Some Pets Help Sell Homes

The New York Times recently posted an interesting article relating to pets, one that the story itself acknowledges contradicts popular assumed wisdom: pets help sell homes. Normally one would assume that leaving pets in a house or apartment while it’s toured by prospective buyers is a bad idea, because who knows how potential buyers feel about animals? To an extent that will always be true. People touring the house might have severe pet allergies or phobias. Some pets might be ill-behaved, following the tour around the house, making noise, and perhaps even trying to jump on people. Certain hallmarks of … Continue reading

The Top Pets Blogs of 2007: January – May

Aimee and I, along with the occasional guest blogger, tried our best to bring you informative, interesting, and entertaining articles this past year. But you seemed to like some more than others. So I decided to do a Year in Review recap of the ones that you responded most to. What Makes a “Top” Blog? Even though you all may enjoy most of the blogs we write, not all of them inspire you to leave comments or rate them. Those that received star ratings made the Top Blogs cut. January 2007 Top Blogs Assistance Dogs of the West and The … Continue reading

The Pets Blog Week in Review for Mar 26-Apr 1

Busy week? Afraid you might have missed something in the Pets Blog last week? Here’s your chance to catch up on what Aimee and myself wrote about. Monday, March 26 Monday was our Sunday. We took it off as a much needed day of rest. Tuesday, March 27 Mystery author Evelyn David graciously sat down for an interview about writing, Whiskey, and murder. Wednesday, March 28 For anyone following the trials of Tabby, you’ll be happy to know she received a clean bill of health (finally!). Thursday, March 29 Combining stories in the news with the theme of mystery for … Continue reading

Apartment Hunting With Pets

Planning a move is a difficult thing. Planning a move with four-legged family members can be even more of a challenge! In working on my own relocation, I’ve come up against a lot of problems — especially because I have dogs that are considered “large” and breeds that may be “dangerous” or “aggressive”. It has definitely been a learning experience! Some pet-moving resources and suggestions: Check with the humane society local to the area you’re moving to. Local shelters and rescues often keep a list of pet-friendly housing. Most rental sites will let you search for things like “cats welcome” … Continue reading

Anatolian Shepherds

I had never heard of an Anatolian Shepherd until yesterday when I accompanied my friend Karen to the Nashville Humane Society. (Karen wanted to see if they had a photographer doing fund raising for them like the Josephs do for the Humane Society in Jacksonville.) Turns out the NHS does have someone who does that, but their events person was very nice and gave us a tour of the facility. That’s when I saw this big white dog who was desperate to get my attention. And when she did, there was such a spark…I just may have to take Wayne … Continue reading

Moose and Lally’s New Year’s Resolutions

With 2008 just a few days away, the dogs and I sat down to work on our New Year’s resolutions. Moose’s New Years Resolutions Moose resolves to stay out of traffic. For the rest of his life. He’s been pretty good since he got hit by a car back in June, but sometimes in the apartment complex parking lot, he has a bad habit of straying into the middle of the road between spots. Moose resolves to lose more weight. When we moved west in May, Moose weighed more than 100 pounds. His ideal weight is closer to 75. Slowly … Continue reading

Why Does My Dog Roll In Things?

I remember a trip to the park one time with Lally (this was in the few months when I just had her, before we found Moose). After a fun walk with our human friend Joe and his Bassett hound Cassie, Lally decided to end the adventure by rolling in something. I don’t know what it was but it smelled AWFUL. I dragged her home (it was a long and stinky walk) and carried her into the shower with me, since the apartment didn’t have a bathtub. Lucky for me, Lally only weighs around fifty-five pounds, so I could pick her … Continue reading

Dandie Dinmont Terrier

The Westminster Kennel Club’s Best in Group for the terriers this year was the Dandie Dinmont Terrier — owned by none other than Doctor William H. Cosby! This terrier is a long, low dog, bred for going to ground and rooting prey like badgers and otters out of their holes. The breed takes its name from a character in an 1814 book by Sir Walter Scott named Dandie Dinmont who kept six of these hunting dogs. The Dandie Dinmont Terrier was first recognized as a distinct breed of terrier around 1700, developed as a cross between native terriers in the … Continue reading