I almost turned around five times on the drive to Springfield for a meet and greet with a promising forever home for Lucy. I had been fostering her for two months after she had been dumped in rural Tennessee. She had delivered eight healthy puppies under a house that had all been adopted, but she had nowhere to go so I took her in as my first foster dog.
Read MoreFor about a week, Molly was the Ying in my life, Lucy was the Yang.
Read MoreAfter being dumped in rural Tennessee, Lucy dug under a stranger’s porch, birthed, and raised eight healthy, adorable puppies.
Read MoreThere’s been a whole lot of hoopla about a video of adorable little girls in tutus dropping the f-bomb. Have you seen it? Click here for the censored YouTube version.
Read MoreI’ve been trying to dig up a reason to write about a flock of turkey buzzards – giant birds that feed on carcasses – roosting in a patch of trees on the east side of the house for months now. Autumn provides the perfect opportunity. If there is any time of year to pay homage to creatures that eat dead flesh, it’s October, the bewitching time of year.
Read MoreI’ve found two consistencies concerning Puppy Breath. One, people love it or hate it. Two, all puppies, regardless of breed or breed mix, have it.
Read MoreBuddy came into my life this past Thursday. He immediately seemed to understand we were very much the same. We have been through way too much and both have limps. His tail is missing, but I’ve had numerous lower back surgeries. I’ve enough titanium in my body to start my own space shuttle. However, this is not so much about me as Buddy.
Read MoreAbout a year ago, Melissa and I met at a tutor-training session for the Nashville Adult Literacy Council. Our first exercise was to communicate as much as possible about ourselves to a partner in 2 minutes without either person saying or writing a word.
Read MoreMelissa, the woman that writes this blog, and I met four years ago on the Springfield Greenway in Robertson County, TN. Although I don’t remember exactly how our friendship began, I would guess we said “good morning” as we passed each other daily and over time started to talk.
Read MoreWhile searching for Dawn in one of the seediest sections of Springfield, I ran across a middle-aged gentleman called Kenny. He was eating a can of Beanie-Weenies under the carport of his church-sponsored halfway house. I asked if he’d seen a black dog with milk-bloated boobs that hung almost to her paws.
Read MoreWhen I lived in Boulder, CO, I had some very close friends named Ryan & Emily. They had a fancy for wolf-hybrids & had two of them. Yaka was the big male & Lola was the gangly long-legged female. She was skinny, high energy, & very submissive. At heart though, Lola was a wild animal. The best escape artist I’ve ever seen. Yaka, Lola, & Holly were the best of friends. They would run & wrestle for hours. But when it was time to leave the dog park, Lola would have been happier being left behind.
Read MoreWe all have our fears and phobias, don’t we? The same goes for our canine friends; well, most of them anyway. I’ve had dogs that were afraid of babies, balloons, the vacuum cleaner, ironing board, scissors, matches and flashlights. That’s in addition to the common dog fears of thunderstorms (Ceraunophobia) or being abandoned and alone (Autophobia). Me, I’m afraid of the open ocean (Thalassophobia), large crowds (Agorophobia), traffic accidents, jail, centipedes, and cantaloupe.
Read MoreI swear, sometimes I think my two rescue mutts are the most emotionally needy dogs on the planet. It’s not that they mean to be a pain-in-the-ass; sometimes, it’s just that they crave human touch, attention, and interaction and never seem to be satisfied. They are “people dogs;” the dog park down the road where dogs frolic, romp, and chase each other is their worst nightmare.
Read MoreSketchy is true to her name. I have never met a more skittish cat. She could probably benefit from some form of Kitty Cat Prozac, but for now she will have to attempt to deal with life on her own.
Read MoreI had just put down the newspaper and took the last sip of my morning coffee when a chocolate-brown flash caught my eye. The sight was not lost on my two dogs either, as they jumped to the front window, barking excitedly. I grabbed a leash and my car keys from the garage and knew that today was not going to go as planned.
Read MoreAfter the kiddos go to bed at night, I normally sit on the back porch and read or write. At some point I am always greeted with a long drawn out “meow” with a hint of a southern accent. I’ll look up & there is Clyde, peering over the edge of the roof. How he gets up there I have no idea. He’ll rub his cheeks against the edge, inviting me to come join him. When he accepts the fact that his invitation is denied, he’ll make the 8 ft. drop onto the patio & jump in my lap to have the backs of his ears scratched.
Read MoreI am a firm believer in you are what you eat. I have this belief in regards to my pets too. They get the next to the best in dog food. I feed them 2 cups a day of Nature’s Variety kibble and along with each meal raw animal organs. Be that cow liver, chicken necks or whatever. It’s not cheap. However, they could care less about how much we spend on their food as is evident in their choices of snacks.
Read MoreLast week I posted an article about leash-training Thelma. Then on Thursday night at Nashville’s Farmer’s Market I met Betsy and her companion Charlie, a certified therapy dog that volunteers at Vanderbilt Hospital. In the coming weeks, you’ll be able to read my interview with Betsy where I’ll detail the requirements of certifying a dog for therapy work. Until then, enjoy this video her husband Tim Martin shot in March in Argentina. I’m obsessed with it. Amazing.
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