Bronner’s: A Good Place for Pet Ornaments

A couple months back, when the deluge of catalogs started assaulting my mailbox, I received one from Bronner’s. Located in Frankenmuth, Michigan, they claim they’re the world’s largest Christmas store. If they are or not, I don’t know, but they certainly have quite the collection of ornaments in their catalog. Pet Ornaments They have ones with messages like “Loving Friend/Loyal Companion” or “Pets Leave Pawprints on Your Heart!” that you can also personalize with your pet’s name. They have bone-shaped ones that can also be personalized, like the glass dog bone or the one with an attached dangling heart under … Continue reading

Animals Bring Out the True Altruists

Yesterday I was reading a copy of Woman’s World. They always have this “What’s Does X Say about Your Personality?” section. If you’ve never seen it, basically they pose a question and give you five or six options to chose from. For instance, sometimes it’s what does your handwriting say about you? Then you pick which style most closely matches yours. Or which color do you prefer? Again, you pick and read what it says. If You Give Holiday Gifts to Animals… This last one was “What does your holiday gift giving style say about you?” One of the selections … Continue reading

Learning about Coping Gracefully from My Pets

Over in Marriage I wrote about how this year has been one blow after the other and I feel like I’m living under a black cloud. A string of them to be exact. No sooner does one pass than another one moves in and pours on me some more. I don’t even get a chance to fully dry off. I’ve been trying to cope as well as I can, but I have to be honest. My defenses are wearing down. Yesterday I got another blow. My dad’s girlfriend called to say she was at St. Anthony’s with my dad. He … Continue reading

Celebrating a Second Anniversary as a Pets Blogger

Two years ago today I officially started on with Families.com as one of their newest Pets Bloggers. Ironically enough, two years later on my anniversary date, here I’ve turned in my two weeks notice. (I just realized as I started writing this that I did that on my start date anniversary.) It’s been a good ride, a very fun ride, and an amazingly informative one. I’ll still be around for the next couple of weeks, but I wanted to take a moment and reflect on some of my favorite blogs from the past couple of years. A Few of My … Continue reading

How Much Do You Incorporate Your Pets Into Your Lifestyle?

A while back in another article I asked how much your pets influence different aspects of your lifestyle, from work to home life. But now I’m wondering about how much you incorporate your pets into your lifestyle. I got to thinking about it when I came across a cartoon in a Woman’s World magazine. These two ladies were standing in front of a refrigerator in what was supposed to be one of their kitchens. Pinned to the refrigerator was artwork of paw prints. The one lady’s saying to the other, “No, we don’t have kids. That’s our dog’s art work.” … Continue reading

Hurt Paw = Sympathy Windfall

I mean to tell you, Murph has not minded his hurt paw very much. Another title for this blog could have easily been: “Murph Makes Out Like a Bandit.” That’s what’s happened ever since Murphy’s fan club got word of his demise. The Vet It all started when my friend Brenda sent Murph a care package. Inside was a note from her dog Mocha hoping Murph would get well soon, as well as a stuffed vet toy. When I thanked her, Brenda emailed me back and said, “I wasn’t really thinking. I guess he can’t really play right now.” “Oh … Continue reading

Strays: Wings Beneath Their Fur

Do you know what I truly believe about strays and shelter animals? Especially ones that pick their people out like Aimee’s Miko did with her, Murph did with me and Wayne, and Rocky did with my friend Kim. Or how they wind up in our paths like Tabby did with me and Cujo did with my friends Christy and Christian. I don’t believe any of this is coincidence. I believe Divine Intervention was at work. These animals were guided into our lives by a higher power. If you look closely enough, you’ll see what I mean. There are wings beneath … Continue reading

Yikes! I’m Sniping!

Over the weekend, when Wayne and I were embroiled in our “get me to the ER/I’m not going to the ER” brew ha ha, he made this comment: “Listen, if you’re sick we’ve got to get you help. You can’t die and leave me with them.” (“Them” being our “kids” –Murphy, Mr. Meow and Tabby.) This was my reply: “I know. You don’t have the patience to care for them like they’re used to.” Yikes. Thinking back, no matter how much of a meltdown I was having at the moment, that comment was uncalled for. Wayne let that one slide, … Continue reading

Tabby’s First “Real” Halloween

Murphy and Mr. Meow are old pros when it comes to Halloween. They’ve been with us long enough to know that when I put up the graveyard and break out the ghosts that the Trick or Treaters will soon follow. But last year because we were in the midst of still trying to sell our home, which we did take off the market late in October, I didn’t “do” Halloween like I normally would. Therefore, even though last Halloween was technically Tabby’s first with us, she didn’t get a taste of how her mom normally does up the holiday. I … Continue reading

‘Twas the Night Before Halloween

Here’s something way, way, way off the normal course of offerings from me to you here in the Pets Blog. My attempt at paying homage to a classic holiday poem, “The Night Before Christmas” by Clement C. Moore –but with a twist. And it stars my three little monkeys: Murphy, Mr. Meow and Tabby. (Along with some seasonally appropriate Halloween cohorts, of course.) I’ll warn you now I’m no poet. Most of the rhyming is a stretch, the meter’s off, and who knows if any of it makes any sense, but this is what taking a nap the day before … Continue reading