Sit. Stay. Read.
obsessed with dogs
Here’s what I’ve discovered about exercise: It is really, really hard to get in shape, but it is really, really easy to fall out of shape. Unfair. Seriously, though, it took me and Cooper (well, me… Cooper’s fine…) two times through the C25K training app before we (I) were able to complete a 5k. Then …
There seems to be a contingent of people who, regardless of training or background, have decided that their way of feeding dogs is not only the right and true way, but it’s their mission to push and prod and bully everyone who doesn’t feed that way until they cave. (Though, in truth, most don’t cave, do …
You’ve probably seen that saying all over the place: Etsy, Pinterest, coffee mugs, everywhere. I think it’s everywhere because, well, who doesn’t love references to The Beatles? And, also, because it’s a universal truth. Our dogs make us happy and keep us healthy. It’s a fact; they keep us physically well. The American Heart Association found that pet …
Hang with us, dog buddies! Today is a post about our feline friends, inspired by something Newt has been doing almost daily: wool sucking and kneading. As you know, I’m a cat novice. Newt is the first cat I’ve ever shared a home with, so it’s been a huge learning curve. Everything she does is …
Does this ever happen to you? You figure out something GREAT! So great that you can’t help but get EXCITED! And the more excited you get, you find yourself getting a smidge… carried away?!? Welp. That’s what happened with home cooking for Cooper. {{If you need to catch up, here’s why we decided to home cook, …
Is your 2015 off to a wonderful start? I sure hope so! It’s been quiet around here, which I appreciate. We rang in the new year snuggled on the couch, playing Wii, and enjoying a local beer. The herd couldn’t believe we stayed up past midnight, and they spent all day yesterday sleeping to recuperate. …
One of the best parts of the PetSafe summit was our afternoon at the UT vet school. There were three BIG take-aways for me that I want to share here. A quick note: While there were animals all over the place, we weren’t allowed to share pictures. Our guide explained their policies as “HIPAA for animals” …
(I can’t take credit for that witty headline. My brilliant cousin said it ages ago about her two boys.) We had a rough night. Lucas’s foot – where the dewclaw was removed – seems to be healing fairly well after his ripping-the-stitches-out incident. They couldn’t restitch it, so instead we have this wound care system …
I’ve been working on a post about the boys’ Halloween costumes – and if you follow on Instagram, you saw Emmett trying on one option last night – but UGH! Fun is on hold. If you’ve been reading for a while, you know Cooper has a sensitive little system. He’s allergic to everything – and that …
Several weeks ago I had a reaction to one of my many medicines and landed in the emergency room in the middle of the night. (Stupid cancer.) Thankfully, my mom was able to make the hour-and-a-half drive down to help me and take care of the boys. That experience, combined with the heartbreak of watching …
Whew, have I been tired! This is an outward reflection of how I feel on the inside: If I were to perform my exhaustion in some sort of interpretive dance, it might look something like this: The bottom line? I’m learning that I can’t keep up right now and – here’s the hard part for …
2017 UPDATE: Welcome! I’m glad you’re here, though I wish it were for reasons other than researching head tremors. This is an old post, and–while still totally accurate–not the stopping point for this story. After you read this and compare your dog’s tremors to Coop’s, please do check out my updated the FAQs about head …
Howdy, folks. John here again. I figured it was about time for another update on Maggie, the dogs, and even me! Maggie finished her daily chemo treatment two weeks ago. Right now, it seems like that was all went by in a blur, but I know it wasn’t like that for Maggie, who felt …
John here. I just wanted to give everyone a quick update on how Maggie is doing these days. Yesterday, she started her third of four weeks of daily chemo. Some days are better than others in terms of the side effects, and even though it’s a pretty rough process, we know it’s for the best …
At 4:30 today, I will finish my first week of interferon. At 4:30 – a mere five hours from when I’m writing this – I get to walk out of that horrid chemo room and have two whole days without blood tests, IVs, a stream of doctors and nurses… just home with my boys! (Okay, …
Happy Friday, everyone! I spent yesterday having my third – and final! woot! – surgery to get ready for interferon on Monday. For the first month it’s two hours every day, so posting might be even more sporadic than it is now. We shall see! Because I’m looking for silver linings and such, imagine how excited I …
Lucas always has been our healthiest dog. (Since he has the most behavioral problems, we think it’s a fair trade!) The other day, he started to behave strangely, not his usual self. When he doesn’t feel well, he follows us around like a little piece of Velcro on our pant leg. He paws at our legs …
Sometimes, these monsters just amaze me. I’m not as patient with the dogs as Maggie is. I don’t always think everything that they do is cute. Frequently, I get annoyed with things that they do, even though they’re just being dogs. Granted, the last few weeks have been stressful for me (Maggie, too, I suppose…) …
I kept thinking that I wanted to wait until I had something meaningful or insightful to say before I wrote this post, but today it occurred to me: I got nothing. Two weeks ago I got word that a pink splot on my back is actually malignant melanoma. Hence, only two posts in the last …
Editor’s note: Ah, the season of indulgence! What begins with a candy binge on Halloween ends with a champagne toast on New Year’s. All the decadence and celebration can cost not only your waistline (or is that just me?), but also your pup’s (or are my guys the only ones who get a full Thanksgiving dinner?)! In today’s guest …
I received this information today and thought it was important to pass along on a Sunday evening. Our thoughts are with the families who have been affected by the wildfires. ***** To help those affected by the Texas wildfires, select VCA Animal Hospitals in the state of Texas (in and around both Austin and Houston) …
Cooper and I returned home from BlogPaws on Sunday, both jazzed and exhausted! More to come about our experience, including tons of amazing pics of the dogs of BlogPaws. If you’re on Twitter, you may have already seen his road-warrior photo, but here’s my favorite Coop pic: We also came home to unwanted visitors… Lucas …
For the past three weeks, I’ve been staring at Cooper. It’s getting to the point, I think, where he’s ready to move out. “My lady is WEIRD,” is what he’s thinking. Because I felt like as soon as I took my eyes off of him, something bad would happen. I am, in fact, aware that …
I know I’ve talked about our struggles with Cooper’s allergies probably a dozen times (more if you count Facebook posts!), and this post is only tangentially related to that situation. First, though, a quick update: It seems he does have a food allergy, probably chicken, and the duck and potato food has thankfully cleared up …
