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My Dogs and Me

Kiera, Graidy, Wink and Me

Lyme Disease Season in Full Swing — The Best Offense is a Good Defense

/ Dogs in General, My Dogs and Me / By / 4 Comments

Deer tick nymph stageSigh… Big sigh… Really big sigh…

I hate ticks.

Especially deer ticks–the carriers of Lyme disease.

And this tick season is as bad as I can recall. (Just to be clear–it’s never not tick season, because adult deer ticks don’t go completely dormant like the nymphs do, but they’re especially active during the Spring and Fall.) I’ve been picking several ticks a day off of each dog for a couple of weeks now. Even with using Frontline. It’s enough … Read More

House Changes for My Geriatric Dogs

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Graidy, my border collie mix, is 14ish now. Wink, my Cavalier, just turned 9. And Finn, though not technically a dog but a Maine Coon cat with a dog’s spirit, is 12.

I’ve noticed the most significant changes in Graidy. He’s mostly deaf and nearly blind, and he’s slowed down to a trot from a non-stop gallop. He often stumbles on the stairs now.

And while Wink still seems to be going strong overall, he’s happy to lie quietly and … Read More

Would an Australian Shepherd Be a Good Dog Breed for You

/ Dog Training, Dogs in General, Just Dogs, My Dogs and Me / By / 8 Comments

australian shepherdsI’ve been getting a lot of emails and comments lately on these two posts  Five Facts You Need to Know Before Choosing an Australian Shepherd and Bringing Home an Australian Shepherd Puppy: What You Need to Know.

There are many wonderful people out there who think their lives might be enriched by sharing their lives with an Aussie, and they’re asking my opinion.

So who would make a good match for an Aussie and vice vera?

I’m going to try … Read More

Supersonic Hearing

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Graidy is 14ish now. He sleeps the sleep of the dead most of the day. That is, unless he hears a twig snap outside anywhere within a mile radius of the house.

Case in point. Out of a sound sleep, Graidy leaps up, rushes outside and commences barking. I go to check on what it is–because I know he doesn’t bark at nothing. It takes me a while to spot what woke him up…

There is a doe hiding in … Read More

If Only People Paid As Much Attention As Dogs

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australian shepherd paying attentionAdmit it. You can’t even move toward your shoes without your dog(s) knowing that you are going out. And whether those shoes are hard-soled or sneakers tell them whether they’re going to get to go with you.

That’s because our dogs really pay attention. They notice every little action we take. Every little facial expression. Every little sigh or laugh. Every little everything. They. Pay. Attention.

And they know exactly what that action, expression, sound means.

I cannot move an … Read More

And Then There Were None

/ Dogs in General, My Dogs and Me / By / Leave a Comment

I have a dog friend who lives in another part of the country. We try to talk by phone at least once a year.

And how does one get a “dog friend,” you might be thinking.

Back when I first started experiencing dog aggression problems between Kiera and Molly, many years ago now, I researched, joined dog training lists, and read prolifically. In the course of one of my online travels, I met Heidi. She was a PhD Psychologist turned … Read More

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