These are dark times. I don’t know anyone who hasn’t been affected by the economy. It’s hard to escape the media bombardment of news about the latest killer virus, H1N1, better known as Ye Olde Swine Flu. And in the midst of it, our not so noble nation is embroiled in a bitter political battle [...]

Read, watch, and listen this week: 9-28-09
Radio:
NPR’s Fresh Air recently aired a story on the culture of illegal dog-fighting and the impact star quarterback Michael Vick has had on it, titled “After Michael Vick, The Battle To Stop Dog-Fighting“. Guests were John Goodwin, the manager of animal-fighting issues for the Humane Society of the United States, [...]

“Let’s play tag!”
“Gotcha. You’re it!”
“You can’t catch me…na na na na na.”
“Can I play?”       “Too late, Blondie. We’re heading for the watering hole.”

People have quirks and dogs are no different. Ella has a sock fetish. It started in puppyhood when she focused on soft cotton fabric. I commended her choice of natural fiber but our wardrobe suffered. Three pairs of pajamas,  a few of Scott’s undershirts, and a pile of white socks were sacrificed.
She thankfully outgrew that stage [...]

Read, watch, and listen this week: 9-21-09
Magazine:
The recent issue of Reader’s  Digest has an excerpt from the  book “Come Back, Como: Winning the Heart of a Reluctant Dog” by Steven Winn An excerpt from the excerpt ” Over the next several hours, the dog chewed his way out of the plastic crate, which I [...]

Okay, I can see you’re too shy to post photos or perhaps you just don’t want to get your toes wet. So, I’ll be the first. I’m not the photographer in the family, but I snapped a few photos while Scott bathed the dogs last weekend. We’ll move them to the photo page next week. [...]

                                                             The news on Hobbit is good and not so bad. The appointment with Dr. Adler went well. She found no sign of neurological trouble. She hesitated to prescribe tranquilizers along with Fluoxetine. We share her concerns. We don’t give our dogs any medication without reserve due to side effects. But in extreme situations, we make the best educated choice. 
The [...]

Read, watch, and listen this week:
Newspaper:
The New York Times has a book review by CATHLEEN SCHINE published September 8, 2009 of the book Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know‘ by author ALEXANDRA HOROWITZ .  The reviewer noted: “.  .  . As a psychologist with a Ph.D. in cognitive science, as well as an ardent dogophile, [...]

We usually try to post something upbeat on Friday’s like the Mutt Parking photos, but today I want to share my thoughts. It’s been a tough week. In this family, if the dogs are well and happy, we’re happy. The last month or so, Hobbit has become increasingly intolerant to noise in the backyard. Trucks on [...]

Here’s an interesting set of articles about service dogs. The first is about a promising government program…
1. Defense Department finances study that pairs dogs with troops suffering PTSD Kansas City Star by ALAN BAVLEY  Sep. 04, 2009 – “Can a canine companion soothe the volatile emotions of a soldier haunted by post-traumatic stress disorder?

It may sound [...]