Dogs in Harmony

05/26/2026

05/16/2026

🚨 BAY AREA PARVO ALERT 🚨
..for humans.

Not dogs.

Please read literally one more sentence before panic-sharing posts about “parvo in NorCal wastewater.” 😭

The virus currently being discussed in Bay Area wastewater reports is Human Parvovirus B19, also known as “slapped cheek disease.” It is NOT canine parvovirus. Your dog cannot catch this strain.

Canine parvo = Parvovirus type 2
This virus = Human Parvovirus B19

Completely different species-specific viruses. Similar name. Very different disease.

If you need direction on protecting your young, under-vaccinated puppy from canine parvovirus, please discuss it with your veterinarian. Parvo is a very serious disease, but we are not entering a puppy pandemic and your puppy isn't going to catch it from the water. The wastewater detection part is just surveillance. Scientists test sewage because humans shed viral material in bodily fluids, and wastewater trends can help track what’s circulating in a population.

Human B19 mainly affects PEOPLE, particularly:
• children or elderly
• pregnant individuals
• immunocompromised people
• people with certain blood disorders

Symptoms are usually mild and often look like a cold, rash, or joint pain.

As always:
✔️ vaccinate your puppies and humans appropriately
✔️ avoid high-risk dog exposure before vaccines are complete
✔️ wash your hands
✔️ maybe get medical information from medical doctors, not Facebook (except this time, I guess)

05/12/2026

Meet Zest. Learn what she’s learning and get you’re puppy questions answered

05/10/2026

Our first Facebook Live is this Tuesday May 12 at 4:45. Would love to see you there. Leave us a comment with any questions you’d like addressed at this free online event.

05/10/2026

Can’t wait to see you Tuesday 5/12 @ 4:45!

05/08/2026

🐾Tuesday, 5/12, at 4:45PM!🐾

Join us for our first Facebook Live event with Shanni and new arrival Zest.

During this week’s Facebook Live, Shanni will be sharing what Zest has been working on during her first week home, including:

• Sit, Down, Stand, and Touch foundations
• Early impulse control
• Appropriate play skills
• Bed and mat work
• Building engagement and communication
• Preventing rehearsal of unwanted behaviors

We’ll also be discussing why these early foundation skills matter, how we approach puppy development, and what realistic training looks like during those first few weeks with a new puppy.

Bring your own puppy questions for our live Q&A time!

05/08/2026

Part 2 of our Puppy Foundations series is live. 🐾

In this post we’re talking about predictability, mixed breeds, rescue dogs, and what you’re actually working with when you bring a puppy home.

A well-bred purebred dog offers a narrower range of expected outcomes. A mixed breed or unknown background often comes with more variables. That’s not a judgment about which dogs are “better.” It’s simply about understanding how much information you have at the start, and how that affects things like temperament, drive, energy level, and long-term fit.

We also talk about:
• why predictability matters
• what you can still evaluate in any puppy
• why observation matters more than labels
• how breed traits can combine in unexpected ways
• what makes foster-based rescue information so valuable

One of my favorite lines from this section:

“Predictability is the product.”

Because ultimately, choosing a puppy is not just about finding a dog you love. It’s about finding a dog whose tendencies and needs realistically fit the life you’re bringing them into.

Read Part 2 here:
https://www.harmonydogs.net/group/puppies/discussion/a6693e03-6fa0-4fcb-a010-29caf4910b05

05/07/2026

May Pupdate: Introducing a Zesty New Team Member! 🍋 -

Zest is a Field Spaniel puppy, eight and a half weeks old, liver and tan, and already living up to her name. From the earliest videos the breeder sent, she was the first one out of the whelping box, the first to investigate new toys, and consistently the boldest in the litter when something unfamili...