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obsessed with dogs
This is the easiest DIY around. In fact, I almost feel guilty calling it a DIY, but here goes… As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Why use DIY bitter apple spray? Whenever someone asks me how to get their puppy to stop chewing something, this is the recipe I pass along. It’s a phenomenal spray deterrent. …
Have you ever had an MRI? The sights, sounds, and that uncomfortable feeling of lying still in a noisy chamber… Shudder. Greg Berns, a scientist at Emory, trained dogs—all future assistance dogs under a year old—to withstand the stress of an MRI machine. He then used the fMRI to map dogs’ brain activities when exposed to dog …
This guy. He is ALWAYS this happy! Always. Even at his second vet visit in a week… So, last Monday, I was on a Skype call at the kitchen table. It was a hugely productive meeting, and I was jotting notes and super involved until I looked over, and there was Emmett. Standing next …
Dear Emmett, Ten years ago, you came home. After spending almost two years of your life in shelters, we found you. So, today we celebrate a decade of our best friendship and your 13th birthday! While I try to write your adoption letters about you and all that’s happened in the last year, well, this …
When we were looking for our house, we were in no hurry to move. It was a want, not a need, so we made a list of house wishes that were super specific. One of those wishes was a swimming pool. Our fabulous real estate agent pointed out that there were many neighborhoods that had …
Barking is a hot topic, huh? A couple weeks ago, I wrote about The Magic Box, and I’m pleased to report it’s still working (mostly) well. The trick is catching Cooper before the frenzy starts, or else it’s a lost cause. Emmett, though… Since he can’t really hear the trill, and he doesn’t bark at …
It’s easy to love a puppy. They’re fuzzy and silly. They’re clumsy. You can’t watch a puppy dash and trip and slip and skate across a room without smiling. They play, sleep, and eat with equal aplomb. And, of course, they have those round Buddha bellies you get to rub when they wriggle around on …
There’s an easy way, and there’s a hard way. The easy way slopes upward, but gradually and the rocks form a natural staircase. The hard way follows the same path, but it’s a slick, steep rock with few toeholds. There’s a prickly bush that catches your pants and branches too thin to use for balance …
There’s an easy way, and there’s a hard way. The easy way slopes upward, but gradually and the rocks form a natural staircase. The hard way follows the same path, but it’s a slick, steep rock with few toeholds. There’s a prickly bush that catches your pants and branches too thin to use for balance …
In 2014, I ran a series of “Bark Week” posts (total, shameless play on Shark Week, of course…) that detailed how we were mitigating the insane amount of barking that was going on around the house. In one of the posts, I wrote about the front door insanity that ensued every. single. time. someone walked …
For all his flaws quirks, and despite his litany of fears, there is one thing that focuses Cooper, gives him confidence, and lets him blow off all that pent-up drive: Running. Cooper loves to run. He would run until he dropped, sleep it off, then get up and run some more if we let him. (We …
It’s now part of Emmett’s permanent record. There it is, right at the top of his chart at his new vet’s office: Diminished hearing. To be honest, and to get my guilt out there, when asked how long it’s been in decline… well… I have no idea. None. Last year we were consumed with Lucas. …
Nurse: Have you been stressed lately? Me: Nope Nurse: You normally have low blood pressure. Today it’s very high. So, any stress? Me: Nope! Not really. John: (tucked in a chair on the other side of the room) HMPFFFFF Backing up a sec, last week I came down with the flu. I was knocked on …
Hello from beautiful, sunny Florida! Well, at least I hear it’s beautiful and sunny… I’m inside working. Currently catching up on client work in my hotel room, then for the next two full days–7:30 to 7:30 Wednesday and Thursday–I’ll be walking five miles of pet products at Global Pet Expo. That’s right: five MILES. I can’t …
In April, toward the middle of the month, we will pass a milestone. It was then, two years ago, that an oncologist looked at us and said that Emmett would likely have another three, maybe six months. If he were an odds beater, we could hope for a year. Two years ago. You could say, …
So, it’s March. How did that happen? Seriously, I feel like I was just dozing on the couch ringing in the new year. And, yet, here we are. March. And it’s light out after work again, thank goodness! This March, I’m determined to come out of our haze. It was easy to slip away from …
The pit bull problem isn't a pit bull problem. It's a dog problem. An all-dog problem.
This is Otto. Otto is very cute. Otto is also very fat. (Sorry, Mom. He is. You said not to make fun of him… I’m not. Just stating facts. Though he may have acquired a few new size-related nicknames…) Anyway, Otto is my mom’s dog, and they’re out of town for a few weeks. The …
Valentine’s Day was always big in my family. My parents would get us cards, and we’d make something for them. Even when we all moved away, my mom would still send us cards–and sometimes my siblings send them, but we often forget, though I always send one to my little nephew. It’s just a lovely day to celebrate …
This post is {technically} the 1,000th post on my little blog! I say {technically} because, well, technically there were a whole bunch more before I had a backup system in place. And, as usually happens when there’s no backup system in place, I lost a whole bunch of posts–some in draft form, some published–during a bizarre …
The tiny whiskers that dot Newt’s chin shine as they twitch and catch light when she’s focused on something Emmett’s yips, growls, and twitches as he sleeps because he may not be able to chase bunnies across the icy yard in his aging, arthritic body, but he sure as hell can–and catch ’em, too–in his dreams Cooper snuggling right up …
You are its master. It should do what you ask. I saw that in a comment on a blog post elsewhere, and it got me all riled up. Nope. He is my partner. He does what I ask because we love to work together. Recently, I shared an article on Facebook that, to me, reflects …
Where does the time go? Somehow it’s time for the SIXTH annual pet blogger challenge, hosted by the wonderful people (plus Ty and Buster!) at GoPetFriendly.com. Hard to believe, but I participated in 2011 (baby Cooper appeared in that one!), 2013, 2014, and 2015. (I missed 2012 because it was the same day as one of …
Wishing you and yours a very merry everything! Here’s to a holiday filled with peace and good cheer! Lots of wishes and wags! Merry Christmas from, Maggie, John, Emmett, Cooper, and Newt
