The news is filled to the brim with stories of pets who show us each and every day the extent of their loyalty, of their dedication to being there for us. I can only aspire to be deserving of it. Brody is almost 2 now, and probably similar in age to Emmett when I adopted him. He's still got lots of goofy puppy in him, but he is slowly maturing into an intuitive and loving dog. I need to remind myself whenever I start to make comparisons that Emmett introduced himself to my 5 foot tall mother ... Read more »
You Will Love Me
Since we had the day off yesterday, I schlepped the kids to our local Safari Park for a little walk on the wild side. If you know anything about San Diego, you've probably heard about the World Famous San Diego Zoo (and that is how it refers to itself, the World Famous San Diego Zoo- there's confidence!) but you might not have heard about its wallflower sibling, the San Diego Wild Animal Park/Safari Park/whatever it's being called these days. Aside from its location in an often sweltering ... Read more »
I Have a Dream Too
In honor of Martin Luther King Jr day, I just re-read the "I Have a Dream" speech. 48 years ago, which seems hard to believe, and although I was born after this time and I hear it only in echoes, it still resonates with me. We all have dreams, for ourselves, for our families, for the future of the world. As we choose our path, or maybe sometimes it's partly chosen for us, the seeds of those dreams are planted and take root in our soul. They are what stirs us, what drives our longing, what ... Read more »
Blog the Change: Pets for Patriots
Pets are good for the soul. We all know that. They can help reduce stress, give you a shoulder to lean on, and never interrupt you when you are sharing a story. I've recently had the pleasure of getting to know Beth Zimmerman, founder of Pets For Patriots. She envisioned Pets for Patriots as a way to unite two important needs: helping veterans enjoy the joys of pet ownership and helping harder to place pets find loving homes. Pets for Patriots helps unite service members and veterans ... Read more »
Ironic Non Fashion Update with Prizes!
So the submissions I've gotten so far have been exceptional, but there are not enough yet to make a real contest. Many of you have written to me that you have dog socks and are therefore too chagrined to participate, to which I answer: I have THREE pairs of dog socks. It's OK. Fashion is subjective, right? Unless it's a dog fleece caftan. Those are the items I'm looking for. The worst of the worst. So let's sweeten the deal: To the finder of the next sequin dog vest, I offer you the choice of ... Read more »
Carnivore schmarnivore
By all accounts cats are carnivores. They need meat, and lots of it. Meat meat meat, flesh, protein, wet and messy and slimy. I made the decision years ago to move my cats to canned food, so Apollo feasts on canned vension on a daily basis. You'd think he would be happy with this biologically appropriate arrangement. I thought cats were supposed to be finicky. This is why I find his vulture-like scavenging so perplexing. While Apollo will occasionally pluck a wayward piece of chicken off the ... Read more »
Style Report: It’s ON like Donkey Kong
A couple of months ago, I was at a party when a complete stranger ran up to me, embraced me like an old friend, and said, "ANTHRO!" I startled, thinking for a moment she said "ANTHRAX!" but then I realized she was referring to Anthropologie, the store where I bought the dress. That was my introduction into The Madness. I didn't realize Anthropologie was not a store but a sisterhood, whose induction requires only the purchase of an overpriced but adorable piece of clothing, and then they ... Read more »
The Pet Blogger Challenge: State of the Pawion
Under the wire as usual, I forgot about the Pet Blogger Challenge from Will My Dog Hate Me and Go Pet Friendly until today when all the posts started showing up! I call this "stream of consciousness blogging." 1. When did you begin your blog? February 2, 2009. Shoot, our anniversary is coming up! I better plan something! Got any ideas? 2. What was your original purpose for starting a blog? I've been blogging on LiveJournal for years, so this was just a logical next step. I was kind ... Read more »
Lions and Tigers and Bears, oh yeah!
