
Ask Strider: The solidarity column
Ask Strider: Our advice columnist loves getting praise and feels his failures as much as the next dog. But as long as he’s loved, who cares?
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Ask Strider: Our advice columnist loves getting praise and feels his failures as much as the next dog. But as long as he’s loved, who cares?
Ask Strider: Our advice columnist turns to the problems of making friends and keeping them. As usual, he counsels restraint in troubled friendships, and asks the Old Cedar Tree what to do about making friends in the first place. The Old Cedar Tree has interesting thoughts on the subject.
Ask Strider: In this column greeting the new year, Strider is grateful for so many things — people, memories and feelings, good and bad. From an organization that helps dogs on the street, to a reader imagining a chip encoded with a dog’s entire story, to the warmth of kind wishes during sad times, Strider embraces it all. His paw on your foot. Really.
Ask Strider: In this column, our advice columnist urges a frazzled volunteer to slow down and enjoy the winter. He also celebrates the holiday season, which for Strider and Woody is every day they are with their loved ones.
Ask Strider: In this column, a reader wonders how they should handle the end of a loved one’s life. Strider has sad experience of this, and puts his paw firmly on the reader’s foot, to offer what support and comfort his own story might give.
Ask Strider: This column, our advice columnist slyly points out the main advantage of aging. And wonders why we’re putting up with the discombobulation of Daylight Savings Time when regular time is perfectly all right on its own.
Ask Strider: Our advice columnist has a dream to relate. Other dogs have told him about their top dreams too. And his experiences at the dog park lead him to believe there are a number of ways to handle your attendance (or not) at a holiday party.
Ask Strider: Our advice columnist has hints on how to handle it when someone steps into your lane — at the dog park, during a neighborhood conversation, or at a family gathering. Gentle but firm is his counsel. Emphasis on the firm.
Ask Strider: This column, the Dog about Town recommends bright colors for dogs in hunting season, deep breathing for anxious humans, and insouciance when confronted with unwarranted snark. As always, he’s sympathetic to every worry.
Ask Strider: This week, our advice columnist enthuses about walking in a Rogue Valley autumn, the best way to treat a sick friend, and how to introduce yourself to a fellow human being.
The Ashland School Board on Thursday night turned recent snow days into furlough days and took the first step to initiate potential layoffs in the 2025-26 school year. A letter, which the board unanimously approved, will start a 30-day period for the district and the Ashland Education Association to discuss a potential reduction in force, or RIF, to deal with ongoing budget shortfalls.
Oregon medical researchers and three Democratic members of Oregon’s congressional delegation warned that the Trump administration’s efforts to curtail funding will hamper the ability of the state’s science community to do groundbreaking research that can save lives and advance health care.
Providence Medford Medical Center said Friday that 43 percent of its striking nurses have come back to work amid an historic statewide strike. The nurses union, however, calls the number “unsubstantiated.” About 380 nurses at Providence Medford went on strike Jan. 10 along with nurses at eight other hospitals around the state. In total, nearly 5,000 Oregon Nurses Association-represented nurses remain on strike.
Two more Oregon cats died this month after eating raw cat food that was contaminated with the deadly bird flu virus, prompting Washington state officials to issue a recall. Pet owners should toss or return any containers of Wild Coast’s boneless free range chicken formula, lots 22660 and 22664, with a best by date of December 2025.
Carrie Dahle: Here in Ashland, the real estate market remains strong, but affordability remains a central challenge…. While we haven’t seen a dramatic shift toward smaller homes yet, buyers are increasingly prioritizing homes that offer efficient layouts, updated features and lower maintenance costs.
A crowd gathered outside the psychedelic entrance of the Shrooms Cafe in downtown Ashland Friday night, Feb. 7. They were among the first visitors to climb the long flight of stairs that lead to a large open room filled with music and colored lights. It was opening night at Shrooms Cafe at 139 E. Main Street, next door to O’Ryans Irish Pub.
(It’s free)