True confession: I’ve never been in a book club, real or virtual, much less organized one of my own. After years of graduate school literature classes, I didn’t want to discuss books for a while; I just wanted to read them without pressure to say what I thought. When I got over that, I was…
Pimp my dog’s ride: Hot auto safety products
Ok, so maybe this post’s title is a tad deceptive. If you install dog safety products in your car, it won’t make anyone want to drag race down the street with you. Quite the opposite, in fact. But that’s a good thing. Most dogs would probably start growling if you really revved your engines, and…
Pet Adoption Videos that Don’t Make Me Want to Kill Myself 11/6
The latest two entries in this series are simple, short, and upbeat. Warning: They are followed by a picture with profane language, one that encapsulates why I started this series in the first place. From Animal Humane New Mexico: From the Kentucky Humane Society: As promised. This came to my attention on Facebook via Nancy…
Beware the Poop Patrol! A Public Service Announcement
The other day I got an email saying: I just wanted to share a funny dog related video I created a few years ago to address a problem with unscooped dog poop in my community…. It got a great response and helped improve the situation. I recently uploaded an edited version of the video to…
Pet Travel Writing: Some Prime Examples
In the final sprint before launching the Pet Travel Book Club next Thursday (November 10), I started thinking about pet travel writing as a genre. Naturally, it’s as varied as any other type of travel writing — or writing, period — and is designed to serve different purposes. But whether I’m looking for advice about…
Coping With Pet Loss: First, Permission to Grieve
It’s devastating to lose a loved one. It’s even more devastating to feel ashamed about your grief, to feel that you need to apologize for mourning. Unfortunately, when a pet dies, it’s all too common for owners to hide their pain, making it more difficult to get past it. That’s the subject of this week’s…
Pet Insurance: What’s Right For You?
As nutty as I can get when it comes to berating myself for the things I should have done with Frankie, there’s only one thing I regret with any rationality: Not getting pet insurance for him. So every now and then, as a public service announcement — usually after I come back from my vet…
Pet Adoption Videos That Don’t Make Me Want to Kill Myself 10/30
The first of this pair of complementary kitty adoption videos, brought to my attention by the ever-alert Pamela of Something Wagging This Way Comes, comes from Animal Humane Society of Minnesota. The second was created by the Capital Area Humane Society of Ohio. Who doesn’t want a kitty right now? Ok, and maybe one of…
Dressing Your Dog For Halloween: Seven Tips
Last Thursday’s Dogs in International Costumes post spurred my pal Hilary Lane of Fang Shui Canines to remind me that people need to use caution when dressing their dogs. She’s absolutely right. I promised, and will herewith deliver, some advice on the proper methods of canine attiring for Halloween. 1. Avoid decorations that your dog…
When Pet Store Policies Are Complex: A Second Look at Petland
We all love simplicity. Who doesn’t want a firm good vs evil argument, reducible to a memorable sound bite, to buttress our firmly held opinions in ways that are convincing to others? You know, like pet stores that sell puppies are evil because they support puppy mills, whereas animal shelters are good because they try…