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Well, they may not be perfectly leash-trained–one might even argue that they aren’t leash-trained at all–but my girls don’t bat an eye at all the traffic and construction noise they’re encountering daily in their temporary new life. I attribute that to Bella’s deafness; she doesn’t hear anything to be concerned about, so Harper and Twyla follow her nonchalant lead.

We’ve found a nice little park about two blocks away, and the girls also like to leave their mark on the construction areas surrounding the remodeling–or whatever they’re doing to it–of the federal building across the street. It seems like an appropriate spot to me.

I love seeing dogs getting an opportunity to display their heritage and traditional work. At Central Market a few days ago, I saw a young couple walking back home after doing their marketing, their groceries being pulled in a cart by a Siberian.

On Wednesday, I walked Harper to Scraps, the canine equivalent of Whole Foods, to pick up a few more cans of food. The owner has two Shibas and we spent an enjoyable few minutes talking dogs and food. Everyone I meet lately wants to know if Cavaliers shed. Yes!

Seattle is such a dog-friendly town. Tonight we saw a woman going into Westlake Center Mall with her Great Dane, leaving her husband with the baby carriage outside.

The best thing about having a dog or three in the city is the opportunity they bring for striking up conversations with people. It adds real pleasure to a walk when your dogs make someone smile or elicit a question or a story about their own dogs. I loved what a woman said today as she was admiring Bella in her stroller and telling us about the recent death of her 13-year-old dog. We commiserated with her, and she replied, “Well, I have a new puppy, so my heart is busy.”

Dogs also remind us to stop and smell the roses. 

Tags: dog, Pet Care, Dog Breeds

I spent the day dealing with a bunch of things I’ve been meaning to get to for about a year, like finding cheaper cell service, dropping all the extra channels I never watch but pay for anyway, getting my taxes ready so the CPA can do them, and so on. I hate dealing with financial stuff, so it tends to sit around.

As part of all that financial housekeeping, I activated a new cell phone I accidentally ordered while I was on book deadline. Turns out it costs nothing to keep the extra line around, but would cost $200 to cancel service to that phone. So, I have have two cell phones now. No, I don’t need two cell phones, so maybe the pets can have their own.

I snapped a picture of McKutie as a screen-saver for the new cell phone, and when I looked at it, I laughed.

How does the phone company know that McKenzie’s sister’s name is ‘Sprint’? And why does the phone company insist on using Sprintie’s name under McKenzie’s picture?

As I said, I’m easily amused.

For a different picture, how about this one? Heather, from last week when I was so worried about her. The radiologist said not only did she not have cancer, but that her elbows looked pretty darn good for an almost 12-year-old dog.

I finally got over to the vet hospital this morning to pick up the disk. Yeah, I know: It’s weird that I like to look at this stuff, but I do. (If you look, you can see that Queen Heather had a very good breakfast that morning.)

She is still a little bit gimpy on that side, but not too bad. Heather’s going to see my friend Dr. Signe Beebe for some acupuncture to see if that will get my old girl feeling great again.

By the way, if you want to see ALL the X-rays, click on the elbow image and I think a slideshow will pop up. (No guarantee.) Hey, I paid for them, so we might as well all enjoy the show.

Tags: Dog Breeds, Pet Information, cats

I never mention projects until the contract is signed … I’m just superstitious that way. But this time I waited so long to get past the “pinch me, I may be dreaming!” phase that not only has the contract been signed but also the check has been cashed.

I think it’s safe to dish now.

A week from tomorrow (Sept 14), our Dr. Marty Becker and I have a piece in Parade magazine. Parade, the most widely read magazine in the United States, with a circulation of 32 million. That Parade.

Although I’ve already seen the page as it will appear in the magazine, I can’t wait to see it actually in the magazine.

The topic: Saving money on pet-care.

Tags: Pet Information, Dog Breeds, Pet Shop Pet Health

My dogs weren’t much of an early warning system. In fact, they were both sound asleep when an earthquake gave us one good, hard jolt here in western San Francisco at a little past 9 PM tonight. Registering just over 4.0 in magnitude, the quake was centered on the town of Alamo, 28 miles east of San Francisco in Contra Costa County.

There are no reports of damage or injuries, but my dogs freaked out after the quake hit, milling around the house anxiously until I gave up and took them for a walk. They sniffed everything in the park, Rebel refreshed his pee spots, and then all was right with the world.

Tags: Pet Shop Pet Health, Dog Books, Pet Blog

My dogs weren’t much of an early warning system. In fact, they were both sound asleep when an earthquake gave us one good, hard jolt here in western San Francisco at a little past 9 PM tonight. Registering just over 4.0 in magnitude, the quake was centered on the town of Alamo, 28 miles east of San Francisco in Contra Costa County.

There are no reports of damage or injuries, but my dogs freaked out after the quake hit, milling around the house anxiously until I gave up and took them for a walk. They sniffed everything in the park, Rebel refreshed his pee spots, and then all was right with the world.

Tags: dog, Dog Books, cats

Of all the people I saw at Book Expo America last May, I tell you that bumping into John Scalzi was the biggest thrill. Mostly, because I have known him for 20 years and never met him. Truth to tell, he looked at me with that vague look of concern that I might be of some danger to him, muttered something about having to be on a panel somewhere, sometime soon and hustled down and aisle and around a corner.

But I forgive him. He might have thought I was someone’s publicist.

