Tag Archives: tree

Cozies, Stray Cats, and Past Dogs: An Interview with Marion Moore Hill

I’m pleased to introduce you to mystery writer Marion Moore Hill. I’ve been trying to coordinate an interview with her for months now, but my efforts were somewhat waylaid by having to tend to affairs with my mom. However, I am pleased to finally bring you this long overdue interview. Enjoy! (And, Marion, thank you so much again for your patience and cooperation.) Courtney Mroch: What kind of things do you write about? (Genre, subject matter, themes, what have you.) Marion Moore Hill: I write traditional, amateur-sleuth mysteries (sometimes called cozies). I do two series, the Scrappy Librarian Mysteries and … Continue reading →

Are They Looking for the Greatest American Dog or Trainer?

Even before a reader left a comment on one of my “Greatest American Dog” articles about how could I buy the junk the show’s trying to sell us, I was already starting not to like certain things about the show. I’ll address more of those in a separate article to follow later, but for now I’ll talk about my main gripe: it seems they’re not so much looking for the greatest American dog as they are the greatest American trainer. Because forget what happens in the Dog Bone Challenge, it all comes down to how well the owner worked with … Continue reading →

Animal Planet’s Puppy Olympics

On Friday night, during the opening ceremonies for the Beijing Olympics, Wayne just had to do what most men in charge of the remote feel the need to do: channel surf. But I’m not going to fault him this time. If it wasn’t for his ADD I wouldn’t have discovered Animal Planet’s Puppy Olympics. What’s Puppy Olympics? It’s actually called Puppy Games 2008, but I can’t stop calling it Puppy Olympics. From what I gather it’s the first year Animal Planet’s doing it. It’s very similar to when they do Puppy Bowl. Except instead of a football field, they have … Continue reading →

Greatest American Dog: Dancing with the Dogs Episode

I finally had a chance to watch last week’s “Greatest American Dog.” As have the other episodes, it’s sparked some reflection on my behalf. (The gist of which is reflected in the subheads below.) The Good Again, I have yet to watch this show without crying. (Which isn’t entirely unexpected due to my problem.) However, this week it was the people, not the animals, who had me bawling. It started when Bill was talking about being so homesick and Star’s body language mirrored his sadness. It was heart wrenching to hear him say how much he missed his wife and … Continue reading →

What Gives Us the Right to Treat Our Pets That Way?

As I’m watching The Greatest American Dog, I can’t help but wonder what gives us the right to treat our pets certain ways. It’s something I think about from time to time anyway, but more so now that I’ve been watching the challenges on the show. Abusing Their Trust? Our dogs trust us unconditionally. It’s about as close to a true unconditional love and acceptance relationship as you can get. Is it right for us to expect them to do certain things? Not only expect them to, but in some cases demand them to perform. Take the personality episode for … 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 →

Do Working Dogs Get Bored When They Retire?

I wish I could remember which book it was I read where a lady adopts a retired police dog (I think a German Shepherd), but then worries thinking it might be sick because it grows listless and seems so unhappy. Eventually she figures out that the dog misses working and sets about creating jobs to keep it busy. I want to say it was a book I read by Elizabeth Dearl, Twice Dead, but I’m not positive. (I know that book had a ferret. I just can’t remember if it was her book or someone else’s that had the retired … Continue reading →

Greatest American Dog: The Personality Episode

Over the weekend I had the chance to get caught up on “Greatest American Dog” episodes I missed. Which was only last week’s show, the personality episode. Take It or Leave It The first challenge tested how well the dog owner knew his or her dog. The dogs and owners were put in individual corrals. Various items were set out on a dish in front of them. The owner had to make a call whether or not the dog would take whatever the item was. (With no prompting or cajoling from the owner.) I thought this challenge would last forever. … Continue reading →

Different Strokes, Commands, and Dialogue for Different Pet Folks

Aimee recently wrote an article about how to speak cat. I couldn’t help but think of it when I watched the Elvis episode of “The Greatest American Dog.” The Tangled Leash Challenge In this “Greatest American Dog” challenge, the dogs and their owners were paired up. They had to attach their dogs to leashes that wound around various obstacles and intertwined with one another. Then, without touching their dogs, using verbal commands only, they had to navigate their dogs through the course. There were several obstacle sections to work through. Once they were free of one, they unhooked the dog … Continue reading →

Missing Grandma Dorothy

When my mom first came to live with us, I don’t think Murphy, Mr. Meow or Tabby knew what to make of it all. They knew who Grandma Dorothy was, but she lived somewhere else. That meant she’d come and stay a little while and then leave. But this time she came with two big suitcases, unpacked, and stayed. She left for a few days when the ambulance came after her first mini-stroke. But then she came back again…though not entirely herself. Still, Grandma Dorothy was like another stray I’d brought home. Murph and the cats accepted her, loved her, … Continue reading →