Why are overweight pets so fascinating to people? The whole 40 pound cat thing, having now been overplayed, is making way for roly poly dachshunds. Obie's all over the news, as you've seen- the 77 pound doxie on his way to health through his foster mom. Although I am glad it has reminded people about the plight of the 50% of US pets who are overweight, I have mixed feelings about the attention he's getting. First, the message here: people who overfeed their animals to the point of abuse ... Read more »
Archives for September 2012
Health
The dog, the barge, and the scars I’m going to have a hard time explaining
Well, we did it. Brody and I survived our first surfing competition. Let me start by saying I never would have dared even show my face there had I not known the local surf dog community previously. They're an accomplished bunch, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars and setting world records and getting on Times Square billboards and the like. They are also really good surfers. Next to them, Brody and I with our handful of goes on the board and our lackluster ability, were total rubes. But ... Read more »
Surf and Spokes and Supers
Surf OK, so first things first- yes, we surfed in our first competition and no, we didn't win (the well deserved honors went to the always amazing Surf Dog Ricochet, as it should.) I will be posting about it when I get back later this week and I have the rest of the pictures. I always had a ton of respect for the So Cal Surf Dog group, but after seeing them in action in competition I love them all even more. As busy as everyone was with their own dogs, many of whom were in multiple heats, I saw ... Read more »
Surf Dog Take 2: NO ONE KILL THE POWER AGAIN OK?
A refresher, if you haven't memorized all the details of my life, and I hope you haven't: Last year, Brody was scheduled to surf in the Helen Woodward Surf Dog Surf-a-thon. We had lessons. We had a board. And, of course, we had Evan the Surf Instructor: Who is probably blissfully unaware of his cult status in the pet blogging world. But I digress. At the very same moment we were out practicing our wave technique, someone, somwhere, hit a button they weren't supposed to and some Very ... Read more »
I’ve dreamed of this geeky day ever since I was twelve…
I knew we were in for a long morning when I saw Elvis's name on the schedule. A fearsome and mighty miniature pinscher who thought he was a Great White, Elvis held the reigning title of 'most challenging dog to vaccinate' I had ever seen. He had the unique ability to turn himself into a Tasmanian Devil on demand, a whirling, 360 degree tornado of teeth, claws, and anal gland secretions. And today he was coming in for a cough- one of the first signs of heart disease in dogs. The ECG is one of ... Read more »