Living with anyone, especially yourself, can be irritating. You have grand illusions about being saintly, or at least perfect, but reality doesn’t seem to work like that. So you need a sense of humor, especially if you’re living with me. I’m lucky that my two Cavaliers, Murphy and Alki, and Grace the Cat know how […]
animal communication
If You Die Before They Do: Protecting Your Animal Family
I had the flu in February. Big time. Haven’t been that sick in years. Bad cough. High fever. So sick I needed help. I’m the only human in my multi-species family, so getting help was hard. Yes, I have friends to call, and no, I didn’t want to. The ‘flu’ (an epidemiologist told me they couldn’t […]
What Made My Deaf Dog Hear Again, Part 2
When my youngest dog, Alki, became deaf, I had to figure out how I could make him comfortable with his handicap. How to make us all comfortable: Alki, my nearly 10-year-old Cavalier; his 12-year-old Cavalier sister, Murphy; Grace the Cat; me; and friends, family, and visiting clients. We’re familiar with handicaps at our house: of […]
What Made My Deaf Dog Hear Again, Part 1
My son is deaf. My youngest dog, my Velcro boy, my goofy sweet Alki, is stone cold deaf. It happened when I wasn’t looking. Somehow, the years between puppyhood and senior dog warped and folded in on themselves, and my little boy aged. It shocks me, really. Just yesterday he was an exuberant, mischievous puppy, […]
Worshipping at the Altar of Rimadyl
My eldest dog, Murphy, a female Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, is 13. We never expected her to make it to 3, but she’s vibrant and healthy. It took a lot to get her that way. Some of her problems were inherited, some medical mistakes, some the normal up’s and down’s of life. Murphy’s health took […]
It’s Called Trespassing: Quit Ruining the World for Dogs
It was a summer evening and the dogs and I were out for last call. A man and woman at the end of the block were standing next to the waist-high wall that bordered my neighbor’s steep property. It’s unusual but not alarming to see strangers lingering in our busy beach neighborhood at night. However, […]
Why MY Dogs Aren’t Spoiled–MY Cat Ain’t, Either
Amazing the number of people who scowl and tell me I’m spoiling my animal family. It flummoxes me. These people, ‘the complainers,’ don’t just turn up their noses at me and my kids. They’re rude about disapproving of people (like me) who treat our animal family as something more than discardable toys, and in public […]
Grace the Cat’s Tail
We live in a small condo: just me, two Cavalier spaniels (Murphy and Alki), and Grace the Cat. Well, okay, let’s include my crystal partner, Fallon, and Raymond, a fifty-something jade tree who spreads out like an oak. Yes, our condo is small. Still, it’s plenty of room for my head and Grace the Cat’s […]
When Animal Communication Bites
Have you always wanted to talk with an animal? And hear it talk back? It’s easy. Just do it. But be polite, or you’ll find out, like I did, that animal communication can bite. Just like talking with any being out there, from a tree to a hurricane, animal communication is about respecting all life […]
When Good Toys Go Bad
Toys are a big part of the magical goofy fun side of family life. In our case, it’s a multi-species family life, which means we are a woman, two Cavaliers, and a goofy eight-pound cat. At our house toys (practically) rule. We have every kind of toy, from bouncy tennis balls and rubber chews to […]