Search Results for: blog walking encounters

Walking Encounters

I was out walking with my dogs Moose and Lally the other day. Occasionally, we encounter our neighbors’ dogs — the guys upstairs have a young pitbull mix and my next door neighbors have a Jack Russell terrier mix. I know it’s safe to let my dogs interact with these dogs because they’ve met before. Everyone has been well behaved each time. On this particular occasion, we were across the street from a lady walking a Saint Bernard. At first, I thought they would pass quietly… no such luck! First Moose, then Lally started barking at the strange dog. Then … 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 →

In the Blink of an Eye

A couple of weeks ago a 13-year-old rural Pennsylvania boy went outside to help his dad with some farm work and died in the blink of an eye. Not exactly the type of story you want to hear about in the middle of summer when your own kids are running amuck in the great outdoors. According to news reports, the boy was killed by lightning while he was helping his dad bale hay. Authorities say the teen was walking near a baler in the family’s open farm field when his dad heard a loud clap. When the father turned around … Continue reading →

Marriage in the Floodwaters

Every marriage encounters obstacles and hard times. The difference is some people are better at handling them than others. So you are stuck in the floodwaters, now what can you do? To continue the floodwaters analogy, you could just try treading water and wait till the waters subside. The trouble is you might just go under in the process. So what else can you do? The best solution is to try and find a way out of or around the problem. This is where being able to talk about to with your spouse and get to the root cause of … Continue reading →

Mirror to the Future

Today my 6 week old son and his almost 1 year old cousin met through internet video chat. They’ve actually, technically, met before via skype. The previous meetings were, however, less than acceptable as a definition for “meeting.” My son was, at that time, only able to cry and eat and poop. He’s since gained a remarkable skill set including some knowledge of self. He can now identify his own hands. He is also finally old enough to take a pause between feedings to acknowledge the world that exists between his frequent and insatiable hunger. He can hold his own … Continue reading →

Beware…There Are Monsters About!

At least from Murph’s point of view. Anything that looks out of the ordinary or is otherwise strange and unfamiliar to him is a monster. (A word he knows courtesy of his Aunt Karen. That’s what she says when something catches Tucker’s eye on a walk and startles him.) The Making of a Monster Of course there aren’t really monsters about. There are just things that sometimes appear scary to Murphy. An overturned trash can that wasn’t there on a previous walk. A tangled hose left askew on a lawn. A piece of trash, like some of the black landscape … Continue reading →

Murphy’s Newest Job: The Waker Upper

When Murphy picked his part in the personal pet therapy project, he did so without complaint –but with much sacrifice. Among other things, gone were his leisurely walks multiple times a day. He’s making up for lost time now. These days Murph wakes up early and with tons of enthusiasm. There’s work to be done, and he needs my help to do it. Company on My Morning Walk I like to start my day with a nice walk. But when I started caring for my mom I rarely got to walk. And therefor neither did Murph. Not the long walks … Continue reading →

Bad Situations: Loose Dogs vs. Leashed Dogs

Back in April, mcmama, otherwise known as Janet McMonagle the Community Manager, posted the thread “Leashed dog attacked by loose dog” over in the Pets Forum. The dogs involved were a terrier mix (the leashed one) and a German Shepherd (the loose one). Janet wasn’t sure if the Shepherd was going after the dog or his owner, but the little dog didn’t fare too well. His neck got all torn up and he had to be rushed to the vet and get stitches. Thankfully he lived. Having been in similar situations with both Budly and Murphy a time or two … Continue reading →

A Breed By Any Other Name Is…

…perhaps a dog you once knew or are familiar with from a TV show or a movie. You might not know the breed name, but you identify it nonetheless. By some other name. Not in Kansas Anymore, ____ Take the case of Lollipop, a Cairn terrier. I had the pleasure of making Lollipop’s acquaintance on my morning walks when I went to my mom’s house last month. The first morning I met Lollipop, she and her mom, Martha Ann, were coming towards me on the path. Lollipop stopped dead in her tracks when she saw me, hunkered down, and was … Continue reading →

Why We Never Leave Home Without Murph’s Choke Chain

Murph’s leash and choke chain Spring fever is most definitely in the air. Since we’ve had some spells of excellent walking-in-the-park or on longer-walks-through-the-neighborhood weather recently, Murph and I have been getting out more. So has everyone else. Inevitably we stop to chit chat. Sometimes with strangers, sometimes with people we already know. Some of these encounters are pleasant, some are not. Lately I’ve had two people on separate occasions comment about Murph’s choke chain. Mainly they’ve expressed unfavorable opinions about the use of them. “I think that is so cruel. Those things are so painful,” one lady said to … Continue reading →