Recently I watched someone walking his dog close to my office in Black Earth. Every ten feet or so the dog tried to stop to sniff the ground, and every time she did, the man at the other end of the leash pulled her forward so that he could continue walking. Ah, the canine-primate disconnect, which never fails to appear if we just pay attention. I wrote an entire book about this, The Other End of the Leash, and yet I’m still discovering ways in which we struggle to merge our ethological needs. Primates love to walk, at least, terrestrial ones like humans do. Not only that, but we like to walk side-by-side with our friends, to face the world together and exchange the news of the day. While we’re walking we spend a lot of energy looking around—enjoying the view and noting what has changed Read More
What Makes Your Dog Happy?
This seems like a good question to begin a new year together in our inquiry about human/animal relationships. I've been engaged, as so many others are at this time of year, in writing out my goals for 2016. Some are personal, some are professional, and many, not surprisingly, relate to my dogs. I spent a lot of time last week thinking about my hopes and plans for them: Maggie--more comfortable around dogs who, shockingly, are not Border Collies, Willie--a sound body all year long, even if I have to retire him for herding [I do], Tootsie--a final solution to her tummy and UT problems). As I was pondering how to accomplish all that yesterday, I sat at the table in the dining room, all the better to both write and keep my eye on Willie and Maggie. They needed watching because they were Read More
My Holiday Card to You
Some years I send out holiday cards to friends. Some years I don't. I like it best when I do... I like staying in touch with friends, and I love getting real mail in my mailbox instead of unwanted junk and wasted trees. However, I haven't even thought about cards so far this year; as often happens, I'll end up writing them after Christmas when I have time to savor writing them. However, it occurred to me that I have several kinds of friends now, and one important category is made up of you--the people who daily overwhelm me with their honesty, knowledge, intelligence and inspiration. Not to mention some truly kick ass senses of humor. Here's my holiday card to you, a collage of many of the photos I've used on cards in the past (that's Willie's uncle Luke and Pippy Tay with the sign, Read More
Holidays Schmalidays? (Fun with Gifts for Dog Lovers)
A long time ago, I made a commitment to avoid holiday overwhelm. In one sense, I can thank my parents for that—wonderful people who welcomed the Christmas season with angry fights over the placement of the Christmas tree and tears generated by present-wrapping-exhaustion in the early morning hours of Christmas Eve. Oh no, not me, I declared! I shall be above it all, I said, my wise benevolence shining from the halo over my head. Well, yes, I will admit, I have done relatively well with the whole holiday thing, managing to spend most of my energy savoring family and friendship and the joys of living that are available to all of us, regardless of our credit card balances. But last year I seemed to fall into the abyss, wrapping present after present late into the night, rewriting my To Do Read More
Pet Pals Portraits
On Sunday all the dogs in the Pet Pals Program came in for their twice annual vet check. It's fun for us because it's a great chance for us to say hello to the other teams and meet some of the new dogs. It's also a chance for me to play with my camera and take some photos of the remarkable dogs in this program. We see children and their families at the American Family Children's Hospital, many of whom are very ill or badly injured, and all of our dogs have to be quiet, sweet and basically bomb proof. I joke about them acting like "semi-stuffed dogs," but believe me, their hearts are all alive and beating with love. Here's to them, and all they do. Read More
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