I woke up in a bad mood. Perhaps too much information, but well, it's just true and surely it's also just part of life--a life one often doesn't read about on social media. Behind the vacation photos and the smiling children and playful pets, we all know that everyone's life has peaks and valleys. Luckily, my job this morning is to write my annual Thanksgiving post, and list some things that I am thankful for, a process that we know is a great way to boost one's mood. I got started by reading some of what I've written in year's past, and that in itself buoyed my spirits. How life has changed since I wrote in 2011 about Willie's recovering enough from his surgery to be able to play, and in 2015 about the potential publication of my memoir. In 2016 I added a list of things I'm not Read More
Archives for 2017
New York, New York–It’s a Wonderful Town
"The Bronx is up and the Battery's down..." (Remember that song?) Jim and I just got back from a whirlwind trip to Chicago and New York City. The trip originated with an invitation to speak at Google's New York office. That was the "mystery trip," a mystery because the talk is for Google employees only, and the speaker is not allowed to publicize it to keep it in house. I was gratified to be asked, but honestly had no idea what to expect. I knew it was a lunchtime talk for employees, and was told not to expect many people. But, hey, it's Google NY after all. I read online that the office space was amazing, including super healthy cafeterias and food stations everywhere, lots of nooks and crannies for working privately or small meetings, and most importantly for sure, a dog friendly Read More
Trust Me; I’m Coming Back
One of the issues readers have asked me to address is how to help a dog feel comfortable when being left at a kennel or a friend's while they are away on a trip. It’s a great question, and is especially relevant now that the GREAT ROLLER COASTER OF HOLIDAYS is looming ahead of us. (You do have your Thanksgiving dinner made and all your Christmas presents purchased and wrapped, yes?) I’m going to expand my answer to include teaching dogs in a variety of contexts that they are not being abandoned because their owner has to leave them in an unfamiliar place. This seems like a reasonable fear, although perhaps not in the sense of "my owner is deserting me" but rather "My owner just walked away and I have no idea what is going to happen next". How would an adult dog dropped off at a Read More
From Fearful to Fear Free: Book Review
From Fearful to Fear Free is a breath of fresh air. It's a new book by Dr. Marty Becker, DVM et. al. and available exclusively from Dogwise. The book was motivated by the lead author's insight after listening to a talk given by Dr. Karen Overall. She discussed the damage being done in veterinary clinics by dogs who were terrified, if not traumatized, by veterinary procedures. Dr. Becker left the talk shaken to the core. As much as he loves dogs, and as experienced as he was as "American Veterinarian" on Good Morning America for 19 years, he had never thought about how much damage standard medical procedures can do to the health of the dogs who are frightened by them. Fear changes a dog's physiology and how it presents in the clinic. It can suppress a dog's immune system and exacerbate many Read More
Detecting Subtle Injuries, Dr. Chris Zink at APDT
Years ago I was chased by a bull. A ground-pawing, snorting, massive animal right out of a cartoon who drew a bead on me and began to attack from about 30 yards away. The gentleman I was with ran too, passing me in a heartbeat, and yelling “Pick up a stick!” over his shoulder. I glanced at the ground to find nothing bigger than a twig on the ground, decided through careful deliberation that it probably wasn’t going to stop a fifteen-hundred pound animal charging at full speed, turned and ran as fast as I could toward the fence. At the last moment I made it through, where I and my hero stood panting in relief. We turned to walk away, and my right leg collapsed underneath me while I shrieked in pain. I’d sprained my ankle. Badly. But I hadn’t known it until I began to calm down, because one Read More
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