On New Year's Eve we were lucky enough to ring in the New Year with quite the crowd: Lions, tigers, and bears. I had no, and I mean, zero, idea that there was a huge cat sanctuary a mere 20 minutes from my house until my friend Star told us all about it. The name of the sanctuary is, appropriately enough, Lions Tigers and Bears. The biology major/ wildlife lover in me knew we had to make a visit, and stat. There are more exotic cats living in captivity than there are in the wild- estimates ... Read more »
These are not the droids you’re looking for
Anyone else catch the new Grey's Anatomy last night? I know, I know, it's way over-melodramatic. Two mass shootings in less than a calendar year? It's not exactly rooted in reality. There was a part where a guy was crashing, a guy that they really wanted to save, and Bailey starts yelling at the sky. "YOU DON'T GET HIM, YOU BASTARD!! YOU SEND HIM BACK RIGHT NOW!" or something to that effect. And boom, just like that, the defibrillator works and Chuck is spared. Then Bailey apologizes ... Read more »
Polly Prissy Pants
My freshman year of vet school, my very first pet from childhood- Taffy- died of cardiac disease. She was 15. She lived at home with my parents, who vowed never to own another pet again. No more smelly carpets, no more furballs, they were done with it. A couple months later, I was at their house when a small kitten materialized out of the bushes. "Oh, look," I said as she wove in between my legs. "She's so sweet." "She comes around here a lot," said my mom. "Always trying to come ... Read more »
Tomorrow we’re watching Nightmare on Elm Street
I think I'm going to need to start a whole new category for the myriad ways I am scarring my children for life. I can title it, "This is why it's good I did not choose a career path involving children." I'm not the cool parent. I'm not even the nerdy parent where it's ok because they know they are the nerdy parent and it's almost kind of geek-chic. I'm the nerdy parent who thinks they are cool, and that is about as bad as you can get, because I clearly lack judgment about this whole kid ... Read more »
Big Fish
Did I ever say why I started this blog? I know I have mentioned the usual "I wanted to share stories and blahdiblahblah" but I don't think I ever talked about the exact incident that made me take the step to start writing. My husband has a good friend, Kevin. Well, he's my friend too, but they were friends first. Roommates, to be exact, when we started dating oh so many years ago. Back in the days only half of you will remember when the internet was accessible only by dial-up and people got ... Read more »
Poor Chickens
Ah, 2011. Here you are and you're a salty one, I can tell already. I can tell the way a dog can tell by sniffing the air that there's a poodle in heat 5 houses away, the way a shark can smell a drop of blood from 5 miles down the coast. 2011 wants to be a game-changer. In some ways, at least here, it already is. I'm not a resolution-setter, normally, but with the start of a new decade it certainly doesn't hurt to set down a few goals in writing. More Pet Doctor Barbie, for one. I got Kitty ... Read more »
Don’t Let the Door Hit Ya in the Rear on the Way Out
For some reason, December 30th is consistently a bad day in my life. I mean, consistently terrible, horrible, and the sort of day that makes me seriously consider adopting an alternative calendar. One that ends December 25th, a nice, happy sort of day. I don't mean to dwell on this, or ask for anything from you all, I simply wrote it to explain why I haven't done anything particularly meaningful for today. I am, unfortunately, spent. That is one of the reasons I wanted to do a Top 10 instead, ... Read more »
Top 10 Pawcurious Posts for 2010
With only one day left in the year, it's time to dust off the old archives and pull out my favorite posts from the last 12 months. These represent the best, or just the most fun, of what we do here. :) So without further ado and in no particular order, here are my choices for the Top 10 Posts of the Year: There's One in Every Office: A Pet Doctor Barbie Post It's not that often I make myself laugh out loud with my own posts, but something about the Wicked Witch shoving the broom in the ... Read more »
Koa the *Star*
A couple of weeks ago, Kekoa and I were asked to go on the local news station to talk about the Nulo Campaign to Fight Pet Obesity and how owners can help their pets make a New Year's Resolution to take off a few pounds. They had us on the morning after Christmas, so instead of laying in a semi-gingerbread and eggnog coma on a pile of wrapping paper as I am wont to do on December 26th, I packed Koa up and headed down to the local news station at 8 am sharp. We got buzzed in by a ... Read more »
Bathtime with Bengals
Every once in a while I come across a product so off the mark that I feel the need to write an anti-review. The last time I did it was for a product that propped the back door of your car or truck open, just enough to keep up appearances and stop the cops from busting open the window while still allowing your dog to get heat stroke in the sweltering interior. This time I'm jumping on the dog pile of vets clenching their teeth in horror at what might unintentionally be the worst dog related ... Read more »
