Tag Archives: tree

Faith: This Week’s ASPCA Featured Dog for Adopt-a-Dog Month

Have you seen the two-legged dog named Faith who walks everywhere on her hind legs? (If not, YouTube has Faith videos galore which you can watch by clicking here. Or visit her website.) My friend Brenda first introduced me to Faith when she sent me an email with pictures of Faith accompanied by “his” story. (Faith is actually a girl. And belongs to an American family from Edmond, Oklahoma. But there’s a lot of Chinese writing on the pictures in the email. I’m thinking somehow they’ve been passed around a time or two, something got lost in translation somewhere along … Continue reading →

Are Your Pets on YouTube?

When Wayne bought me my new digital camera last Christmas, I knew it spelled trouble for Murphy, Mr. Meow and Tabby. Because not only could I take pictures without having to hassle with film anymore (which freed me to snap, snap, snap as many pics as I wanted), I could also take video. An Amateur Pet Film Maker Is Born I had such high hopes that I could capture Mr. Meow doing his maestro show on the air vent or the cats chasing each other, but so far no luck. I quickly found out what a tricky business capturing pets … Continue reading →

Using the ASPCA’s Personality Matcher to Adopt a Pet

The other day I was cruising around the ASPCA’s website looking for information about pet adoption when I stumbled across their Meet Your Match (MYM) Canine-ality, Puppy-ality, and Feline-ality assessment tool. “What the heck is that?” you might be asking. (I did when I first read about it.) It’s a great question. (And I’m not just saying that because I asked it too.) The Meet Your Match Program It might be the face, the eyes, or even the shiny coat that first attracts you to a certain dog or cat, but as any animal lover knows, pets have personalities too. … Continue reading →

The Family That Plays, Potties, Drinks, Sleeps, and Heals Together Stays Together

Something life with Murphy has made me realize lately is that Wayne, me, and our fur kids are one tight knit clan. Which is sort of a remarkable thing in one respect. On the one hand, we’re a family made up of humans and animals. We’re not related by blood, but our bond is as strong as any blood bond could be. On the other hand, it’s hard to believe that just a little over a year ago we were a house divided. (Literally. Wayne was in Florida working a new job while I stayed behind trying to sell the … Continue reading →

Adjusting to Life with Murphy the Cone Head

Life without Murphy was miserable, but life with Murphy the cone head has been interesting. Wayne and I have had to make some adjustments to our lifestyle to accommodate Murph’s new one. Confining Murphy the Cone Head Because Murph is on super limited activity restrictions, the vet suggested we keep him confined in a bathroom or crate. The times I’ve had to lock him behind the laundry room door (like when we had tornado threats earlier this year), he’s gone bonkers jumping and scratching to be let out. That wasn’t going to work. And he’s not too fond of crates. … Continue reading →

Life with Murphy the Cone Head

Last Friday I was lamenting life without Murphy. He ended up getting the go ahead to come home that day. (Thankfully.) But coming home meant making some changes to our lifestyle. Caring for Murphy the Cone Head The surgeon sent us home with some strict instructions for caring for Murphy for the next eight weeks. 1. Because he has stitches, he has to keep his cone (a.k.a. Elizabethan collar) on at all times. (I’m sure he has stitches at the surgery site, but a cast’s covering those up. The stitches the vet’s trying to keep him away from are on … Continue reading →

The Animals Grandma Dorothy Introduced Me To

The last few days I’ve been thinking about my mom a lot. I think it’s because of all that I’ve gone through with Murphy lately. I remember how Murphy was always on my mom’s mind. She thought the world of him. Now with him in his cast and his cone head, I can’t help but think of how she’d react if she was here to see him. She’d be so upset he was going through all this, but she’d also love on him and cater to his every need. I guess in some respects she’d return the therapy he gave … Continue reading →

Life Without Murphy

Life without Murphy hasn’t been very much fun. “Wait a second,” you might be wondering. “Life without Murphy? Where did he go?” The Surgery We dropped him off at the specialist’s office early Wednesday morning for his paw surgery. Luckily Wayne was able to come with. Turns out we needed each other. It was surprising how much we both broke down once the vet tech came and escorted Murphy away. I think I’d always get nervous if any of my pets had to go into surgery, but I think I get especially nervous because my beloved Mackie died after what … Continue reading →

Greatest American Dog: Thoughts on the Final Episode

Presley was crowned the champ, the cast was reunited to see it, and tears were shed. It was a moving final episode. It made me pause for deeper reflection. So now I’m going to share my final thoughts on the final episode of the show I came to love. Not about Being Perfect In my last article, I explained how at one point the judges made a big deal out of Andrew’s size and how impressive it was he made it so far. Andrew’s performance was impressive, just like all of the other dogs on the show. I couldn’t understand … Continue reading →

Greatest American Dog: The Final Episode

Somehow, despite my problem, I made it through the entire series of the Greatest American Dog. (Except for the couple of episodes I missed while on vacation, as I mentioned in my last Greatest American Dog commentary.) A Dog is An Extension of The Owner When they were trying to narrow it down from the final three to the final two, the judges were evaluating the owner as much as the dog. They were pretty critical of how the owners were with their dogs. As Laurie put it, it came down to a battle of the training methods. (Which again … Continue reading →