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
*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
DNA 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
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
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
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
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
We got Graidy through a BC rescue outfit, so we don’t know his birthday. But they thought he was around 10 months when we got him, which would put him at around 14 years old now. He’s still going strong.
… Read More
A Dog’s Perspective on FireworksFireworks—classic component of the July 4th holiday weekend. Large crowds gather to watch the night sky turn technicolor. Often spectacular. Always noisy.
Almost always anxiety-producing for dogs.
If Wink could climb inside my skin to hide, he would. Graidy, who never used to be that bothered by fireworks, now turns into a quivering mess, courtesy of chronic Lyme disease. (Lyme can affect neurological functioning in all kinds of weird ways, this being one of them.)… Read More
Some vets will tell you that dogs don’t get the common bulls-eye rash that humans do when infected with Lyme disease. I’m here to tell you that dogs absolutely do.
Right now, Graidy’s got a beaut of a rash on his inner thigh. His fur is white and very fine, so it’s easy to see down to his skin. (That’s a photo of his bite. Sorry, I couldn’t get a better shot, Graidy wasn’t interested in staying still, but it … Read More