Anyway … this afternoon my friend Sonia pointed out a wonderful post on John’s blog, Whatever, regarding how people of differing views can share space on the same blog:

[B]e polite and kind to other people in the comment threads, even if they’re completely and totally wrong. Beat on the politicians and take the air out of arguments other people post, but if you go personal on other commenters, that’s when I’m going to have to break out the Loving Mallet of Correction.

Also remember that this site gets lots of people of all sorts of political persuasion visiting, including persuasions that aren’t mine, and I see that as a feature, not a bug. Also, you know what? Each of them are my guests. Please don’t be rude to my guests. Because then I might be compelled to be rude to you. And as we all know, I’m really good at being rude. Plus I can delete and/or ban your ass, so you can’t be rude back. It’ll just be me laughing and pointing. No one wants that.

Nice!

Oh, and I also love John Scalzi because he admits to talking on the phone while lying on the bed with a cat’s fanny in his face. Perhaps this one.

Tags: Pet Blog, Dog Books, Pet Shop Pet Health

Of all the people I saw at Book Expo America last May, I tell you that bumping into John Scalzi was the biggest thrill. Mostly, because I have known him for 20 years and never met him. Truth to tell, he looked at me with that vague look of concern that I might be of some danger to him, muttered something about having to be on a panel somewhere, sometime soon and hustled down and aisle and around a corner.

But I forgive him. He might have thought I was someone’s publicist.

Anyway … this afternoon my friend Sonia pointed out a wonderful post on John’s blog, Whatever, regarding how people of differing views can share space on the same blog:

[B]e polite and kind to other people in the comment threads, even if they’re completely and totally wrong. Beat on the politicians and take the air out of arguments other people post, but if you go personal on other commenters, that’s when I’m going to have to break out the Loving Mallet of Correction.

Also remember that this site gets lots of people of all sorts of political persuasion visiting, including persuasions that aren’t mine, and I see that as a feature, not a bug. Also, you know what? Each of them are my guests. Please don’t be rude to my guests. Because then I might be compelled to be rude to you. And as we all know, I’m really good at being rude. Plus I can delete and/or ban your ass, so you can’t be rude back. It’ll just be me laughing and pointing. No one wants that.

Nice!

Oh, and I also love John Scalzi because he admits to talking on the phone while lying on the bed with a cat’s fanny in his face. Perhaps this one.

Tags: Pet Information, Pet Blog, dog

I would imagine it’s illegal in Houston to leave pets to die in a hot vehicle. So please explain to me the logic of using the tragic death of six dogs in city animal control vehicle to get politicians talking about forced spay-neuter?

Did I miss the peer-reviewed journal article on how spaying and neutering keeps pets from overheating?

From the Houston Chronicle:

Goaded into action by community outrage after at least six dogs died from exposure to excessive heat in a city animal care vehicle last week, some council members have embraced the mantra of the retired game show host, who closed every broadcast of The Price is Right by urging viewers to “Help control the pet population. Have your pet spayed or neutered.”

Some, including Mayor Bill White, have floated the possibility of following in the footsteps of Los Angeles, which passed a law in February ordering its 3.8 million citizens to spay and neuter their pets or face repeated fines and criminal charges.

Following in the footsteps of Los Angeles, where more pets are dying in shelters then ever and the costs to care for and kill them are up? 

Sound like a great plan!

Tags: Pet Shop Pet Health, cats, Pet Blog

I would imagine it’s illegal in Houston to leave pets to die in a hot vehicle. So please explain to me the logic of using the tragic death of six dogs in city animal control vehicle to get politicians talking about forced spay-neuter?

Did I miss the peer-reviewed journal article on how spaying and neutering keeps pets from overheating?

From the Houston Chronicle:

Goaded into action by community outrage after at least six dogs died from exposure to excessive heat in a city animal care vehicle last week, some council members have embraced the mantra of the retired game show host, who closed every broadcast of The Price is Right by urging viewers to “Help control the pet population. Have your pet spayed or neutered.”

Some, including Mayor Bill White, have floated the possibility of following in the footsteps of Los Angeles, which passed a law in February ordering its 3.8 million citizens to spay and neuter their pets or face repeated fines and criminal charges.

Following in the footsteps of Los Angeles, where more pets are dying in shelters then ever and the costs to care for and kill them are up? 

Sound like a great plan!

Tags: cats, Pet Blog, Dog Breeds

Here’s the “joke,” for those who didn’t hear it, from Gov. Sarah Palin’s speech Wednesday night at the Republican National Convention:

“What’s the difference between a pit bull and a hockey mom? Lipstick.”

It annoyed me when she said it, and it continued to annoy me as it kept being repeated as one of the “highlights” of her speech. Why? Because it just continues to reinforce the stereotype of pit bulls as crazed and aggressive.

Of course, I wasn’t the only person who found the humor off. Jon Stewart did, too, and it’s not the first time he has gone to bat for pit bulls. (He owns a pair of them, by the way.) As noted on the  KC Dog Blog (because I haven’t seen my TiVo’d recording of this particular “Daily Show” yet):

Jon Stewart had a take last night on the difference between a Hockey Mom and a “Pit bull.”  “One is unfairly maligned in spite of evidence that it is no worse than any other dog, and one is an artificial demographic that is no better or worse than any other mom.”  Gotta love that man (and his show).

You can catch the video here — it occurs at about the 3:30 mark.

Jon, we love ya. We really love ya.

Update: Brent Toellner, who writes the KC Dog Blog, gets the profile treatment by Nathan Winograd. Nifty!

Tags: Dog Books, Pet Information, Pet Blog