I was working on my new book, coming out from Dogwise in early November, and found a section that relates, I suspect, to the cancellation of my radio show, Calling All Pets. The book, coming out from Dogwise, (Tales of Two Species) is a collection of my columns from Bark magazine. One of them is titled "Pet Peeves." In it I write about our country's ambivalent feelings about our pets. On the one hand, many of us love them, treat them like family and can't imagine life without them. They are as important to our well-being as is literature, music and art. (For some of us, I'd add food, water and oxygen.) And yet, look at how often we hear people say, demeaningly, that an animal is "just a pet." Here's an excerpt from the essay: “Just a pet.” How many times have you heard someone say Read More
Archives for 2008
Goodbye Calling All Pets
Well, this is a hard one to write. Wisconsin Public Radio has cancelled production of Calling All Pets. They will still play repeats for several months in Wisconsin, and stations around the country have the option of offering the show until next summer. I've been doing the show with Larry Meiller for fourteen years, and it's hard to imagine not doing it anymore. It's tough timing too in that the show had taken off last year, thanks to a lot of work from Larry, me and a new producer and executive producer. The show was even picked up in Washington DC, Dallas and Seattle. However, I have to admit that I won't miss getting up early in the morning to do the show, and working seven weekends a year on pledge drives and fund raising events. But here's what I will miss: Working with Larry Read More
Happy Faces!
Isn't this a GREAT picture? It is one of my favorites BUT, disorganized doof that I am, I can't find the name and contact information of the wonderful person who sent it to me. Dogwise is doing a new book (Tales of Two Species, coming out in early November) of my columns from Bark magazine and we want to use this wonderful picture in it! If this is you, please write and let Andrea know! Read More
Lambs and Apples, Crates and Dogs
Another gorgeous fall day. Willie and I get to move the lamb flock through the woods every morning. The lambs stay the day in the 'orchard pasture,' so called because it's full of wild apple trees, and the ewe flock gets to forage in the big, open pasture at the top of the hill. They all chomp on fallen apples all the day long, (they know the sound of a fallen apple; they run toward the tree when they hear the 'plunk'!) It is wonderful to have real work for Will, he has blossomed this year especially since he's had to split the lambs from the ewes and load animals into the truck. Rather than "practice," this is real work and I think he knows it. I am far less concerned with him doing things exactly right than I am getting the job done, especially when splitting out the lambs or loading Read More
Playing with Dogs in Fall
Oh, what a joy to be home in fall on the farm. It may have rained much of the weekend, but that's okay, we needed the moisture. In spite of the rain I got to spend much of Sunday out in the country with Willie, Lassie and weekend visitor Brody (the Cavalier) out in the hills collecting wild apples. Five huge buckets full. Yum yum. Yum for us... I made applesauce much of Sunday afternoon (thanks to friend Harriet who leant me her Foley Food Mill; now that's a handy item) while the dogs slept. Yum for the sheep: the ewe flock got to crunch away on juicy apples that I tossed into their feeders. The lamb flock is separate (I don't castrate the ram lambs, so the boys are now old enough to breed their mommas. Not a great idea!) and has access to lots of wild apples on their own, so everyone Read More
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