• All
  • Awakening Inner Knowing
  • Awareness Tune Up Challenge
  • Cait and Me
  • Dog Training
  • Dogs in General
  • Finnegan the Coon Cat
  • Funnies
  • Just Dogs
  • Life
  • Life of Riley
  • My Dogs and Me
  • My Favorites
  • My Garden / Recipes
  • Nature
  • Nature's Grocery Store
  • On Writing
  • Podcasts
  • spirituality
  • Tech Tips & Product Reviews
  • The Mail Bag
  • Thought for the Day

My Dogs and Me

Kiera, Graidy, Wink and Me

Longest Day of the Year

The summer solstice is the day of maximum sunlight hours, bringing the longest day and shortest night of the year.

I’d like to think we put it to maximum use.

As usual, Graidy greeted me at 4:50 a.m.by jumping up on the bed and licking my face until I woke up. Next to me on the floor, was Kiera on her dog bed. Finn was perched on the open window sill, twitching at every birdsong. The furry contingent and I … Read More

A Writing Life

I haven’t needed an alarm clock for years now, because I have two furry ones. Today, it’s 4:10 AM, a little early even for me. Graidy usually has the decency to wait until about 5:00 AM before rousing me out of bed. (Another quality people should be aware of when getting high energy/herding dogs is that they’re ready to go at the crack of dawn–literally. ) Fortunately, I like to get up early to write, in the quiet, when everyone … Read More

Dog Chew Treats — Safe or Unsafe

All puppies and most grown dogs have a need to chew. While both Kiera and Graidy were chewers as puppies, Kiera could take or leave a bone or chewie now. Graidy still lives for them; he needs to chew. Perhaps your dog falls somewhere in the middle. Regardless, no doubt, at some point we’ve all bought our dogs a treat or chew toy. Who doesn’t like to treat their dogs occassionally? But did you know that the very treat you’re … Read More

Teach Your Dog Hand Signals and Save Her Life

Nutmeg saved her old dog, Ezra’s life today. From all the way across the front yard and down across the street!

Ezra, Nutmeg’s beloved 12 year old boxer, got out the front door and wandered across the street, before Nutmeg had a chance to realize. With four kids and a busy house, it happens. But Nutmeg did see Ezra in time to watch the speeding car heading straight for her, as she was about to step into the street.

Nutmeg … Read More

Hello Old Friend

Coyote

Can you see him? He’s in the middle of the two clumps of trees. (Sorry the photos aren’t clearer. He was all the way across the pond, toward the ridge. Even with the digital 12x zoom, it was hard to get a good shot from this distance at dusk.)

Coyote1

I called out to say hello, and he turned to look. He’s such a big boy now.

This coyote and I go way back. All the way back to a field … Read More

Nurse Kiera

Cait has a touch of the flu. And there’s only one way to get her to rest.

Kiera has to just about physically lie on top of her. And then stay with her until she falls asleep. Nurse Kiera is always up for the job.

bestbabysitter2.jpg

This time, Kiera stayed with Cait for the entirety of her four hour nap. When Cait woke, her fever had broken, and the worst of the symptoms were behind her.

There is no stronger medicine … Read More

Will You Pulleeease Get Off the Computer

bordercollie-australianshepherd-mainecoon.jpg

I’m working late on a deadline. It’s way past this crew’s bedtime. They’ve been patiently waiting, curled around my feet. And then not so patiently waiting, moving toward the stairs.

When that didn’t get me to follow, they parked themselves halfway between me and the stairs as a hint, alternating between loud sighs and glares.

Finnegan finally decided to take matters into his own hands. Previously lying snuggled up next to Graidy (they’re inseparable), he determined that walking on the … Read More

Chocolate Danger Chart for Dogs

Hopefully, everyone knows that small amounts of certain kinds of chocolate (especially the dark chocolates) can kill your dog.

Jo, a reader, had a heart-stopping day when one of her dogs got into a box of chocolates. She found this National Geographic Chocolate Chart which lists different kinds of chocolates and lets you determine by your dog’s weight whether you need to rush your dog to the vet or let nature take its course.

To change the weight to what … Read More

Scroll to Top