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Meet the Josephs

Tucker Joseph with his Aunt Court and Uncle Wayne Labor Day Weekend 2006 I’d like to introduce you to some very dear friends of mine, the Josephs: Michael, Karen and Tucker, the 80 pound wonder dog. (a.k.a. Murphy’s best friend.) When we lived in Jacksonville, the Josephs lived at the top of our block. They moved into their house right around the same time we moved into ours. I remember thinking as I’d see Karen walk Tucker up and down our street, “My golly, that’s a big dog for that lady. I hope she can handle him.” Well, of course … Continue reading →

Diary of a Cat Care B&B: Pictures and Report Cards

Today was a frustertaining day at the cats-only boarding facility. Frustertaining = entertaining and frustrating at the same time. Why? Because I was working on report cards. We try to write up a little report card for every guest who stays with us. It’s got checklists for how the cat ate, how the cat seemed emotionally, and what health issues we may have noticed. There’s space for comments… and we put a picture on the front. (School pictures and report card day, all in one!) Once again, I found myself appreciating the folks who do pet photography professionally. Some of … 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 →

A Collection of Cat Toys

As impressive as the collage of cat toys to the left might be, it’s only a small representation of the entire collection of cat toys my cats claim. (Wayne’s decided if we’re looking for ways to cut money in case of a depression, cutting out my pet toy spending is a place to start. Sadly, he’s probably right.) But the purpose of this blog isn’t to show off my cats’ impressive collection of cat toys. Rather, it’s to discuss the names they know their toys by. (As I wrote in another article, I’m big on naming things.) See if you … Continue reading →

Appreciating Pet Photographers

I got the brilliant idea of a “family portrait” the other day — Moose, Lally, and I all in the same picture for once. (It’s rare that I can get that to happen.) Moose is the easy one. He’s pretty happy to lay there and pose for pictures without a problem for quite some time. All it takes is a little petting and you’ve got a Moose in place! I’m probably the second-easiest one out of the family trio. I’m not usually fond of pictures of myself, but I’m willing to pose and try not to blink. Lally is the … Continue reading →

Do You Have a Pet Emergency Evacuation Plan?

The spooky incident with my neighbor’s fire yesterday got me to thinking about emergency evacuation plans. Namely, how I don’t have one. Which was something I’d never really considered before. Have you? Sure, I had thought about how to help Murph and the cats if I wasn’t there by posting an I.C.E sticker. But I’d never really considered what I’d do if I was there during the emergency. For some, like my neighbor Cindy, the question isn’t a hypothetical one. She’s got real-life experience in two types of scenarios. One where the danger was imminent and another where it’s urgent … Continue reading →

Shopping the Catalogs: Personalized Pet Ornaments

Photo by John Boyer Do you hang ornaments on your tree for the animals in your life? (Or maybe you’re like my friend Karen who gives her dog Tucker a little tree of his own –all with his ornaments on it.) Or maybe you’re like me and like to give personalized ornaments to pet parents for presents? Below is a list of the cutest catalog offerings for personalized pet ornaments that I found this season. The usual suspects, like dogs and cats, are a given, but I even found one for horse lovers so I included it too. From Miles … Continue reading →

Murphy’s Surprise Visitor

Back in the middle of September, Murphy got a big treat: a visit from his Aunt Karen and Uncle Michael, who are the parents of his best friend, Tucker. Karen and Michael are pet photographers and were on their way up to Indianapolis for their yearly fall shoot. I knew they were planning on making a stop here then, so of course I passed that on to Murph. By the time they pulled in he was waiting anxiously at the door. But Karen emailed me this past Tuesday morning and said they were heading back to Jax that day and … Continue reading →

Do Your Pets Have Theme Songs?

Mine do. Each of them has a song that reminds me of them when I hear it. In some cases, like Murph’s, they even have more than one! Budly’s Song: “I Try” Budly was the first pet who got a theme song. Unfortunately it was not while he was alive. Macy Gray released “I Try” shortly before he passed away. I didn’t pay attention to it until the day he died. Then I couldn’t get it out of my head, because of the following lyrics: “I try to say goodbye and I choke Try to walk away and I stumble … Continue reading →

Pet Bereavement Photography

The other day my friend Karen and I had a chance to catch up. I asked her about recent jobs she and Michael have done (they’re pet photographers) and she shocked me by telling me they’d gone with another friend who was having her dog put to sleep to photograph that. Now, they were very close friends with this person and I can understand going for support, but to catch the moment on film? That really shook me up. I admitted as much. “I know it sounds a little weird, but Donna got the idea because they’ve done some infant … Continue reading →