Lilly guards me. She guards Tom. She even guards other people she likes, most notably Tom’s mom. It isn’t her most attractive behavior. She gives Ginko never-ending grief if he wants to come close to one of us. She will growl, snap, posture, and make mean faces to keep him away. It’s a real pain. Sometimes, Lilly even grumbles if Ginko is at the other end of the house and we speak to him.
OMD. A highlight of my NYC adventure was the chance to pop over to Staten Island and visit Sam and Marge from Marge Blog. It required a cab, a ferry, and a train, but to see magnificent Marge … I braved it. Look at me overcoming my big city fears!
While waiting to take the ferry over to Staten Island on Sunday to visit Sam and Marge, I made friends with this big, meaty-headed boy named Dash. He is one of many bomb-sniffing dogs that work every day to keep tourists and commuters safe.
After one key meeting fell through, I had the chance to poke around the city on my own. Other than being the world’s worst at hailing a cab, I enjoyed a lovely day in the city full of cupcakes, friends, and shelter pets.
Call me obsessed. It’s OK. You won’t hurt my feelings. I admit it. I actively sought out dogs as a way to cope with being a rural, mountain girl in a big city during my recent biz trip to NYC. Meet one of my city-dog friends.
Back when Ginko needed bilateral knee surgery, the veterinary nurses who prepped him beforehand and took care of of him afterwards declared that he had “The Most Kissable Nose.” We agree.
One of the ways I keep myself motivated in the face of unrelenting deadlines is to make a change — any change — in my work environment. I call this process “The Delicate Art of Self-Management.” Perhaps my strategies will help you if / when you face a similar situation.
Thanks to Kim Sporrer, media maven at Humane Society of Boulder Valley, a few newspapers have mentioned Never Shock a Puppy in articles about the humane society’s No-Choke Challenge. The most recent of which featured a mondo picture of me and Lilly. OMG.
I sometimes wonder if I’d ever deliberately adopt a truly fearful dog again. Truth? I didn’t know what I was getting myself into with Lilly. Still, I cannot imagine missing out on all the amazing things she taught me about not just dogs and dog training / dog learning theory but also about life and love, relationships, and finding (perhaps) my true calling.
Last week, I got the chance to tour the KONG headquarters, which just happens to be in my hometown of Golden, Colorado. In fact, it’s simply on the far side of North Table Mountain from where we live. The company also has manufacturing centers in other spots in northern Colorado, but the facility closest to us makes the classic KONG shape we all know and love. BIG NEWS …
