Frankie and I are headed to Scottsdale today to meet one of my newfound relatives, and I’m a little nervous. To put it mildly. Not about meeting my relative, Elaine. We’ve already chatted on the phone, and I’m sure that’ll go swimmingly. No, I’m nervous about traveling with Frankie. The last time I tried a…
The Long Good-Bye: Animal Cafe
As I announced at the end of this year’s Pet Blogger Challenge, I’m going to be less active than I have been on this blog because of an exciting new project. And I’m giving up my extracurricular blogging activities. Last Thursday I handed over the reins of the Pet Travel Book Club to Pamela Webster…
Dog Walks Man: A Review (Wherein I Pass the Pet Travel Book Club Torch)
When I first got Frankie, I had fantasies about taking long contemplative walks with him, during which I would ponder my surroundings and the nature of the universe and after which I would transfer my deep thoughts to paper. Aside from the fact that Frankie has little, short legs and follows close behind me rather…
Pet Travel Book Club: Exit Atticus, Enter Pete
Last week’s virtual book club meeting was a huge success — not least because Tom Ryan, the author of the book we discussed, got involved. Here is what he wrote on Following Atticus’s Facebook page about the review on A Traveler’s Library, the co-host of the club: It’s windy and cold outside and I’m lying…
Pet Travel Book Club: Following Atticus
It’s here! The second official meeting of the best — possibly only — online Pet Travel Book Club. I’m very excited because: We’re going to be discussing a terrific book, Following Atticus by Tom Ryan. The write ups — yes, plural — and questions are by a terrific reviewer, my friend Rebecca Boren, a freelance…
Coping with Holiday Frenzy: Sounds to Soothe the Canine Soul
I’ve been called a grinch for grumbling about this time of year, its sentimentality and sensory overload. Fine. But I contend that I don’t steal the spirit of the holiday season so much as provide a respite from it for those who need one — and that includes your dog. That’s right. Even if you,…
Pet Travel Thursday: Passports and Pooches with Purpose
Every now and then I hear people on TV disparaging bloggers as losers who sit in their parents’ basements, typing away in their pajamas. My experience with pet bloggers has been dramatically different. Our shared concerns — and our shared traffic — have accomplished amazing things, from getting food donated to shelters to getting individual…
Following Chester & Gretel: Weiner Dogs Can Hike Too!
Small dogs often get a bad rap. They’re seen as yappy and lap-oriented, not as “real” somehow as larger breeds, especially when it comes to outdoor activities. As the companion of a little pup with a big personality, I’m working on changing that stereotype. For my next pet travel book club selection I chose Following…
The Pet Travel Book Club Kicks Off with Steinbeck’s Travels with Charley
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…