Kenzie had a tough day at the Vet today. We found out that she has the hips of a 13 yo dog (she is 3 1/2) and will need hip replacement surgery. As soon as she got home, Riley rushed over to comfort her.
Arrow joined in to give his condolences. The bond these three have is remarkable.
All for one, and one for all.
PS: This is the first time I’ve ever gotten pet insurance (AKC Pet Insurance… Read More
I recently got an email with this request: “I want a dog, but it has to be easy, loving, not need much exercise, and mostly maintenance-free.”
If I’m honest, my first thought was, you don’t want a dog; you want an affectionate cat. But it’s not for me to judge. So…
You want the warm, snuggles in bed and the loyal shadow that follows you from the kitchen to … Read More
[From the Mailbag: Thanks to Jill and her new puppy, Drew, for this question.]
You walk through the front door after being gone for a few hours. Your dog races over, tail wagging so hard their whole body wiggles. They jump, lick your hands, and then… there’s a puddle on the floor.
The good news is this behavior is pretty common, especially in puppies. Even some adult dogs do it. In most cases, your dog isn’t having an accident on … Read More
I’ve often said that if you don’t give an Aussie a job, they will give themselves one. Case in point. Arrow has appointed himself guardian of his dog flock.
And I couldn’t be more thankful. Don’t have to worry about Eagles swooping down or weasels sneaking in. I know with Arrow on duty, I have no worries.… Read More
If you’ve been a regular reader, you’re probably almost as familiar with our pond as we are; it’s in nearly every outdoor shot. If you’re not, here are a few pics through the seasons.
What you may not have guessed is that we built it. The year before Cait was born, we reclaimed it from a mosquito-infested swamp. For the first year, there was no life in or around the pond; all was still. In the second year, the … Read More
We’ve had Great Blue Herons visiting our pond for decades. Seeing this pose is a first.
This pose is known as “horning” or sun-baking (often referred to by birders as the delta wing pose).
While it looks like it might be trying to do a yoga stretch or impersonate a dragon, I discovered there are a few practical reasons behind this striking behavior:
1. Thermoregulation (Sunbathing)
On cooler mornings or after spending time in cold water hunting for fish, herons … Read More
If you’ve ever heard a bird song and thought, What bird is that? The Merlin Bird ID app is for you. It’s free and it’s fabulous at what it does. (Scroll to the bottom of the post to get the link.)
This screengrab shows what’s currently singing in my neck of the woods. I’ve used this app for so long now, that I can identify most of the bird songs on this list. The Song Sparrow iw always a little … Read More
I don’t know about you, but I’ve had it with ever-rising, never-ending subscription costs by digital monopolies, invasion of personal privacy, and now hijacking of my content for AI training.
So I started making changes. I moved from Microsoft Office to LibreOffice (FREE). From OneNote to Joplin (FREE). From OneDrive, Google Docs, and Dropbox to pCloud Drive (FREE, with an option for a lifetime purchase if you need more storage). And, last but not least, I moved from Gmail … Read More
