Midwesterners like me are pretty obedient. Think of us as the golden retrievers of the country. Like most, I've been sheltering for a month, indulging in take out only once a week, and washing my hands raw. But the CDC’s "don't touch your face" instruction? Total fail. Granted, I have a new-found awareness of how often I touch my face, and how desperately important it feels to do so. But stop touching it? Not happening. I just scratched an itch under my eyebrow, while I was writing this. The hand washing part is easy. I’m doing that so often I’m going to run out of moisturizer long before toilet paper. But every time I hear “Don’t touch your face” I want to paw my hands over my cheeks like a rebellious adolescent. Why is one piece of advice so easy to follow, and the other so Read More

Just photographs today, in honor of the Easter weekend, spring and the insanity of our last few days. So, it's all MEANWHILE, back on the farm: I'll get right to the insanity part (as if we all needed more in our lives). Skip was running with a visiting dog, and came back to me on three legs, his right rear held up high and in a weird, unnatural position. It was sticking out laterally at the hip, as if he'd dislocated it. It looked horrific. I'll give you the good news right away: His hip is not dislocated, and it is doubtful that he tore anything. However, we didn't know that for several days, (we're still not sure) while I snot-sobbed about an endless recovery after hip or cruciate surgery under Covid-crisis conditions. But, cross your paws oh please please please; it looks more Read More

We all know that family dog trainers don't train dogs, they train people. As I tease my veterinarian friends, our job is harder, because we have to train our clients to do the equivalent of the surgery themselves. And we all know that we, as a species, can be a bit challenging to train. Not because we're bad people, but because we inherently aren't consistent (ie, the downfall of synonyms), have a hugely variable repertoire, and focus on word content often more than inflection and visual signals. And now dog trainers all over the world are coping with social distancing rules that make in-person classes impossible. My heart breaks for all of those who are struggling right now, as are so many millions of people in so many different types of jobs. But the silver lining here is that so Read More

That's what I've got today. Solace. Just a little bit, but sometimes a little bit goes a long way. First, I want to share a book, Hand in Hand, that I am reading a few pages of every day. It is the kind of art that reminds us of all the good in the world, and is one of the things that is giving me exactly what I need right now. It's inspired by the macro photography of Meg Boscov, and the micro (non)fiction writing of her husband, Randy Brown of Matter Press. Here's the inside of the book--one side a stunning photograph, the other relevant muses, quotes and explorations. I read a few pages every morning. It's my favorite way to start the day. And the perfect reminder that we may be isolated, but we are all in this together. I've shared a few of Meg's photographs before, Read More

So many good questions. About how to socialize puppies. About whether to go to dog parks. So few good answers. But here's a perspective that I hope is helpful: Risk management. It's all about risk management. FOR PUPPIES what are the risks if you have a puppy and can't follow the usual guidelines for socializing your puppy? What are the risks if you do? We all know the risks by now of not following the advice about social distancing and avoiding contact with others as much as possible. We're all (or should be) trying to avoid this freight train of a virus flooding medical facilities such that people end up dying simply because there were no beds, doctors, nurses or ventilators available. It's not going to stop the virus from spreading so much as it will stop a surge in cases that Read More