French Vanilla. Ice Cream. Summer Day. Those were the six words I wrote for my Lassie girl, the day she died. That was a little over five years ago, and I still miss her more than I can say. She was pure and simply the sweetest dog I have ever had. She was Cool Hand Luke's daughter, and a dog I never expected to have. I had turned down a puppy in return for Luke's stud service, having more than enough dogs at the time. Lassie's breeder brought the litter to Black Earth so that Luke's many admirers could pick out the puppies they had reserved. "I know you don't want one, but if you did, which one would you take?" I was asked. "This one," I said after spending the day with all the puppies, enamored of a small female with a raccoon black patch around her left eye. A year later, that Read More
Archives for 2015
When Is It Time to Put Down a Dog Who is Aggressive to People?
If there is anything harder than euthanizing a beloved dog for serious behavioral problems, I don't know what it is. And yet, sometimes, that is an option that dog owners have to consider. These were some of the hardest cases I worked with when I was seeing clients full time. I would drive home, sick at heart, and wonder why the hell I hadn't found an easier way to make a living. Often I'd run into people who would say "Oh! What a wonderful job you have!", no doubt envisioning me spending my days running through fields of daisies with Golden Retriever puppies. As hard as it is to talk to clients about whether to put down an aggressive dog, it is nothing compared to what the owners are going through. Euthanizing a physically healthy dog, one who is joyful and loving part of the time, is Read More
Winter Through the Lens
Just a few photos today. I've recently returned from San Antonio, celebrating my amazing sister Dr. Wendy Barker, at the Festschrift put on in her honor by her colleagues at the University of Texas, San Antonio. She is the real writer in the family, and I wish that each of you could have been there to listen to her read some of her poems. I don't think anyone moved the entire time that she was reading her poems; the entire room was enthralled. Engrossed. Captivated. It was a highlight of my life to listen to her colleagues and students acknowledge her contributions to creative writing. Her book, Nothing Between Us: The Berkley Years, is beyond brilliant. Yes, I know, she's my sister, but seriously, she's really, really good. And how fun is this: My other sister, Liza, is writing her own Read More
How Do Dogs Interpret Human Facial Expressions?
What ever is a dog to make of a human smile? Or a frown for that matter? On the one hand, it seems to me to be trivial for a dog to distinguish between obviously different expressions on the face of a human. Dogs, after all, are highly visual and the preponderence of their social communication is based on visual signals. But here's the question I've always wondered about: What signals from our faces are salient to dogs? My experience has suggested that dogs are exceptionally good at noticing (and interpreting) the following, whether done by a person or another dog: a still body versus a relaxed one, a hard, direct stare versus a soft or indirect gaze, and a loose, relaxed, open-mouth face versus one that has a tightly closed mouth. These are, obviously, signals that appear to be highly Read More
A Valentine to Our Dogs
I know, it's mushy, but I don't care. Here is a Valentine to each of my dogs, followed, I hope, by lots and lots from you to your own dogs. Every morning, I will read them while drinking my tea. Tootsie and Maggie will be cuddled with me on the couch and Willie will warm my feet. I will read your Valentines and smile and laugh and get soggy eyes more often than I want to admit. (I write more about love and dogs in The Other End of the Leash and For the Love of A Dog, but here are my Valentines to the dogs I have now:) Willie, with thanks to Elizabeth Barret Browning: How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love thee to the depth and breadth and height My soul can reach, except when you slam into me on your way to the barn. I love thee to the level of everyday's Read More
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