Ah yes, it's that time of year. Out with the old, in with the new--with all the dreams and hopes and resolutions that come along with the annual ritual of taking down the old wall calendar and putting up a new one. I learned long ago that casually made New Year's resolutions are quickly broken, and, more often than not, lead to feeling badly about yet another thing that we haven't accomplished. You can read more about this in the New Year's blog that I wrote in 2010, explaining that effective resolutions should be thought of as commitments that are best kept if 1) they are focused and specific, 2) they are attainable (just like dog training, right?: set yourself up for success) and 3) they are made public. I do love going back and reading what I've written in year's past. For Read More
Archives for December 2014
Free Ranging Cats, Wildlife & New Studies About Management
I miss the birds. For most of my adult life I have fed wild birds, and watching them has added immeasurably to my life. In some places, like here at the farm, there have been 8 or 10 feeders up, overflowing with creamy, white suet and shiny, black sunflower seeds. They attracted a multitude of species, adding color and life to the grey and brown blahs of winter. In other places, all I could manage was one tubular seed feeder hanging isolated and alone outside of an apartment window. But still, it brought me scarlet red Cardinals and Military Blue Blue Jays. So beautiful! But Jim and I have taken down the feeders at the farm, because farm cats Nellie and Polly were killing the birds they attracted. It seemed profoundly unethical and environmentally wrong to create a situation in which Read More
Your Dogs and the Holidays
Yup, this is the time of year when the rubber hits the road, and the leaping, crotch-sniffing, poop-eating dog that you just rescued from a puppy mill is about to meet Aunt Polly, the only member of the family who is terrified of dogs. Or maybe it's the dog you've had for years, and the leaping and crotch sniffing are in the past, but then... there's that poop eating thing. A friend called me for advice about this very problem (visitors, not poop eating), and I recalled that I had written a post several years ago about how to handle the chaos that is the holiday season, not to mention the reality of owning animals that don't understand why the routine flies out the window during the shortest days of the year. Here is the post again, (with some minor editing,) because dog behavior and Read More
My Turn to Write
More accurately, it is my turn to finish writing something I've been working on for a few years--a memoir. I'm close to finishing a draft to send off to my agent (the brilliant Jennifer Gates, an angel of an agent to whom I owe the world already). It is tough to split my days working on a book different from one I've ever written before from all the other facets of my professional life. Memoirs are famously difficult to write, and silly me, I decided to write a "mutual memoir" about me and Willie, giving myself an extra challenge. I want to write a book that is personal, unflinchingly honest, and yet underscores universal truths about the human (and canine) condition. That is what all good memoirs should do. But they are not easy to write, I can now attest. When you read them, good ones Read More
Great Reads for 2014
This weekend I went to my favorite local bookstore (Arcadia Books in Spring Green, WI) and spent a bundle on books as Christmas presents. Of course, I ended up buying a bunch for me too, because I love books almost as much as I love dogs. (Okay, I don't really love books as much as I do dogs, but but you get the idea.) I thought it was a good time of year for us to have a conversation about great books, either to read for yourself or to buy as gifts for others. Here's a list of some of the things I've loved reading this year (including my favorite magazines) and some books that are on my list to read sometime soon. DOG BOOKS Beware the Straw Man: The Science Dog Explores Dog Training Fact and Fiction, by Linda P. Case. I love Linda's thoughtful and educated approach to commonly held Read More