DEAR PAW’S CORNER: While walking along the local riverway this frosty weekend, I noticed at least three people whose dogs were under-equipped for the cold. One dog wore an insulated vest but no booties; the other two dogs wore no cold protection at all. Why do so many owners ignore their dogs’ comfort and safety this way? — Harold in New Hampshire

DEAR HAROLD: Unfortunately, not every dog owner knows that it’s up to them to protect their pets from cold-weather hazards. Most dogs won’t ask for a sweater vest, and I’ve yet to meet one that didn’t hate booties. I know quite a few dogs that just won’t tolerate booties.

Many owners do know their dogs’ limits in the cold...

• On Feb. 12, 1912, Hsian-T’ung, the last emperor of China, was forced to abdicate following Sun Yat-sen’s republican revolution, ending 267 years of Manchu rule in China and 2,000 years of imperial rule.

• On Feb. 13, 1958, a four-passenger Thunderbird called the “Square Bird,” made by the Ford Company, made its public debut. Considered to be a model that turned the Thunderbird from a sports car into a luxury car, it’s still often referred to as simply the T-Bird and has appeared in movies such as “Grease,” popular songs and music videos.

• On Feb. 14, 1984, Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean became the highest scoring figure skaters in history at the Olympic ice...

Walking through downtown Gallup, a person can see a wide number of murals showing off artists’ talents. But one that popped up in the past six months has a special story.

In 2021, the Gallup-McKinley County Chamber of Commerce held a class for community members called Leadership McKinley. Participants were encouraged to pick a project they could complete within five months. This served as their capstone project.

One group comprised of Gallup’s Planning Manager Nikki Lee and Four Corner’s Detox Recovery Center’s Operations Manager Maura Schanefelt, MPA, decided to focus on beautifying downtown Gallup by hiring artists to create murals.

And Schanefelt thought she knew the...

DEAR PAW’S CORNER: I left my dog Shep in the care of a pet sitter for a week while I was away on business. The sitter texted me that Shep cut his paw during a walk in the nearby woods, and they took him to my veterinarian for care.

Shep is doing fine now. I have pet insurance, but I don’t think it’s my responsibility

to pay for this. The injury occurred while the sitter was walking him. The sitter says that injury

and illness are my responsibility to cover. Who should pay? — Bill in Chicago

DEAR BILL: Did the sitter givany details of how Shep was injured? The circumstances are important. For example, if Shep was on-leash and stepped on an unexpected piece of

debris in the...