Information on living with, training, and loving Dogs
–or perhaps more aptly,
All-ee All-ee Out Free
I’m in one of those “if there’s a problem, solve it” modes. With four animals in the house now (outnumbering the humans) I have to admit that I’ve been feeling a little under siege lately. Between worrying about Finn dashing out the door every chance he gets, and dealing with integrating Wink, Cait’s new puppy, into a very established pack, I’ve had my hands full.
But I finally hit on a solution … Read More
Wink has been with us for three weeks now. He is as sweet a dog as I have ever come across. He’s so cute and cuddly and full of love that everyone who meets him can’t help but say, “Awwww…”
And then they can’t help but pick him up, for which they’ll receive a tiny face bath for their troubles.
Friends have threatened to slip him into their coat pockets and steal away with him.
His mere presence makes grown … Read More
I think it was John Lennon who said, “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.”
Well “life” sure has been happenin’ around here. Not least of which is that I’ve somehow been roped into adding a third dog to our crew.
It all started when Cait began making serious noise again about wanting her own little dog (emphasis on little). Having zero interest in adding a third dog, I told her to take it up … Read More
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
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
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
Alex, the gray parrot, and Washoe, the chimpanzee, (both recently deceased) are back in the news in this month’s National Geographic Magazine, in an article about understanding the animal’s mind. In it, the newest kid on the “smarts” block is featured. Are you ready? Yep, a Border Collie named Betsy, who knows more than 300 words. Look to being hearing lots more about her.
In the meantime, I thought you might enjoy this New York Times tribute to Alex and … Read More
