiring ways to get their communities involved.
  • Stories about people who are driven by curiosity to fuel change in their neighborhoods.
  • A series elevating the extraordinary pet research that’s helping to improve the lives of our companions, including mapping the dog genome, studying dog happiness, tracking cat ancestry, and working on ways to help sustain a bright mind for dogs as they age.
  • A GOOD Guide to keeping your pet healthy and happy in an urban city.
  • Infographics that will include scientific facts about pets.
  • And Maker Challenges, which will result in donations to a pet welfare nonprofit or shelter.

So, follow the GOOD Pets hub and every week read heartfelt, funny, and smart stories that will make you think differently about pets and their place in our world. We’ll also be offering ways for you to get more involved in your community with your pets, so that you can make the most out of being a pet owner.

Illustration by Jessica De Jesus

  • Man’s dog suddenly becomes protective of his wife, Internet clocks the reason right away
    Dogs have impressive observational powers.Photo credit: Canva

    Reddit user Girlfriendhatesmefor’s three-year-old pitbull, Otis, had recently become overprotective of his wife. So he asked the online community if they knew what might be wrong with the dog.

    “A week or two ago, my wife got some sort of stomach bug,” the Reddit user wrote under the subreddit /r/dogs. “She was really nauseous and ill for about a week. Otis is very in tune with her emotions (we once got in a fight and she was upset, I swear he was staring daggers at me lol) and during this time didn’t even want to leave her to go on walks. We thought it was adorable!”

    His wife soon felt better, butthe dog’s behavior didn’t change.

    pregnancy signs, dogs and pregnancy, pitbull behavior, pet intuition, dog overprotection, Reddit stories, viral Reddit, dog instincts, canine emotions, dog owner tips
    Otis knew before they did. Canva

    Girlfriendhatesmefor began to fear that Otis’ behavior may be an early sign of an aggression issue or an indication that the dog was hurt or sick.

    So he threw a question out to fellow Reddit users: “Has anyone else’s dog suddenly developed attachment/aggression issues? Any and all advice appreciated, even if it’s that we’re being paranoid!”

    The most popular response to his thread was by ZZBC.

    Any chance your wife is pregnant?

    ZZBC | Reddit

    The potential news hit Girlfriendhatesmefor like a ton of bricks. A few days later, Girlfriendhatesmefor posted an update and ZZBC was right!

    “The wifey is pregnant!” the father-to-be wrote. “Otis is still being overprotective but it all makes sense now! Thanks for all the advice and kind words! Sorry for the delayed reply, I didn’t check back until just now!”

    Redditors responded with similar experiences.

    Anecdotal I know but I swear my dog knew I was pregnant before I was. He was super clingy (more than normal) and was always resting his head on my belly.

    realityisworse | Reddit

    So why do dogs get overprotective when someone is pregnant?

    Jeff Werber, PhD, president and chief veterinarian of the Century Veterinary Group in Los Angeles, told Health.com that “dogs can also smell the hormonal changes going on in a woman’s body at that time.” He added the dog may “not understand that this new scent of your skin and breath is caused by a developing baby, but they will know that something is different with you—which might cause them to be more curious or attentive.”

    The big lesson here is to listen to your pets and to ask questions when their behavior abruptly changes. They may be trying to tell you something, and the news may be life-changing.

    This article originally appeared last year.

  • Throughout history, women have stood up and fought to break down barriers imposed on them from stereotypes and societal expectations. The trailblazers in these photos made history and redefined what a woman could be. In doing so, they paved the way for future generations to stand up and continue to fight for equality.

  • ,

    Why mass shootings spawn conspiracy theories

    Mass shootings and conspiracy theories have a long history.

    While conspiracy theories are not limited to any topic, there is one type of event that seems particularly likely to spark them: mass shootings, typically defined as attacks in which a shooter kills at least four other people.

    When one person kills many others in a single incident, particularly when it seems random, people naturally seek out answers for why the tragedy happened. After all, if a mass shooting is random, anyone can be a target.

    Pointing to some nefarious plan by a powerful group – such as the government – can be more comforting than the idea that the attack was the result of a disturbed or mentally ill individual who obtained a firearm legally.


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