You know by now how I feel about cutesy pet stuff, right? I mean, it has its place, but as far as my own tastes go I'm constantly on the lookout for something that falls on the sleeker end of things. (This from the person who bought a dinosaur barrette from Anthropologie, so take it with a grain of salt.) But I digress. When it comes to pets, function still has to have a place over form, or you end up like me with a nice wooden bowl holder that is chomped to bits within a few weeks. ... Read more »
I’m only *kind of* violent
Ever since I was a little kid, I've been particularly sensitive to depictions of violence against animals. My mother learned early on that I couldn't handle Tom and Jerry, the Roadrunner cartoons, or Sylvester and Tweety. "But he's a carnivore!" I would cry sympathetically. "He's just hungry! Turn on the Snorks, Mom." And that holds to this day. But apparently I was much less bothered by anything involving humans wailing on each other. Shortly after graduating vet school, my husband bought an ... Read more »
A pet’s worth
We didn't get a whole lot of education on the topic of the law while we were in school. Too much other stuff to cram into four short years to spend much time on something that changes with some regularity. But at the time, the general consensus was this: from a legal standpoint, pets are property, and as such, your liability in terms of the law is limited to the replacement value of the pet. That has changed with some rapidity. A Texas court is just one of the most recent cases in which a ... Read more »
Bostons, Breeders and the surreptitious obtaining of important phone numbers
I think it's interesting that the newest competition at the AKC/Eukanuba show in December was called the "Breeder's Stakes". I know they meant it one way, but really, there is a lot at stake, and I'm not talking about the cash prizes. It's defining 'good breeder'. There is a circular conversation going on in the world of animal lovers about what constitutes a "responsible breeder." Most people who breed their dogs call themselves a responsible breeder, even if they're not. Even if they are ... Read more »
AKC/Eukanuba: Stealing Smooches
Everyone knows you should start the New Year off with a kiss. I love kisses. I live for kisses. Unfortunately for me, when I'm at work most dogs are not really that happy to give smooches. Sure they do at first, but one go with the thermometer and the honeymoon's over. This is one of the reasons I was thrilled to throw on my civvies and hit the Meet the Breeds booths at the AKC/Eukanuba show as a regular Joe. I thought, maybe I could ask owners about their dog's proclivity for herding ... Read more »
Epic Bad
We had a great New Year's Eve. Well, some of us did, at least. My parents offered to watch the kids so that my husband and I could go out for the first time in a decade. Being well past the expiration date for things like heading downtown with the hordes, we decided to check out a new restaurant in our area that was opening on New Year's Eve instead. So we got there, only to find that it was technically a private event for family and friends. No matter, said my husband, and somehow talked ... Read more »
Thousand Post Giveaway: Joy Pet Products Doggie Coat!
I can hardly believe it myself, but I've just passed the thousand post mark on the blog. That's a lot of hammering on the keyboard. What a cool benchmark to ring in 2012! Thank you for sticking with me through all of it- the good, the sad, and the goofy. I know lots of you are reading this from chillier climates than mine, so to celebrate, we're having a giveaway of one Original Goose Down Filled Doggie Coat from Joy Pet Products! Our Original Goose Down Filled Doggie Coats are so unique ... Read more »
Scenes from a holiday
The holidays are exhilirating. Well, for most of us, at least. Some find them merely exhausting. While others use them as a time to indulge in the most ironic of activities, such as opening a "Good Dog" ornament from under the tree and chewing it up. Indeed. Hope you all had a great one! ... Read more »
What happens when you leave me to my own devices with a mascot and a camera
When Susi from DogKnobIt and I asked if we could dogsit the Eukanuba VP of Canine Communications, Pawl Griffin, for a bit at the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship, I'm not sure what they were thinking when they agreed. I'm glad they did, though. Because we had a ton of fun. He's a petit Basset Griffon Vendeen, but we decided to see what would happen when we asked breeders of other types of dogs for grooming advice. (For the record, that brilliant idea was Susi's. I thought we should take him ... Read more »
Resolved: What’s yours?
