Dog Rescue Story, Summer Food Tips & Chi Chi

The week in dogs, fetched for you.

Good morning, dog lover. This week: summer snack wisdom, wonderfully chaotic dogs, a rescue story that starts with a PB&J sandwich, and Chi Chi judging from her rightful place on the couch.

The Lead

Summer snack season comes with a few dog rules.

Watermelon on the counter. Popsicles in the freezer. Backyard dinners that somehow attract one very interested dog. Summer is full of food moments — and not every seasonal treat belongs in your pup's bowl.

Why dog people should care

Some summer favorites can be safe in moderation. Others are best kept firmly on the human side of the picnic table. Knowing the difference makes summer a little easier for everyone.

The Fetch take: treats are treats — fun, occasional, and best served with a little common sense.

Read the summer food guide

Dog watching a summer picnic table with dog-safe fruits and treats

Quick Fetches

01

Dorotha is 71 pounds and still convinced she's a lap dog.

After losing both her owner and her home, Dorotha arrived at a North Carolina shelter with one very specific goal: finding a couch. Despite weighing 71 pounds, she reportedly spends most of her time trying to curl up next to people, resting her head in their laps and convincing everyone she is much smaller than she actually is.

Originally reported by Newsweek.

02

They adopted a Labrador. Allegedly.

Buffy arrived as what everyone assumed was a Labrador puppy. Then her ears stood up. Her face changed. Her proportions shifted. As she kept growing, her owners became increasingly less certain about what breed they had actually brought home. Fortunately, their confusion only seems to have increased their affection.

Originally reported by Newsweek.

03

Eighteen firefighters spent six hours rescuing one tiny Yorkie.

Halo, a 12-year-old Yorkshire Terrier in Virginia, disappeared into a groundhog tunnel and became trapped underground. Over the next six hours, eighteen firefighters worked through dense red clay to reach her. Halo made it home safely, making this technically her second rescue — she had originally been adopted from a local SPCA years earlier.

Originally reported by Daily Voice.

PJ the rescue dog after being adopted by a Milwaukee sanitation worker

The Heartwarmer

The best dog story of the week starts with a PB&J sandwich.

Earlier this spring, a Milwaukee garbage route turned into a rescue mission when sanitation workers spotted something moving beneath a pile of trash.

The puppy was alive, severely malnourished, and so thin that workers could see nearly his entire skeleton. After giving him water, they called supervisor Alex Halverson, who fed the starving dog the only food he had with him that day — two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

The puppy recovered at a local shelter, gained weight, received treatment, and eventually moved into a foster home. Then Halverson made it official and adopted him himself.

His name is PJ — after the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches that helped save him.

Today PJ weighs more than twice what he did when he was found, and the dog who was nearly thrown away has a home, a yard, and someone firmly in his corner.

Watch PJ's rescue story →

Pup Crush of the Week

Meet Chi Chi, the Judging Couch Queen.

This week’s Pup Crush has perfected the art of silent judgment. From her throne on the couch, Chi Chi keeps a close eye on household decisions, snack distribution, and any activity she personally finds questionable.

Meet Chi Chi →

A funny dog caught making a questionable decision for the bad dog trend

Dog People Are Talking About

The internet is having a “bad dog” moment.

A TikTok trend called #ShowMeYourBadDog has dog owners proudly sharing the habits they were never able to fix: counter surfing, selective hearing, stolen socks, dramatic barking, and the occasional complete disregard for instructions.

The appeal isn't that these dogs are bad. It's that they're familiar. The sock thieves. The selective listeners. The dogs who absolutely know the rules and choose to ignore them anyway.

Good dogs. Questionable decisions.

Also being discussed

Dog dads are having a moment: New industry data suggests Millennial and Gen Z men have become one of the fastest-growing groups in pet ownership — and some of the biggest spenders too. Turns out “dog dad” wasn't just a social media caption. It became a demographic.

Dog Lover Check-In

What’s your dog’s most “bad dog, but I love you” habit?

Counter surfing. Sock stealing. Selective listening. Barking at invisible threats. Sitting exactly where you need to be. Every dog has at least one habit that is technically unacceptable and emotionally non-negotiable.

Hit reply and tell us the one thing your dog does that you have officially stopped trying to fix.

Want your pup featured?

We’re always looking for dogs with main-character energy.

Send us their name, a favorite photo, and what makes them impossible not to love. Snack inspectors, couch thieves, velcro dogs, rescue sweethearts, and dramatic side-eye artists are all welcome.

Submit Your Pup

Thanks for spending part of your Sunday with us. We hope something in today's edition made you smile, taught you something new, or reminded you why life is better with dogs in it.

See you next week. Until then, enjoy the little moments, forgive the occasional bad behavior, and give your dog an extra kiss from us.

The best dog story of the week starts with a PB&J sandwich 🥪🐾

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