Here’s another somewhat overdue book review of Queen of Second Chances by D.M. Barr. It’s a novel with a couple pivotal canine characters who help drive major plot points and excitement. Here’s what I liked about the book, thoughts on places younger readers might feel lost, and a few minor quibbles.
The dog attack trauma and drama continue here. Most people really don’t get what a BFD getting attacked by dogs truly is. For many people, it’s lifechanging. After I posted Dog Attack: 5 Things NOT to Say, fellow survivors of dog attacks shared their pet peeves. Here’s a round up of more comments or suggestions that don’t help. Plus, the story of an aggressive dog in my past.
Families of hemangiosarcoma dogs share bonds of shock and heartbreak. A fairly common cancer, especially in some breeds, hemangiosarcoma often results in a sudden, quick end. Like fine one minute, critical the next. The tumors start with cells lining blood vessels, often attaching to the dog’s heart or spleen. In many cases, symptoms begin with pale gums / tongue and collapse because of internal bleeding. It. Is. Devastating. We lost our yellow Lab mix dog, Cody, to it many years ago. New research uncovered a possible connection between chronic, but undetected, bacterial infections and this aggressive cancer in hemangiosarcoma dogs.
The first time I saw my friend Sam’s dog Red debut on national TV in a commercial, I screamed and made my hubs come watch. I figured it’d be fun to learn more about how they got into the world of dog commercials by doing a Q&A. My fav part of the TV spot? Red lying on a dog bed with one leg in the air. Ha! Scroll to the bottom to see the commercial in full.
In January 2022, Nationwide® Veterinary Analytics released the first of three planned white papers. Before we talk about the key points in this initial doodle data, I thought it might help to discuss big data — what it is, what it can / cannot tell us so that you can interpret and think critically about any big data you come across. I’m presenting the info both regular content and video. Choose whatever works best for you. Scroll all the way to the bottom to see the video.
At some point, I’ll be able to write about how 2 loose / aggressive dogs attacked me and Mr. Stix from behind on our daily, neighborhood walk, without warning or provocation, in November 2021. Suffice it to say that it was terrible and traumatic. Yes, we were both injured. Yes, charges (or whatever you call them) have been filed.
In something my personal development coach calls “empathy Tourettes,” many people say things that don’t help and actually make things much, much worse — especially when the trauma is still so fresh. The list will likely get longer over time, but here’s what I’ve got so far for things NOT to say after a dog attack.
This book review of A Dog of Many Names by Douglas Green is so long overdue it’s comical. The book’s publicist first contacted me a year ago. The review copy arrived in March 2021 in advance of a July release date, but I didn’t get around to reading the book until Clover had minor surgery in October 2021. I took a walk on a local trail in town and then sat next to a creek to read until I got word I could pick her up. I nearly stopped reading the book several times for several reasons, but I did finish it in a single day. I tried contacting the publicist again in October with some questions / concerns, but I never heard back. Still, I think it’s worth discussion, so let’s get to it.
Happy Chonksgiving from all of us! I plan to write some posts soon about what it’s like to foster tiny puppies for our local animal shelter and the kinds of supplies you’ll need in bulk to survive, if you want to add a similar volunteer gig to your life. But, I’m getting ready to take an extra-long Thanksgiving break (Nov 19-28), so instead please enjoy pix and videos of our latest foster babies that we’re calling TATO (like mashed potatoes) and GRAVY. They are just 2 from a litter of 9 puppies born at our shelter. We went for sanity over heroics and offered to foster just 2 of them. #ChonkyPuppies
Dog Halloween costume advice for 2021! I know I’m cutting it close, but a lot of dogs get put through too much stress purely for a good laugh or cute pix for IG or a funny video clip for TikTok. Avoid these common dog Halloween costume mistakes with this advice from a longtime dog mom who learned these lessons the hard way + ideas on what to do instead.
If you’re asking yourself, “Should I watch The Starling movie?” … Here’s my answer, some context, and a suggestion of what else to watch too. I’m a big fan of Melissa McCarthy. She deserves all credit and praise for so many incredible performances in movies, including a scene in Thunder Force where she references Jodie Foster in ways that made me laugh, laugh, laugh. So, I watched her new movie The Starling, available on Netflix with interest, even though, I knew it wasn’t going to be wildly ha-ha funny. It turns out that the incomparable Kevin Kline plays a veterinarian in The Starling, which would be great except for the context of that character at this specific time in the history of veterinary medicine.