This has been a banner couple of weeks for pet misbehavior. Brody really brought his A game this month. It's a miracle he didn't need some sort of ER visit, truly. Now, I know this is my fault for not making him tired enough. He's been off because of all the changes in his routine, and I've been travelling, sick, and doing all sorts of things that don't include giving him enough exercise, so that the smallest insults such as leaving the house for half an hour leave him with no choice except ... Read more »
Merry Christmas
I love Christmas. But I hated Christmas working emergency as a veterinarian. I euthanized more pets in the two weeks surrounding Christmas than I did in the surrounding three months combined. This is a consistent, repeatable phenomenon common to all clinics- a combination of holiday stress, low funds, and the uncanny knack of pets to get very sick at the most inconvenient of times. Yesterday, in a clinic in the Pacific Northwest, a woman went into the emergency clinic with her beloved dog, ... Read more »
Bad Santa: Or, how I blew a dog’s chance at the National Obedience Title
I recorded my homecoming on Monday. I really did. I wanted to document the joyous reunion between me and my loving dogs. It went a little something like this: Opening: My hand on the doorknob. Whining behind the door. Me: HI GUYS! cacophony dogs running amuk kisses Me: I missed you SOO much! *looks up* screams And scene. ... Read more »
Hill’s Science Diet Ideal Balance Giveaway
The holidays are right around the corner- and to celebrate I have the first of a series of giveaways running between now and the New Year! To kick us off, I have TEN chances to win either: Hill’s® Science Diet Ideal Balance™ Grain Free Adult Chicken & Potato Dinner dog food - OR - Hill’s® Science Diet Ideal Balance™ Adult Chicken & Brown Rice Dinner cat food So here's the interesting thing about pet food nutritionists, and this is the same across the board in terms of the big ... Read more »
2011 Last Minute Holiday Gift Guide
It's not too late to grab some last minute goodies for your pup if you're like me and still scrambling to get things together between now and Sunday! If you're still looking for some ideas or stocking stuffers, here are the products I'm featuring this morning with Santa on Fox 5 San Diego's morning segment: 1. Halo Liv-a-Littles all-natural treats Freeze-dried treats are the perfect choice for those who like an all-natural, no filler sort of treat. Just freeze-dried chicken, salmon, or beef ... Read more »
Blogger’s Stakes: Or, how I blew my first competition
I'm back from the whirlwind week at the world's biggest dog show, and I am POOPED. There could have been five of me running around and I still don't think I would have scratched the surface. But today, I want to share my favorite experience from the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship, the Inaugural Blogger's Stakes. During the afternoon light check before the Saturday evening events, the bloggers were invited into the main arena for a mock show. Each of us was provided a stellar show dog, ... Read more »
World Challenge TODAY!
The excitement here is really something. Today is the first official day of the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship, though the prep has been going on all week. Earlier, I watched the Bostons take the Breeders' Stakes preliminaries; the finals will be this afternoon. Aren't these dogs amazing? They just sit calmly and wait amidst all the cacophony. Tonight is the World Challenge, where people and dogs from 42 countries will be here to compete in a special World Challenge event. It's ... Read more »
Low Cost Spay Neuter Myths and Facts
I'm here, I'm loving Orlando, and I'm sick as a dog. Which stinks, to put it mildly. So, I'm focusing my energy on things like standing up and walking, but the posts will come. Make sure to check out Facebook and Twitter as well, where I'll be posting lots of candids. In the meantime, I have a post about a topic we got into a big discussion about a couple of weeks ago: I loved Dr. Becker's recent article about whether or not vets should offer spays for below cost. His answer, in a ... Read more »
I need to be a triplet
As you're reading this, I'm probably either getting patted down by a TSA agent or winging my way over the country on my way to Orlando. (By the way, no one tell my kids that Orlando is the home of DisneyWorld. I'm already in enough trouble as it is with them.) But I'm not going to see Mickey or the Harry Potter park (though trust me, it's tempting) because I already have enough to keep me busy with the AKC/Eukanuba show to fill an average 36 hour day. I printed out all the events that are ... Read more »
