Bark says goodbye to its #1 canine

The September/October issue of The Bark, “dog is my co-pilot,” marks the end of an era for the magazine.

Amidst the eye-popping colors of the titles, the cover features a smiling Border Collie mix. A smiling dog in Bark is nothing new—there are four other mini-circles on the newsstand cover featuring photos of smiling pups, as well as a two-page collage spread of readers’ dogs smiling, which appears in every issue.

But as editor-in-chief Claudia Kawczynska explains in her editor’s letter, this dog is different, and anyone who regularly reads Bark knows it. The cover star is Nellie, Bark’s founding dog. Although Kawczynska had to put Nellie down on July 13, after the dog battled an aggressive and untreatable cancer since December 2006, she is just now able to write about the tragic loss. The magazine also features a two-page album spread of photos of Nellie through the years.

Bark, which prides itself on being the magazine for the modern dog culture since 1997, showed its more sensitive side this month. But that doesn’t mean there weren’t gems hidden between the tears. Bark provides information on social and behavior issues, such as health and exercise, and animal activism, while concentrating on the complex relationship between humans and their dogs. According to their website, Bark has the reputation of being The New Yorker of dog magazines.

Their online e-zine counterpart, Bark Unleashed, also provides an abundance of information and a place for dog owners to interact.

The off-the-beaten-path research makes this magazine interesting and unique. One article suggests that dogs laugh. No, that is not a typo. Research has shown that dogs laugh by making a “forced breathy exhalation through the mouth.” For those who are skeptical, Bark even goes further to show the reader the spectrograph of a dog-laugh compared to a pant. So the next time your dog is playing with its favorite toy, pay attention, you may hear a chuckle or two.

Other articles include Morrow II, a service dog who helps disable sailors keep up their spirits on the high seas; and Olive, a Brittany Spaniel/Weimeraner mix, who kept things lively at the Smuttynose Brewery in Portsmouth, N.H. She even serves as inspiration for an ale.

One particularly intriguing find in this month’s issue is a study that shows a possible small correlation between the number of emergency vet visits for cats and dogs during different phases of the moon.

While other canine magazines may not even attempt these types of stories, Bark not only gives it, but it backs it up with research. Now that’s one dog whose bark is just as big as its bite.

–Cassandra Mocyk