I began meditating because of pain. I'd injured my shoulder and somehow managed to strain the connection between my collar bone and sternum. For over a year I was in the kind of pain that sucks the energy out of you, and makes it a victory to get through the day without collapsing into a limp pile of defeat. Extensive physical therapy and medications did not help. In desperation I joined a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program and discovered that acknowledging and describing the pain really did make it less aversive. My shoulder healed and I stopped meditating until I began the therapy I describe in The Education of Will. Since then, I've meditated off and on for years. I describe myself as a "lazy meditator"--my sessions often lasting no more 10-15 minutes, with plenty of days of Read More

I am officially hereby declaring today as "Thank Your Veterinarian Day". Here's why: It's not because a bevy of dedicated veterinarians saved Willie and will continue to partner with me to keep him healthy, although that's a great reason. It's not because my animal's primary veterinarians (more on them soon) are not just committed professionals but have all become good friends. Another good reason. And it's not because all of them never hesitate to move heaven and earth to be there for us if there is a crisis. Good reason number three. What actually motivated this post was a talk I had with one of our dog's primary vets, Dr. John Dally, about what it is like to be a veterinarian in 2018. It's not easy. For one thing the expectations of many animal owners are over the moon.  Read More

Spoiler alert: I don't know the answer. But it is a timely question for so many of us. Including me personally, because right now I am cooking all the dog's food (more on that in posts to come, no doubt), giving Willie five supplements, scheduling acupuncture bi-weekly and ultra sounds every 3-6 months and carefully monitoring his physical rehab after his oh-so-very expensive surgery. And yet, I still find myself wondering, am I doing enough for the dogs? Is Tootsie bored? Shouldn't I be taking the BC's on another walk rather than watching golf on TV? Am I doing enough to prevent cancer recurring in any of my dogs? And then, I think about all the other things in life that need time and attention. And all the other animals, people and even issues desperately in need of Read More

  Whew. Paws crossed, it looks like the worst is over. It's not quite two weeks after surgery, and Willie, Jim and I are starting to imagine normal life again. It'll be awhile still, but Willie's incision finally has healed enough that we no longer feel a need to watch him, literally, every second. We watch him carefully, but are actually able to take our eyes off of him for a few seconds at a time. Ah, the freedom! That wasn't true for the last week. I turned down the cone offered by the vet clinic, in part because I hate them, and in part because I knew that dogs scratch their bellies with their back paws, and a cone would have no effect. Right on schedule for internal stitches, Willie's incision began to itch around day 4 after surgery. However, instead of ending on day 8, Read More

Last week I received a topic suggestion from a blog reader who has a reactive dog. What in heaven's name does one do about dogs who are off leash, while you are responsibly walking your dog on leash in "on leash only" areas, and yet some goofball dog runs up to your own and ruins all your hard work for the day/week/month?     Argh, I feel her pain. After years of working with Willie's reactivity when he was young, I can instantly recall the feeling of helplessness and horror as some dog comes barreling toward your own. I've written a lot about this, (see "Aggression Toward Other Dogs" in the Learning Center) but I thought this was a good time to revisit the topic. It's such a common problem and affects a multitude of dog owners.  Besides finding myself thinking a lot Read More