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Animal Communication — Perfectly Clear

A visiting friend asks, “Do you want to me to let Graidy out? He’s pacing by the door.”

“Nah, must be around 4 o’clock,” I say, looking at the clock to confirm. “He wants to be fed.”

A while later the same friend, noticing Graidy at the door again, says, “Is Graidy hungry again already?”

“Nope, he wants to go out now.” I get up to let him out.

“This is like having a mother translate for her babbling baby!” … Read More

How to Introduce a Kitten to a Dog

I’ve received several requests asking that I share how I introduced Finnegan, our Maine Coon cat to Kiera and Graidy, our two dogs at the time (Wink came after Finn).

First, a little background. When Kiera was a puppy, we had a cat with whom she got along just fine. And Graidy had been tested on cats by his rescue group. So I knew that both dogs, even with high prey drives, stood a good chance of eventually being fine … Read More

How to Find an Agent or a Publisher

Seems aspiring writers want to know–Many people have asked me about the process of getting published. (There are a lot of stashed manuscripts hidden in those drawers out there!)

I advise finding an agent first. The process of getting an agent is the same as getting a publishing house. No matter which route you decide to take, there are two books you need to get. They are Writer’s Market (current year) and Guide to Literary Agents. They list what … Read More

Scientists Decode Dogspeak

From LiveScience:   Scientists Decode Dogspeak: Software analyzed barks sparked by fights, strangers, playtime

 

Artificially intelligent Dr. Doolittles can understand dog barks as well or better than humans do.

These findings suggest computers might significantly help people comprehend animal communication.

Scientists tested artificially intelligent software on more than 6,000 barks from 14 Hungarian sheepdogs. Six different kinds of barks were taped:

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Finding the Eye of the Hurricane

Maybe you’ve noticed that life seems to be speeding up lately. It sure has sped up around here.

Cait has been going through a period where’s she’s been given the opportunity to practice not over-reacting.  This is not an easy lesson for a teenager. What’s been interesting to watch is that what initially seems like disappointing or bad news has actually turned out to be a good thing in the end.

The most recent example of this was when she … Read More

Crufts 2010 Freestyle Winner

Crufts is the largest dog show in the world. It’s held in March every year. And while it has all the usual judging of Best of Breed, etc., I love watching the agility and freestyle parts of the program. Talk about a working and playing partnership with your dog…!

Here are this year’s winners, Richard and Pogo, of the HTM (heelwork to music) Freestyle.

And Mary Ray is one of my favorite performers. Simply amazing.

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One of My Favorite Recipes — Orange Salad

With all the anticipation of getting ready for my gardening season, I’ve been cooking up a storm testing new recipes.  Cait is always very happy when this happens.  As she was munching and I was preparing, we got to talking about favorite childhood tastes.  For me, hands down, it’s my mother’s Orange Salad recipe.  It’s so simple and refreshing.

Orange Salad Recipe

  1. Peel skin off several oranges, leaving a fair amount of pith (the white inner skin).
  2. Slice and cut
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