First — drum roll — the winner of a selection of all natural gourmet dog treats from Zack N Boo’s Kitchen, my contribution to the Holiday Hop for Pets Giveaway. There were so many deserving entries that I was glad I could leave the choice up to the random wisdom of the universe, in the…
Pet Loss & Grief: Some Coping Tips
Coping with the loss of a loved family member is always tough, but when that family member is human, no one questions your need to grieve. With a pet? Not so much. That means your pain may be compounded by embarrassment over the depth — or even the existence — of your sense of loss.…
5 Ways to Save on Online Dog Purchases
I know Paris Permenter and John Bigley from a past life — no, not the woo woo kind, but the one where I earned my living primarily as a travel writer. Not only are they a great resource for whatever topic and destination they set their minds to (romance! Texas!) but they are also two…
If Puppies Had Second Amendment Remedies
If there were two topics that I didn’t think could turn up — much less together — in a cartoon that would make me smile, it would be the Second Amendment and puppy mills. I love being pleasantly surprised. I particularly like the expressions on the faces of the hostage-taker pups. I’m very glad the…
Win a Pastry Chef’s Gourmet Dog Treats
As some of you know, I write about food as well as about dogs (though rarely about dog food, because Frankie is diabetic). I’m the Contributing Dining Editor for Tucson Guide and have written food and spirits stories for publications that include Sunset and National Geographic Traveler. All this to say, I get to hobnob…
What’s Unconditional Love Got To Do With It?
In some ways, cats have it better than dogs. When Sharon Castellanos (a.k.a. Grouchy Puppy) asked me in her Influence Positively Questionnaire whether I would like to return in my next life as a cat or as a dog, I reluctantly said that I’d prefer to be a cat because they’re less dependent on humans,…
Just Bead It!
If my blog can be said to have a cast of characters, one of the key players — aside, of course, from Frankie — is my friend Karyn Zoldan, greyhound advocate par excellent. I’ve written often about her and her fellow beading divas, who make extremely attractive bracelets to benefit a variety of animal charities…
Quick fixes & cover judging
My pal Debbie Jacobs recently tweeted that she had gotten a lot of traffic on her Fearful Dogs site for a post titled Stop Your Dog’s Problem Behaviors Instantly! People were, apparently, taking it seriously, driven by the desire for a quick fix. No question: Irony is dead. When it comes to dog training —…
Your Sunday Silly: Spam Jam
My spam filter, Akismet, generally does a pretty good job in sorting out the trash. Occasionally, however, it gets overzealous and traps legitimate comments, some even from regulars on my blog. I’ve learned to sift through my spam bin before emptying it. The vast majority of the disposable comments, I’ve discovered, are in Russian; consist…
Still Crazy After All These Years
When you blog about dog health issues on occasion, spend a good deal of time reading veterinarian blogs — and are a little paranoid to begin with — you are likely to be hyper-aware of canine illness potential. Frankie is a very well-scrutinized dog. Sometimes, even in the midst of worrying, I know I’m being…