I had planned to write this on January 17 while I was on a cross-country flight to the West coast. I was ready to write it. I had recovered enough that I could form coherent sentences and I’d finally reached the point where I smiled when I thought about Tango. But then a thing happened […]
Introducing Walter, the Labrador Puppy
Walter, the Labrador puppy is a lot of things. But no, he’s not mine. And no, he’s not a service dog pup. Walter is the first pup I’m raising for a client. He’s also a balm to help soothe the pain of losing all our dogs. He’s funny. He’s just what we needed. I’m not […]
Knocked Down. And Then Again.
I’ve had “write blog post” on my daily schedule for the last six days. I keep moving it. Regular readers (ha, as if I’ve been a regular writer) know that for the past thirteen or so months, my life has been more personal and less business. It started when our 11-year old “healthy” dog, Nemo, died […]
Dilated Cardiomyopathy in Great Danes
Schooner, our Great Dane, was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy. Apparently, dilated cardiomyopathy in Great Danes isn’t uncommon. It was quite a blow to us. He’s relatively young (not yet 5 years old) and until very recently has been healthy and athletic. I run with Schooner and I’d noticed that on the last two runs he’d […]
Our New Normal
Our New Normal Almost a year ago, our apple cart was upset twice in one month. We lost our Nemo and then Tango had emergency surgery when a somewhat-routine ultrasound showed an unhealthy spleen. After that surgery, he had a rough recovery and we spent a lot of time at the veterinary hospital for one […]
I Wrote A Book for Vacation
I wrote a book for vacation. Not a novel. Nope, nothing but nonfiction for me. You see, I left a Great Dane (with a tricky infection) and an old Labrador (on meds four times each day) behind while I scampered to the middle of nowhere and saw Wyoming from atop a horse. It was probably […]
Ren: Temporary Service Pup In-Training
Ren: Temporary Service Pup In-Training So you’re finding out about this little gem right before I have to turn him back over to the service dog organization. We were on a long break from raising service dogs. The older dogs, two of which are now gone, sadly, just didn’t enjoy having a new pup every single […]
Remembering Lily
Remembering Lily Tiger Lily January 16, 2002 – July 7, 2017 It’s taken me some time to write Lily’s obituary post. I don’t know if I’ve been avoiding it because it’s just too hard to write it or if I think it needs to be perfect. But enough is enough. So here goes, imperfections and all… Lily […]
Celebratory Beer for Lunch
Celebratory Beer for Lunch I’m sitting at my desk, drinking a beer (Sam Adams, for my beer friends), and staring a long four-day weekend right in the face. I don’t usually drink beer for lunch. In fact, I don’t usually drink alcohol during the week at all. Today is different. Today is special. Today Tango […]
Living with Old Dogs: Lily’s Cliffhanger
Living with old dogs…it’s an adventure, to put it kindly. A rollercoaster, even. I’ve been sharing more of my old dog stories lately. It’s what my life is like these days. I’m thankful for Schooner because while he’s middle aged (4 is getting up there for some Great Danes), he’s still playful and agile. So my […]