Dog Life

  • Agility pups in the making (with photos)

    I mentioned a few weeks ago the birth of a litter of sheltie pups. They’re being raised by my friend and trainer Joy Bishop, who bred her boy Keen to a sweetie named Dash. I promised
    photos, so here they are. All of them already have families, with handlers anxiously awaiting their arrival home. If you are one of them and want to tell us about your pack and your plans for baby,
    please feel free to post a comment. …

  • Home alone

    After having a dalmatian that could not be trusted loose in the house alone until she was about 8 years old, I’ve alwasy been a little leery of leaving the dogs to run free when we’re
    gone (which isn’t very often since we both work at home so much of the time). But, I had to be out of the office all day yesterday, and Tom was gone in the afternoon. He decided to leave both Ginko
    and Lilly loose in the house. …

  • Thump

    Our big dog, Ginko, loves Tom’s mom. L-O-V-E-S her. If we tell him she’s coming to visit, he’ll sit by the front door and wait. When she arrives, he mills around with excitement. As soon
    as she sits down, he tries to kiss her. Not in a crazy way, but a sweet, deliberate smooch. At bedtime, we let her get settled, when we ask Ginko if he wants to “snuggle with Grandma,” and he blasts
    upstairs to join her in bed. He’s very careful and very gentle. So, when Grandma comes, Lilly sleeps with us. …

  • Stage mom?

    I know that my non-agility friends don’t get it. I’m quite convinced they are quite convinced that I’m a total stage mom. Those of you with performance dogs (not pets) understand the distinction. We know and love our dogs in ways others likely do not understand. That said, don’t you ever look at your furry star and think, “Man! She ought to be in pictures …”?

  • Lap of luxury

    I allow my dogs up on the furniture. I know some people don’t, but
    I do. Strategies for preventing too much dogification include
    putting comforters bought at garage sales on the sofas and using
    extra flat sheets as a top sheet over the duvet on the bed. Still,
    I buy dog beds. I cannot help myself. …

  • Ground control to …

    Now that the wild meadow grasses have gone to seed, it’s time to trim the pastures. It’s both a fire mitigation as well as a see-the-snakes-better tactic. This year, Tom decided to do reverse crop circles. The strategy lets us keep areas natural with wildflowers and so that the wildlife have a place to bed down come winter. But, it’s apparently causing quite a stir in our rural valley. …