The blogosphere rocks. Anyone who says that virtual communities are by nature inferior to real life communities probably never got involved in one — or took full advantage of it. The back story A little less than two weeks ago, I complained here that I couldn’t get motivated to write my next book because I’ve…
Wordless Wednesday 5/4
Frankie, hiding in plain sight. I did a double take when I realized he was lying in his dog bed — and then grabbed the camera.
Pet Danger: Common Home & Garden Poisons
We just got past one of the prime pet poisoning holidays: Easter. Canine consumption of chocolate eggs raised the number of phone calls to the Pet Poison Help Line a whopping 190%, according to Dr. Justine Lee, the help line’s Director of Veterinary Services. And then there are the cat-killing Easter lilies. The pollen alone…
Meet & Greet Party Blog!
I usually need a few drinks and a bowl or so of nuts — it used to be cigarettes — to feel comfortable mingling with new people at a party. But a virtual party where you can bring your pets… no problem. My dog, Frankie, is so charming that he always serves as a social…
Cat Travel: A Paw Too Far?
Do our cats really want to travel with us — or is taking them along on vacation pure selfishness, based on a desire not to be parted from them? Earlier this week, I posed that question to five cat-savvy pet bloggers in the BlogPaws Community forum. Here’s what they said: From Tammy Durham, editor and…
Do Our Pets Really Want to Travel With Us?
Christopher Elliott is well known in the travel industry as a consumer advocate and as the ombudsman at National Geographic Traveler. So when I came across his article, “Traveling With Pets Can Be Pricey,” I was interested to find out what he had to say. And then baffled. The piece starts off proclaiming, on the…
Wordless Wednesday 4/27
Did you ever look through your pictures and see an image that you don’t recall seeing in person? Sure, I saw Edie the Yorkie — formally, Edith Jones, which is the maiden name of Edith Wharton and the reason that the very literate Alison Jones, whom I met on Facebook, gave her the name —…
Pet Food Confidential: What’s in Your Dog’s Bowl?
Susan Thixton had the bad luck to have a dog who got cancer as a result of ingesting ethoxyquin, a preservative used in the popular national brand she was feeding her. She had the good luck to have a vet who recognized the dangers of chemicals in the most common pet foods. And we pet…
Unleash the Dogs of War?* Tell Android/Google No!
Petitions by Change.org|Start a Petition » As a cynic and a technophobe, I was a bit hesitant to get involved when I heard that a dog fighting app called Dog Wars had been created for Android smart phones. I have a dumb phone and I hate all violent video games and apps but have long…
Spay & Neuter with a Smile #7, Easter Edition
If I was going to be picky, I’d have to say that this is not the perfect video to warn about the dangers of animal overpopulation. Except for the turtles, all the critters are practicing safe, if weird, sex. But let’s not be picky. This public service announcement, brought to you by Molly and Yoda,…