Category: Dog Blog

Letter to Miss Lucy After Bark for Life 2012

Dear Miss Lucy,

Took Jet to Bark for Life today. I didn’t think of you as much this year as I did last year, but last year, you’d just left me for Rainbow Bridge. I still missed you like crazy, particularly your beautiful leash walking skills, but Jet is starting to get to a place where his leash walking skills are almost as good as yours. Jet walked through crowds of strange dogs and kept his eyes on me. I was impressed with him, to say the least. We might just pass the CGC after the first try. Make sure you’re watching over us when we take the test. I’m sure that will bring us luck!

I wish I had a lot more to add, but I don’t. Just know that I still love you, always will, and that I miss you and that I will keep fighting every way that I can so that someday, we can kick cancer where it hurts.… [Read More]

My Letter to President Obama

I could have written to him about World Peace. I could have talked to him about the things he’s said that I agreed or disagreed with, but really, and maybe you will think I’m silly but the issue that concerns me is the FDA’s lack of authority to do anything about toxins found in pet foods and treats. I’ve requested a reply. I also doubt I will get one, but here it is:

Dear Mr. President,

I wonder if you’ve seen the recent news about Chicken Jerky dog treats that are poisoning dogs across the country. I’ve seen reports that as many as 2000 dogs have died after being fed these products, which are manufactured in China. The FDA has no power to force a recall here, what I want to know is, why? Is there a federal agency that CAN force a recall on these products? And if not, why?… [Read More]

What I’ve Learned From My Dogs

Sometimes, Facebook memes can get out of hand when they are given to a writer and the meme in question asks you to write something about something that you’re very passionate about. This meme was entitled, “What I’ve learned from my dogs.” My response got long enough that I felt it warranted a blog post, but also, the things I’ve learned from my dogs are important because they aren’t just about being a dog owner, they are also about life. I have been honored to have been loved by six dogs in my adult life and the three that are gone, I will miss every day for the rest of my life, but I will never forget the things that they taught me.

 

Reilly: I learned to love the Labrador Retriever because of his amazing temperament and very forgiving nature, including being forgiving when I would make stupid mistakes. He is the reason that I read The Monks of New Skete (their training methods are out-dated, but their insight on the pack structure of dogs and how they communicate with each other, and in particular their observations on puppy development are invaluable to a first time dog owner!),… [Read More]

Memories of Mugen

I’ve been thinking about Mugen a lot lately. I can’t help it. His birthday just passed and then the anniversary of Lucy’s passing came and went and it was so much easier for me to cuddle with him than it was to face my memories of her and how much losing her hurt me, then I lost him too and everything just came down on me. I haven’t been very social since he died, not even with my own family. I know that most of my friends are going to think I’m crazy for this, but I feel like I’ve lost a child. Mugen was my baby! I woke up with him in the middle of the night, I was choosy about what he ate and what he drank, I made sure that he had structured play time and that I made plenty of time for learning for him too. I did everything that you would do to raise a child with Mugen.… [Read More]

A Letter to Miss Lucy

Dear Lucy,

Tomorrow will mark the first anniversary of the day we sent you to Rainbow Bridge. I’m going to spend tomorrow at a street fair, having fun and living my life with a great group of friends, because I know that’s what you’d want me to be doing. I plan to be too busy to post this tomorrow, that’s why I’m sending it out to you today. I hope that I’m so busy that I forget that it was the day you died and that I remember instead, the way you lived because you never let a single thing stand in your way. I don’t want to let anything stand in my way either, even if it’s hard sometimes.

A lot has happened this year. After you passed, we adopted Jet and I want you to know that I still wonder if I was temporarily insane. I really think that I wasn’t thinking straight when I adopted him.… [Read More]