Bookends – Getting a new puppy with an old dog

Blind cocker spaniel with springer puppy and me

I thought it would be too cruel to Buffy to bring home a puppy. But that’s exactly what we did the day after my husband retired. My last springer spaniel, Cassie,  died in 2015 and I’ve been longing for a puppy ever since.

Falling off My Bike

Buffy with Christmas loot that returned my memory

Last week, I finally had the courage to get back on my bike after my injury. It felt pretty weird…strange, with some fear along with a tiny bit of pain when I hit a pothole and it jarred my healing pubic bone – yeah, my crotch. On December 26th at about 8 a.m., I started … Read more

I’m Published – Watch the Book Launch on Sunday

I’ll never forget that sky. To this day, I still remember it, even though back then I was only an 8-year-old child during the deadliest tornado to hit the south side of Chicago during the 1967 Oak Lawn Tornado

Cure for the Winter Blues

Dog in stroller

“I’m surprised you went for a walk,” my husband said after we received a few inches of snow—not the fluffy white stuff, but instead, crunchy snow and ice—too little for skiing but enough to make the sidewalks challenging. I walk outside almost every day since covid-19 hit, in all kinds of weather for about 2-4 … Read more

Did Dogs Influence Human Evolution?

Did you ever think of what life would be without dogs? I don’t just mean a temporary interlude between owning our best friend after our dog dies.  What I mean is what if humans never domesticated friendly wolves and created dogs?  Most of us “dog-people” couldn’t imagine it. But maybe there would be no humans … Read more

Does Your Dog Hate Winter? Maybe She’s Got SAD

Dog covered with blankets

Buffy, my ten-year-old cocker spaniel hates rain more than anything else. I’ll open the door and she’ll stick her nose out and then back up. “No way,” she seems to be saying. “I can hold it. I don’t have to go potty.” Does your dog act like this? Does she act more lethargic and not … Read more

Dreary weather got you down? Go outside and walk your dog

Dog walking in the snow

It’s November and the days are getting much shorter; it’s been cloudy and rainy for days; it’s getting cold outside. The switch to daylight savings time is around the corner so it will get dark much earlier. You can feel it start to creep up on you – the winter blues when you don’t want … Read more

Why are some dog noses brown?

Have you really looked at your dog’s nose? A stupid question you might think. But I just read something that made me look back at old photos to check. I read this quote on Barkhow.com , “It is genetically impossible for a liver dog to have a black nose.” I’ve owned two liver and white … Read more

Pet Insurance—Should you get it?

Dog getting a vet exam

Do you have pet insurance? I haven’t had pet insurance for two decades—it seemed to bring me bad luck. My first dog was insured and she was killed by a snowmobile, and then my next dog jumped off a cliff the day her policy went into effect. That insurance paid for several surgeries, but then … Read more

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