Pawcurious: With Veterinarian and Author Dr. V

Celebrating the truth that pets make people better.

Brody

Happy moments from the week: Porcupine edition

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1. Brody helped me prepare for my upcoming Mt. Meru hike by dragging me up Cowles Mountain here in San Diego. It's like preparing for a triathlon by dipping your toes in a wading pool, but it's a start. The highest point in San Diego is still 12,000 feet lower than Mt. Meru. 2. Apollo, who has never hiked a day in his life, mocks Brody's expression in the above picture. 3. I took my son to a birthday party I almost forgot to RSVP to and they had a wildlife show! I don't know who ... Read more »

Never work with children or dogs. And especially both at once.

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My daughter has joined the local youth theater's production of Annie. As a seven year old, one of the youngest in the cast, her role is to stand in the back and look cute. This is good. A good intro to theater. While I was gone, my husband got to attend the parent meeting. We learned that there is no sliding scale of parental volunteer requirements based on the number of lines in the play, so the parent of the silent kid picking his nose in the back has to do just as much as the parent of the ... Read more »

Product Review: Kurgo Wander Pack

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As you may recall, I spent a good portion of last week curled up in a ball in my bedroom, drowning my sorrows with cough syrup and muddling through a bizarre sequence of subsequent side effects that gave my malarone experience a run for the money. Note to self: I am, apparently, highly sensitive to all medications. That is what I get for trying the Tim Taylor "MOAR POWER" approach to pharmaceuticals and gulping down an extra strength extended release tablet of guafensin and dextromethorphan ... Read more »

My dog, the practical jokester

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I am sure Brody has a sense of humor. I can sense it in the twinkle in his eye, the way he waits until his chew toys are nice and soggy before dumping them in my lap. When I'm in a deep sleep, sometimes he rests his chin on the side of the mattress and stares at me silently, breathing doggy breath two inches from my face before I wake with a scream. He's full of 'em. Last night, with my husband far away, I flicked on the TiVO and watched the latest episode of the Walking Dead. Now, I keep ... Read more »

And they call it Puppy Love

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Ah, New York.  Land of frigid temperatures and, well, that’s as far as I’ve gotten so far. I have only one goal over the next two days, and that is to figure out how to get to Madison Square Garden from my hotel and maybe see some dogs. The rest is just gravy. Yesterday was fun. I woke up at 6 to take Brody to the Helen Woodward Puppy Love 5K, and about 5 minutes after I left the house it started drizzling. 5 minutes after that, it was pouring. Now, I looked up the weather report that morning ... Read more »

The Pawcurean Presents Lazy Man’s V-Day Treats

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I love making treats for the pets, almost as much as I love things that are easy to make. Sometimes I'm in a complicated mood, and sometimes I'm in a lazy mood. This month, I'm lazy. As you know, I've started a torrid love affair with my dehydrator, using it to suck the water out of everything I can get my hands on in the house like a hydrophilic vampire. The chicken jerky treats went over very well, so I figured, hey, let's make some Valentine's Day treats while we're at it where I don't ... Read more »

Game Day! With Pawcurean Dog Nachos

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It's a big weekend for those of us who like to sit by the TV and eat. One, the AKC/Eukanuba show airs on Saturday, so I'll be glued to the screen jumping up and down every time I spot myself on TV. And of course, the next day is that most festive of sports events, the Super Bowl. It's fair to say I am ambivalent at best about football, so the question here is not so much "Team Pats" versus "Team Giants" as it is "Team Game" versus "Team Commercials." I for one, am of the latter persuasion. ... Read more »

Sometimes it’s better not to wait

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A lesson I should know by now. This afternoon, I saw Koa nosing about by the pool. She never noses about by the pool. So I investigated, and sure enough, a dead mouse was floating in the pool. I suppose I should have spared more than a passing moment to feel for the poor drowned rodent, but my first and immediate thought was, how the heck do I get rid of that? Because as I learned the hard way, there is nowhere in the yard that is safe from Brody's investigational prowess. The dirt in ... Read more »

Game on

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I don't watch a whole lot of football, normally. Living in San Diego, it's kind of depressing. We have the Padres and the Chargers. Now, I know my husband will disagree vehemently, but they aren't very good. He will defend the Chargers to the death, but they never win much, and it's sad to get your hopes up over and over and over only to be robbed of glory each and every time. No fun. I can say this because I grew up in Boston. Back then, the Celtics and the Lakers were in the midst of their ... Read more »

So a dog walks in to a sushi bar…

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First, a note: I fully support the efforts to bring awareness about the dangers of SOPA. And if you happen to have no idea what I'm talking about, or why Wikipedia and reddit don't work, well, the info is all out there. SOPA/PIPA stinks, and as a small potates blogger, the implications horrify me. That being said, I decided not to black out the site for two reasons: I doubt this site going dark is going to be the tipping point for anyone to say, "well, I thought SOPA was a good idea, but ... Read more »

Epic Bad

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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 »

Resolved: What’s yours?

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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 »

Bad Santa: Or, how I blew a dog’s chance at the National Obedience Title

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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 »

I swear we have better toys here

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My daughter had her first sleepover this weekend. It was a long time coming. Her very best friend, a girl she has known since kindergarten, is near impossible to arrange any sorts of playdates with. Her mom works full time. Her dad, a retired police sergeant, is busy running the older son around to after school activities but has a rule that the daughter cannot have playdates without her mom or dad there. Given this statute, let's just say I didn't even bother pursuing a sleepover with ... Read more »

CSI San Diego: The Scapegoat

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When I saw the box of popcorn chicken sitting all alone on our still undecorated Christmas tree, I was befuddled. "Is that a KFC Christmas ornament?" I asked. The kids shrugged noncommittally, which I took as an affirmative. How would I know? I haven't eaten there since the Clinton administration. This was Grandparent work, make no mistake. It wasn't until the next morning that I realized that it was not a KFC box-like ornament, but an actual empty box, trash, that one of the kids had stuck ... Read more »