Even those of you who’ve been longtime readers or who actually know me in real life, might be interested in my answers to these questions: What is your idea of perfect happiness? If you could come back as a dog or a cat, which one would it be and why? What is your pet’s most treasured possession? What is your proudest achievement so far? Who are your heroes in real life?
Upon our return from a day-trip into the mountains south and west of here, I discovered an amusing sight. It seems Ginko transferred his food-stealing habit from peaches to bananas. Based on the evidence found, including 2-3 leftover stems, we either interrupted his fruit feast. OR, he was saving the rest for later. What do you think?
I first met Laura Bennett, who gives genuine hugs and refers to herself as the “chief embracer” from Embrace Pet Insurance, at the original BlogPaws event in April 2010. We had the chance to reconnect at BlogPaws West in Denver in September 2010, where we chatted some about families actually SWITCHING pet insurance companies.
In week 7 of the 2010 Never Shock a Puppy dog blog campaign, we discuss whether or not snake aversion training is the one “acceptable” use of shock collars. Personally, my answer is no, but there are many people I like and respect who believe otherwise.
Since Lilly has survived TWO rattlesnake bites in TWO years, I like to think we know a bit about this particular subject.
Oh, boy, do I have some puppy craving going on? Other girls might have biological clocks that tick for human babies, but my heart yearns for puppies. Not so much because I actually want a puppy right now. It’s more about the distraction and sense of possibility that they bring. Here are just a few new stinkers who have joined the families of friends.
Here’s a confession. Once upon a time (many, many years ago), I nearly made an impulse buy at a local Petco. The store had a tiny, round dog bed full of baby ferrets. Nearly impossible to resist, all curled up like furry noodles, with pointy and eager faces, I came very close to cavi
At first, we blamed Ginko’s early-morning wake-up calls on knee pain. Then, we had that whole excessive thirst and urination thing going on. Now, we’re not sure if he’s just hungry on the new turkey/sweet potato food or merely a pain in the neck. So, we’ve been experimenting with some things, and for now … it seems to be working.
In week 6 of the 2010 Never Shock a Puppy dog blog campaign, we discuss the special cases of training a fearful, reactive, or “aggressive” dog. Unlike the other topics so far in the campaign, this one is harder for me to summarize. Every dog is different. Every situation is different. So, my fall-back reminder…
We ask our dogs to LEAVE IT all the time. It’s a handy dog training cue that essentially means “Let it Go.” Ignore that food on the ground. Stop fixating on that squirrel in the tree. Don’t snark at that other dog. Yes, I know he’s being rude, but keep on walking. We ask, and if we’ve done all the groundwork, our dogs often comply. They let it go. They move on.
When we talked about bloat recently, I shared my long-standing habit of putting water on the dogs’ kibble before I fed it. I didn’t let it soak or anything, but I would add water and serve. And, it turns out research shows that increases a big dog’s risk of bloat by 320%.
