Does that cover it? Well, whatever you celebrate, I hope it's a great one, and if you're not celebrating anything, feel free to come on over because we're grilling. ... Read more »
Blog
I’m not cut out for the ref job
My children have spent the wee dawning days of summer re-enacting the World Cup. On this side, representing the Bipedia, we have the Daughter and the Son. On the other side, from the United Republic of Retrievers, we have Koa and Brody. And we're off! Daughter runs the ball, easily dodges Koa, and heads down the field. Son goes running after, screaming that he wants a turn. The goalie stands firm. Daughter feigns to the side, then punts the ball past the goalie, who pounces on it, ... Read more »
It’s the most horrible time, of the year….
Sing it with me! Well, Fourth of July isn't really that horrible a time in general, unless you happen to live in the US and you are a noise-phobic dog. Then, well, then it's pretty scary. To us, July 4th is corn on the cob, barbecues and pyrotechnics set to the booming tones of the 1812 Overture. To your dog, man, it is armageddon. The sounds. The vibrations. The yelling. The sulfurous smell of gunpowder. No wonder it's the most common night for pets to run away. I have heard and seen ... Read more »
Book review: Marcus of Umbria
I like pet memoirs. I read them a lot. Marley and Me, My Dog Skip, you name it, I've sobbed over it. I also like women-finding-themselves memoirs. Like thousands of other women, I flipped raptly through Eat, Pray, Love, planning my own trip to Italy to eat my way to self-discovery. The two are entirely different beasts, really. While the chick-lit books usually detail the author's myriad trials in search of the ultimate love with the man of her dreams, most of the well known dog memoirs ... Read more »
Sad
I've been thinking a lot about Callie lately, my kitty who disappeared last autumn after one brief escape outside. I think about her whenever I see a pet who has been attacked by a coyote at work, my breath catching in my throat as I wonder if that is what happened to her. I look at the lacerations, the injuries, and I imagine her sitting quietly, trusting, not realizing that the predator approaching is not an Emmett or a Mulan to tease and romp around. Whatever it was, I can only hope it was ... Read more »
The Definition of Insanity
A few weeks ago, we had a client come in with her cat. She had gone to the emergency hospital the previous weekend, gotten a diagnosis of heart disease, and was instructed to follow up with her regular vet. She didn't have a regular vet- the cat hadn't seen one in 10 years, but no matter, we would do. Only problem was, we didn't do. From the moment she stepped in the door, she was mad. The receptionist was terse, the price was too high, we didn't have the records from the emergency vet, we ... Read more »
The Giving Ke(koa)
About 10 o'clock this morning, the receptionist comes into the back and says, "The kids are here." "What kids?" I asked. "The YMCA kids," she responded. "Oh- did you not know about that?" Apparently, the YMCA down the street was really reaching for things for the kids to do and had arranged a mini tour of our hospital, which no one thought to tell me about. Normally I would be OK with taking kids around for a brief visit, but at this particular moment in time my RVT was wrist deep in a ... Read more »
Dogs and work- yes? no?
Friday marks the 11th year of Take Your Dog To Work Day. I am, of course, very fortunate that I can take my dogs to work with me whenever, though as odd as it seems (ha!) a veterinary clinic isn't always the most fun place for a dog to hang out. I have lots of clients who take their pets to work, and it always surprises me to hear it- why, I don't know. Most work in small offices or family businesses. I can't imagine the logistics of dealing with HR and corporate lawyers if one were to try ... Read more »
From the Mailbag: Running with Rover
I was asked this in an e-mail today, and I thought it was a good enough question to share with the crowd: "I'm training for a half marathon coming up this October and want to keep my dog involved. She's a small dog, only 20 pounds, so I want to know - is there a time limit or distance limit i should take into consideration when taking her with me on runs? I want to get her energy out (so she'll stop barking her face off all day!) but I don't want to risk putting her in harms way. If there ... Read more »
Don’t tread on me
I'm sorry I haven't done a lot of picture posts or Barbie posts lately. Those are pretty time consuming, as I think I have mentioned before, and if there is one thing that has been in utterly bleak supply lately it's been time. Between the end of school, holidays, birthdays, colds, and some other junk going on I have barely- barely!- had time to breathe, let alone set up what I have planned for the next Barbie post. It's in my head, though, where it has remained since Mother's Day. Father's ... Read more »
