Archive for the ‘Pets’ Category

Saying Goodbye


04 Apr

Late Tuesday night/early Wednesday morning, we made the difficult decision to say goodbye to Howie, our foster dog. He had been diagnosed with kidney failure just one month prior, and after a very good week, things went bad on Tuesday night, and showed no signs of getting better, with him starting to lose function in his right hind leg. He could not settle and was obviously incredibly uncomfortable.

And yet, it was still an incredibly difficult decision to make. Though he had been with us only fourteen short months, Howie had found a place in our home and our hearts.

Blog Feature: Life with Beagle


30 Mar

Can you guess what first drew me to this blog? Can you? I know it’s hard, but maybe I can give you a hint…

Yes, I’m a sucker for Beagles, mostly because of my own little Junebug. And while I may be a little biased in thinking June is perhaps the cutest of Beagles, Lulu is certainly right up there in adorableness. And it’s because she’s so adorable that I want to help Christie turn her into a bona fide internet meme. The problem is, I’m not good at pithy comments. So I’m asking you to go caption the photo.

Blog Feature: Dachshund Nola


09 Mar

It’s a great time to head on over and meet Nola the Dachshund. Why? Because this week she celebrated her second blogiversary! That’s right, she’s been on the internet since she was 5 months old and winning more hearts every single day.

In those two years, she’s earned her Canine Good Citizenship certificate, obtained 3 minions (and you know good minions are hard to find), gone running on the beach, and now, she’s even watching over some baby goats. Plus, she’s the co-host of one of my favorite blog hops, Black & White Sunday.

Nola, you are one busy girl!

Police Brutality


26 Feb

Another police department and one of its officers are being sued for use of excessive force. What makes this case different is that the “weapon” was a police dog.  My concern is that the attorney for the victim specifically states that the dog is the problem. And yet, if his client is to be believed, the problem is NOT the dog. The dog is not ignoring commands to stop. He is following commands of “get him boy”. The problem, as with most dog attacks, stems from the person in charge. The human officer is the one who needs to go.

Blog Feature: My Life in Blog Years


23 Feb

My Life in Blog Years features a lovely Golden and an adorable long haired Dachshund. You should go visit just for the pictures of these two cuties. But it is more than just pictures. There are great stories about the dogs, plus, the blogger is originally from Seattle, my adopted home town.

This week she writes about the most popular and trendiest names for puppies in 2012. My confession? I have NEVER named a pet. Not once. My parents named the pets I grew up with. All other pets have come to us with names that we have never changed.

Westminster


14 Feb

The Westminster Kennel Club dog show was held earlier this week. An Affenpinscher took Best in Show. They are cute little dogs, but little is the operative word, as they usually weigh under 13lbs. (We occasionally dog sit a Brussels Griffon, which is a lot like a Affenpinscher, and I’m constantly afraid I’ll step on him.)

I was thrilled that a Smooth Fox Terrier took Best in Group for the Terriers (and a Wire-Haired Fox Terrier took second). This is because, like most people, I am biased toward my dogs, and my Larry is most likely a Smooth Fox mix.

Blog Feature: My Brown Newfies


09 Feb

I don’t know how anyone could not love Newfoundlands. They are giant, sweet, gentle, loving slobber machines, and I’ve never met a single one I would not leave alone with a toddler (if I could trust the toddler). But just loving the dogs doesn’t mean I have to love the blog.

But I do love this blog. I love the honesty, the pictures, and willingness to share even the hard things about being a pet parent.

This week, I’m highlighting her post on show dogs. I have some issues with the AKC, but I still love a good dog show.

Thinking Before Shooting


30 Jan

I know that times are tough and cities have been cutting budgets, but when you’re a suburb of someplace as large as Philadelphia, maybe you could have more than one animal control officer? Or perhaps a deal with county authorities or those working in neighboring towns? Or a few of your police officers could also be trained in animal control, given the tools to separate fighting animals.

A minor tragedy, in which two dogs were shot by police (in front of a high school no less) could have been averted with just a little training, and maybe some common sense.

Blog Feature: Borderblog


26 Jan

My favorite things about Borderblog? The dogs, of course. And the bunnies. You can see pictures of all the adorable in this week’s Sleeping Arrangements. But beyond the cute, the blog is full of great information.

Nicki is a vet, so she writes useful posts about animal health. Currently, she’s on part 5 of a series on parasites. In fact, I first read the blog when she did a post on hemangiosarcoma.

But she also does agility with all three of the dogs, who are at varying levels within the sport. I love hearing about how their training is going.

Blog Feature: Cindy Lu’s Muse


12 Jan

Cindy Lu is pretty adorable. Her blog though, isn’t all about cuteness and light. In fact, it’s one of the few blogs I read that actively and regularly tackles the issue of pet stores and puppy mills. Earlier this month, she celebrated the closing of LA Barkworks, a major pet store that carried puppy mill dogs. In the past, she’s addressed multiple issues with  Happiness is Pets stores, including when protests against them turned violent.

This is not easy subject matter, but she treats it with grace and honesty, and a passion for animals. And there’s plenty of cute, too.

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