Thanks, Forest Poodles, for inviting me to share eight photos of happiness. Here they are, my eight moments of Zen. This is pretty much my perfect day. Reading on the beach with my dogs. I have it as the cover photo on my Facebook page, on a sticker on the back of my iPhone case, andContinue reading “Eight moments of Zen”
Category Archives: family
December so soon?
This is our family tradition. Every year, we go to the same lot with our dog(s) and pose in front of our tree(s) before Rob chops them down. We get two trees: one for the house and one for the martial arts studio. We’ve been going to the same lot since before we had dogs,Continue reading “December so soon?”
WOOF! Traveling with a reactive dog
Whenever I’m preparing for a trip, I get a twisty, angsty feeling in my chest because I hate leaving my dogs behind. Lots of places in the Pacific Northwest welcome dogs, but they wouldn’t necessarily welcome leash-reactive Leo. Since I don’t consider it socially acceptable to take him on walks where he barks and lungesContinue reading “WOOF! Traveling with a reactive dog”
Do dogs need rules?
Unbelievably, there are people in dog training circles who think positive-only training is wrong. But as Victoria Stilwell explains, positive does not equal permissive. Cesar Millan is big on saying that dogs need rules, boundaries, and limitations, more than they need affection. Whether or not that’s true, I abandoned that notion around the time I learnedContinue reading “Do dogs need rules?”
Thanksgiving pride and joy
Lately, when we bring the dogs to Rob’s parents’ house, they behave very well and wind up calmly lying down: Mia on a throw rug while Leo helps himself to the couch. In the past, Leo’s countersurfing has been a problem, but since he seems to have matured a bit, I was eager to bringContinue reading “Thanksgiving pride and joy”
Leo wants to do fun things, too
I have a T-shirt from Dog is Good that reads: “To my dog, this I promise you: I will love you unconditionally; for who you are, not who I’d like you to be. I will protect you and keep you safe. Always.” I love this sentiment so much that I bought the shirt despite theContinue reading “Leo wants to do fun things, too”
My Awesome Saturday
Weekly Photo Challenge: A Day in My Life First time using the Gallery feature. Didn’t even know it existed. Daily Post, you may have created a monster.
Dog year in review
I’ve been waiting to say goodbye to this year since Feb. 2. I might be a little premature in doing so now… something else awful could still happen! But today was my last day at work for the year, and I’m in the mood to do some reflecting. In a way, 2011 was the worstContinue reading “Dog year in review”
A love letter to Rob and Disneyland
Rob loves Disneyland. I grew up in L.A., so Disneyland always has been as familiar to me as the county fair. We discovered Disney’s California Adventure, the theme park next door, on our first visit to Los Angeles together. Since then, we’ve been to the pair of parks in Anaheim a bunch of times andContinue reading “A love letter to Rob and Disneyland”
Beyond Oyster Dome
During the past few years, I’ve come to terms with the fact that I’m just not that outdoorsy. And that’s OK. Never mind that I live in the Northwest and that my friends and colleagues hike, kayak, climb rocks and sleep outside for fun. Sometimes I get to wade in rivers and brave the elementsContinue reading “Beyond Oyster Dome”
Kari Neumeyer 