Please Stand By
I’m beyond sick with some crazy winter virus. No energy to write anything. Hope to be back to normal later this week. …
-
-
Mirrored Motion (Dogs at Peace)
In our continuing efforts to notice dog language based on what we learned from Canine Body Language: A Photographic Guide by Brenda Aloff, I shot these two photos of the dogs sitting inside one of our sliding doors in the sun. Both looked at me, then looked away in unison. I love these pics of my golden-eyed pair, sharing a dog bed in the sun.
… -
Whine, Whine, Whine
Squeak, squeak, squeak. Whine, whine, whine. That’s all I’ve been hearing for several weeks now. Lilly has a new attention-getting ploy. She goes and cries to Ginko, which frustrates him, so then he barks. Ginko never bothers me unless he really needs something, so at first, I’d go running to see what was up. VOILA! Lesson learned. Lilly figured out that fussing to Ginko garners attention (from both of us). STINKER! …
-
Lilly’s Friend – The Goat
Earlier this week, Lilly’s friend the Boer goat spent a lot of time in the pasture behind our house. We’ll go a whole week without seeing her, then she’ll be back, grazing with the horses. Tom and I each left the dogs inside and went to smooch on her at the fence. (We think its a her.) And, she loved the attention. Do you think a raised paw means the same thing in Goat-Speak as it does with dogs? …
-
Half-Dog with Toy
Keeping with yoga poses named for things our dogs do, here is Ginko showing the classic Half Dog (with toy). …
-
In honor of the Super Bowl
As a kid, I watched football with my family. As an adult, however, I found and married one of very few American men who doesn’t give a rat’s behind about sports. He doesn’t watch them. He doesn’t care. He dives for the remote when sports reports come on TV news. All that is fine by me. So, these days, about the only things I enjoy about football are the famous Super Bowl commercials. So, in honor of this weekend’s big game, here’s a quick plug for our Border Collie friend
-
Vaccination Decision
In general, I follow the American Animal Hospital Association’s Canine Vaccine Guidelines. That means, I only vaccinate my adult dogs every 3 years (not every year). Since it’s required in our county by law, that means a 3-year rabies vaccination. I also do not do annual boosters for some of the others, like that combo one many dogs get for distemper, etc. because I once interviewed the top canine infectious disease expert in the country, and he told me that many such vaccines have MUCH LONGER duration of immunity that we’ve been led to believe. I absolutely want …
-
Cranial Cruciate Ligament Rupture in Dogs
I’ve mentioned before that Ginko “blew out” both knees when he was 3 years old. The official name of the injury is a cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) rupture. Often dogs also tear their cartilage (or meniscus) too, which complicates things. For those who aren’t too squeamish, here are details (including photos). Fair warning. …
-
The Rare Arctic Ice Bat
Sometimes we catch a glimpse of a rare arctic ice bat in our very own backyard. Ooooh, scary! …
-
Name That Livestock
Any number of animals graze on the ranch behind us. Lilly enjoys sassing these large animals who regularly walk the fence-line route. For fear of her getting kicked in the head by horses, mules, and/or cattle, I try to divert her attention and often reward her for looking at the animals without rushing the fence or barking at them. Recently, however, it’s been harder to call her off. She ignores my faint LEAVE IT, followed by COME as if I did not exist. And, now we know why. A new critter has joined the grazing pack, and (it seems) Lilly …