What Would You Say to Your Pets?

I read an article in the January/February issue of BARK magazine that had me in tears. It was called Beyond Words: the light and the dark side of a relationship without speech. The article talked about a woman who said she would give a million dollars to be able to talk to her dog — and have the dog understand. The author of the article suggests sitting down and making a list of the things you would say to your pets, starting (probably) with “I love you.” That would certainly top my list. Moose, Lally: I love you both very … Continue reading →

Five Years of Moose!

I’m not always good at remembering birthdays and anniversaries, so I have a few online calendars to give me hints about the date. Today in my email was a happy birthday wish for my dog Moose from Dogster.com. I don’t know what his actual birthday is — I don’t know Lally’s birthday either — so we celebrate anniversaries. Some people call them Gotcha Days, as in “this is the day I gotcha.” Five years ago today, I drove to Ticonderoga, NY to pick up a foster dog named Coyote. I had picked him out from a series of shelter dog … Continue reading →

Wagging My Tail Goodbye to the Pets Blog

I’m sitting in my office looking out the window watching the snow melt from the rooftops and bushes as I’m writing this. Last night we got measureable snow, a bit of an oddity in December for us here in Nashville. Whenever we get snow like this now I think about the first winter I was writing for Families.com. We got snow one February and I took Murph outside to play in it, then wrote about it as my blog for the day later. How much inspiration I’ve drawn from my pets over the past two years since I first began … 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 →

Vet Offices and Surveillance Cameras

I got to thinking about something I haven’t seen in any vet offices since we moved from Phoenix: surveillance cameras. Observations on Vet Offices I specifically got to thinking about it last Thursday when I took Murph to the specialist for a consult on his paw. I had never been to this particular veterinary practice. I’ve really only been to two other vet offices since we moved to Nashville: Southside Animal Hospital and Banfield in Petsmart when I found Tabby. This new-to-us office was much like any other vet practice. There was a reception desk and a waiting room, and … Continue reading →

More “Whoever Heard of” Expressions

Even though my mom is gone, an expression we’d say still lives on. I find myself coming up with some pretty funny “whoever heard of” lines. Ones I know would make my mom smile, if not chuckle. Perhaps they’ll tickle you as well. Whoever Heard Of… A cat drinking coffee? (Inspired by Mr. Meow dipping his nose into my empty coffee mug to check out what I’d been drinking. And don’t worry. I’d never let him really drink coffee. I know it’s dangerous for him.) A cat eating Cheerios? (My mom loved her Cheerios for breakfast. Sadly, no one in … Continue reading →

Watching the Buzzards and the Bunnies

The other day a horrible thing happened: one of the neighborhood bunnies got hit by a car and died. I didn’t see it happen. It must have happened after my walk with Murph, because I would’ve noticed the bunny body in the road on our way home. As it was, I spotted it from the kitchen window as I was washing dishes. I wasn’t sure it was a bunny at first, though. It could have been a piece of clothing someone lost. But when the first buzzard showed up, I knew it was fresh kill. The Buzzard Brigade At first … Continue reading →

Expressions: “Whoever Heard Of…?”

When my mom was still here, before she went to the hospice, we often found ourselves repeating a certain expression: “Whoever heard of…” followed by some observation about the behavior of the animals. Once I noticed we repeated this expression, I began compiling a list of them. Below are a few of my “Whoever heard of…” favorites: “…a cat taking a bath?” Mr. Meow’s our water lover. One morning as I was running the water for my mom’s bath, Mr. Meow went in to play in her tub. That’s when my mom laughed, shook her head, and said, “Whoever heard … Continue reading →

Going “Home” – Who Will Be Waiting for Me?

Ever since her stroke last Tuesday, my mom has been talking about “going home.” How her people are waiting for her. Aunt LaLa (her mom’s sister), Pearl (her sister), her mom, and her dad…all of whom have passed away. Yesterday she was particularly adamant that she had to get up and get going home because her people were there waiting for her. “Your people are here, Dorothy,” Wayne said. “Courtney, me, Murphy and the cats. You’re not going home just yet. No one’s there.” “That’s true. I do have to go by myself. But I don’t want to. I don’t … Continue reading →

Courtney and Crew Present: Mother’s Day Merriment

Most Mother’s Days are fairly uneventful. Maybe Wayne (known as Papa to Murphy, Tabby, and Mr. Meow) will make breakfast in bed for me. Usually he tries to get cards that they can all write a nice sentiment in. (With his help of course.) Once in a while he gets flowers. Any and all of the above then become sources of merriment for the crew. Hopefully the flowers are roses, which are the cats’ favorite. Cards left unattended on countertops become prime shredding targets. (As do the envelopes which hopefully aren’t immediately discarded in the trash.) And breakfast? Begging time! … Continue reading →