MADISON HEIGHTS/HAZEL PARK — Like arts and crafts? Love cats and dogs? An upcoming event will cater to your creative side while helping raise much-needed dollars for animal shelters in Madison Heights and Hazel Park.

GROSSE POINTE SHORES — After hearing from impassioned residents on both sides of the debate, the Grosse Pointe Shores City Council is expected to vote on a proposal that would ban residents from owning pit bulls during its next regular meeting at 7 p.m. Sept. 19 at City Hall.

WARREN — With their tails wagging behind them, Binx and Intel are ready for the new school year in Van Dyke Public Schools, which began Aug. 28.

NOVI — The Michigan State Fair will return Aug. 31-Sept. 4 to the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi.

ROCHESTER HILLS — Leader Dogs for the Blind is looking to the community to host a breeding dog in their home, a volunteer opportunity that the nonprofit says is now more accessible for a variety of lifestyles.

METRO DETROIT — With temperatures breaking records around the globe, experts are advising pet owners to be careful when exposing animals to summer heat.

SHELBY TOWNSHIP — The Burgess-Shadbush Nature Center recently opened a new habitat for its opossum named “Lily.”

ST. CLAIR SHORES — On July 17, the St. Clair Shores City Council approved amendments to two ordinances protecting animal welfare in a 7-0 vote.

NOVI — The Novi Police Department is grieving the loss of one of its own. K-9 Diesel, a decorated three-year veteran of the Novi Police Department, died at home July 20 after suffering an undisclosed medical complication.

ROYAL OAK — A Royal Oak student’s creation has made taking your dog on a walk a bit more rewarding.

METRO DETROIT — Michigan homeowners may have new options when it comes to those annoying critters digging up their gardens or threatening pets.

METRO DETROIT — According to Farmington Hills Assistant City Manager Joe Valentine, a regional deer survey has been completed by the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments in an effort to come up with a regional solution to address the deer population.

METRO DETROIT — If you live or work somewhere close to Lake St. Clair, you’re likely familiar with fishflies — the winged insects that seem to arrive in swarms every summer, covering buildings, fluttering around streetlights after dark, and dying en masse under said streetlights, creating stinky piles of bug carcasses.

METRO DETROIT — Anxiety is something that many people are familiar with as it troubles a large percentage of humans, but it is important to consider how anxiety may be affecting pets at home.

CLAWSON — Next year, Clawson Public Schools will be welcoming four new furry friends to the district.

BERKLEY — The arrival of a puppy store in Berkley caused much attention a couple months ago, and the City Council is on the verge of passing an ordinance to temporarily prohibit future businesses from settling in the city.

TROY — Navigating the process of adopting a child or welcoming one into the home out of foster care can be daunting, but a program coming to Troy’s Woodside Bible Church may assist parents and caregivers.

HAZEL PARK — You come across a baby bird that has fallen from its nest. You see the creature crying on the ground, and you want to help. But what do you do?

UTICA — Utica’s annual Puppy Parade will return at 2 p.m. April 29 with an even bigger event this year.

SHELBY TOWNSHIP — Local nature photographers have recently spotted two American bald eagles nesting in Shelby Township’s Holland Ponds Park with possible eggs in the nest.