One year ago yesterday, Lilly and I began our blogging career. Many thanks to all of you loyal visitors and subscribers (including the oodles of you who read but do not comment). I can
see through my stats that our page views are growing … sometimes well over 200 a day (across the blog, not just that day’s entries). I think that’s pretty good for a young blog. I really hope to
see that continue to increase this year. …
My latest piece for HealthyPet magazine is getting noticed. How fun is that? In addition to the 3 million people who will see it in first run, we got a request last week from the
Papillon Club of America to reprint it in their newsletter. Plus, I got permission from the publisher for my big-picture trainer (Gigi) to give copies to her puppy K and beginning obedience students.
…
During these not-yet warm, spring-still-winter days, I open the back of my car so that Lilly has access to her crate, if she prefers. It gives her a dry spot, out of the wind, to survey
the valley for a bit while I’m hard at work inside. Until last week, I always thought it was a nice, safe thing to do. …
Last week, I lamented about Lilly’s penchant for turning into a mean, rotten girl when other dogs get close to her darling daddy. There are certain toys that might cause a similar
reaction in the wrong circumstances, especially if they involve food — like a rawhide or a stuffed kong. But, the other day, Lilly and Ginko enjoyed a bit of chewing fun practically side by side.
Take a look. …
It snowed again yesterday. Honestly, it feels like a real spring might not come anytime soon here at 8,000 feet. So, I said, “Screw it.” And, the pups and I made a 3-headed sofa monster
and dozed on and off most of the morning. We made quite a sight. …
Saturday afternoon winds kept me indoors when Lilly and I returned from our usual round of errands and in-town walk. It was warm, enough, however for the pups to poke around outside
alone. I left the tailgate down and Lilly’s crate open since she enjoys sitting up high and watching the world go by in our little valley. Just before dinnertime, Ginko came to the door and asked to
come in, but he was alone. I assumed Lilly slept happily in her crate. I was wrong. …
Back in January, our blog-pal Cedarfield wrote about a goal-related dilemma. Here’s a link to that
discussion. I’ve been thinking about my own goal problem, which is different from hers.
…
I know today’s post should be about something GREEN, but a woman here in CO recently got in trouble for turning her poodle pink. The Boulder Valley Humane Society, where we adopted
Lilly, received calls of concern about the pink dog. They made a site visit and delivered a warning. When investigators returned a month or so later, the white poodle was still pink. They issued a
$1,000 fine. The case is going to court. …
Recently, I received a plea for help from a colleague with a dog dilemma. Just a week before her daughter’s wedding, the groom’s mother suggested putting down the couple’s disobedient
dog. A trainer had been called, and after meeting said dog, supported the idea of his death. Shake your head with me, kids, because the story gets more absurd. …
Way back when we were looking for a second dog, the prime concern was Ginko. His needs outranked anything. We needed a dog small enough not to re-injury Ginko’s two blown knees that
we’d spent a small fortune to fix surgically. We also, however, needed a dog big enough for Ginko to play with without hurting. He’s a strong, muscular 68 pounds or so. It’s a good thing Lilly is
tough as nails because last week Ginko accidently body slammed her. …
