Search Results for: blog keeping the peace in your pack

Make Peace with Packing

We all love to travel, but unless you are Martha Stewart-organized, packing for vacation can be a real pain. Whether you are jetting off to grandma’s house in Omaha or planning to watch history being made in London during the Summer Olympics, you will likely need more than just a toothbrush and underwear to get through a week-long trip. Fortunately, there are ways you can reduce stress when packing for a summer getaway. For starters, if you are flying on a commercial airline that charges an arm and a leg for excess baggage, consider wearing your heaviest shoes and clothes … Continue reading →

Having Peace of Mind During Home Repairs

If you have been following my saga, you know I had to have my entire roof replaced because of a hailstorm followed by torrential downpours in Georgia. While the insurance company approved the repairs, the mortgage company held onto the money for 6 months just because they could. This meant more damage and more work to be done. We had the roof fixed a couple of weeks ago, and now the indoor damage on our home is being repaired. Sections of wall need to be replaced. A couple of ceiling spots need to be cut out and replaced as well. … Continue reading →

The Pets Blog Week in Review for March 31 – April 6

I had to take a couple week hiatus from Week in Review duties while I tended to family affairs. However, I’m happy to be back to bring you this recap of what Aimee and I wrote about last week on: Monday, March 31 A client with awesome cats sparked Aimee musing about the awesome one in her life. (An “awesome one” being any pet that just has that everything about them. That soul connection.) Aimee discussed who the awesome one was in her life. (You have to read the blog to find out who.) Tuesday, April 1 I had made … Continue reading →

Keeping the Peace in Your Pack

If you have a multi-dog family, you probably have a pack order. There are alpha personalities who dominate the other dogs, and there are those who are content to follow — the betas and the omegas. It’s up to the human alpha to keep the entire pack in line. Part of keeping peace in your pack means respecting the pack order. It seems unfair by human standards, but dogs don’t follow the idea of taking turns or fairness. By dog standards, the dominant dog goes first and everyone else follows. Here are some tips to help keep the peace in … Continue reading →

Toddler Safety & Your Peace Of Mind

While you can hardly expect your toddler to take responsibility for their own safety and it is indeed the burden of the parent to provide a safe environment for their child – you can set the examples by which your child will learn about safety and keeping themselves safe as they grow and develop. As with all lessons for your children, your example is the one they will learn from the most. How you behave, maintain your home and the vigilance you keep can often mean the difference between averting disaster and serious injury for your little one. The following … Continue reading →

Picnics 201—Keeping the Great Outdoors Great

In Picnics 101 I listed items that no picnicker should leave home without. In Picnic 201 we cover another essential park of picnicking—location. Choosing a picnic destination can be just as exciting as deciding what you will pack in your basket. Whether you choose to dine at the beach, at a national park or at your neighborhood playground it is always a good idea to be responsible when using a public area. By remembering to exercise the following rules you not only insure that the area you are picnicking in will be viable for years to come, you also set … Continue reading →

I Want A Dog – Part 1

For the past few days, Dylan has been talking a lot about animals. He has not said much about the lions, tigers, monkeys, and other jungle animals that we see in many of the books that we read or the movies that we watch. He seems acutely interested in domestic animals – cats, dogs, cows, and the like. A couple of times, he has asked me to go for a walk or a drive in the afternoon for the specific purpose of finding cows that he can touch. Even though we live in Vermont, many of the farms near us … Continue reading →

Just Shy: Dealing with One Dog’s Uncertainty Around Other Dogs

I’m just shy The more I think about my people dog, the more I become concerned. What if I’m just refusing to see the truth, that my dog has developed potentially aggressive behavior? Sure, she’s never actually fought outside of the initial problems she had with the puggle last year, but I couldn’t help being concerned that her dislike, or at least wary disinterest in, other dogs could develop into something worse. Chihiro had her yearly vet visit last Thursday so I explained the situation to the vet and asked her for advice. I know that veterinarians aren’t necessarily specialists … Continue reading →

Making the Most of What You Have

I recently read a book where the author was sharing her experience of moving the family from what was their “white picket fence” home to a practically dilapidated one. It was met with a lot of anger from her teenage sons. She had torn them from the comforts of their home, friends and a familiar neighbor to the middle of nowhere. They were living in a house that could have almost been condemned. Then they decided to tear the whole thing down and build new. While they did that, they had to live with the grandparents for several months. Eventually … Continue reading →

The Benefits of Structure

Have you ever heard of John Watson? He was a leading psychologist in the 1920s, who used to dole out child rearing advice, such as: “Never kiss and hug (children); never let them sit on your lap,” lest you spoil them. Basically, Watson believed that children should be treated as pint-sized adults, and parents, who provided too much love and affection, were doing their kids a grave disservice. Fast-forward to 2012 and Watson wouldn’t last a second on the talk show circuit hawking his child rearing advice books. Rather, he’d likely be skewered online by the Momosphere and smothered by … Continue reading →