The last two weeks, the Pet Doctor podcasts have been a series of interviews from the AKC/Eukanuba Dog Show, held in Long Beach, CA in early December of 2009.  I learned about some very distinctive breeds.  Dogs can do so much more than keep us company.  They can be another set of eyes, ears and serve as an enforcement aid for police departments.  They can assist a disabled person with daily chores that we may take for granted.  Sometimes the disabled one is the dog such as retired military canines that need our help. And don’t think that trotting around with a dog at a show like this is only a beauty contest.  I will speak with a junior handler who told me how working with her dog has helped raise her personal level of confidence and improved her grades at school.