Search Results for: graidy

Perks for Wink

cavalier walking on leashGraidy has been gone for a month now. It’s been 20 years since we’ve been a one-dog-family. It’s taking some adjusting for both me and Wink.

I worried that Wink would go into a deep depression without his best bud. And he did for a little while. But he seems to have rebounded.

In part, because he gets to do something now that rarely happened when Graidy was alive. He gets to come on walks with me now.

No matter … Read More

Life with Geriatric Animals

So. Life in the very slow lane. What does that look like?

Graidy is 18ish, Finn is 15 and Wink is 12. All are still going strong-ish.

But all now have heart problems. And Finn’s about to go get nuked with a radioactive shot to the tune of $3k to kill a benign tumor that’s making him hyperthyroid.

I know. It’s nuts. But I’m pathological. I can’t not do it, because Finn isn’t ready to go yet. These animals have … Read More

17

This is what 17 looks like at our house.

Graidy, our white BC mix, is 17ish–we don’t know his age exactly since he came to us as a stray at about 1 yo.

He still runs around like a puppy. Nobody can believe he’s that old when they meet him.

Wink, our Cavelier is 11. Finn, our Maine Coon cat is 14. All going strong.

I think there’s longevity in the water here. (That and lots of love, high-quality food, … Read More

143rd Westminster Dog Show – Feb. 11

*The Westminster Dog Show returns to New York City for the 143rd time on Monday (Feb. 11), when 2,800 canines will compete for the coveted Best in Show title. This year’s show runs from 8am ET to 11pm ET on Feb. 11 and 12 and is available to stream online.

Two new dog breeds, the Nederlandse kooikerhondje (which is cool because for the longest time I though Graidy might have been a kooikerjondje) and the grand basset griffon Vendéen, … Read More

What Makes a Mutt? DNA Tests Can Tell.

Dog DNA test kitDNA testing has come a long way from the days when tests were exorbitantly expensive and results could take months to get. Today, you can order an inexpensive DNA test that can tell you what your mixed breed dog’s heritage is.

In an AP article, Nate Jenkins tells of how one woman did just that. She wanted to know the origins of her dog, Rascal.

“Rascal’s mom looked like Lassie. His dad? Well, that’s a good question.

Rascal’s ears make

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How to Pick a Dog Person Out of a Crowd

We’re in a period where there have been a lot of people showing up at the house.

While I enjoy most people, I don’t love having any of them show up unannounced.

That’s because there’s a fair amount of management that goes into keeping Graidy and Wink safe since both of them are Houdini escape artists.

Open the door a slit and turn your back. GONE.

Open the door to come in and stand there talking like you don’t have … Read More

Mind Meld

Several times a day, Graidy comes and sits on my lap, and then gently presses his forehead to my forehead, with his nose to my nose. He does this with deliberate precision, until we are staring eye-to-eye. Then he closes his eyes and breathes his warm breath on my face. I feel his body relax. We stay like this, merged, for several seconds.

I wonder, is he trying to read my mind? I’ve no doubt that if he could climb … Read More

House Changes for My Geriatric Dogs

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

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