Always Something
My sweet Mabel woke up this morning with green goop coming out of her nose and a bit of bubbling breathing. We’re now home from the vet, grateful for their urgent care option, with antibiotics, as it’s possibly something contagious or still the long game of allergies. She’s not going to be happy about not going… View more
Together
I’ve recently had the luxury of sharing my bonding journey with my blossoming Mabel because the shop ran smoothly until yesterday. Usually, when I need to fill a kitchen assistant position, finding someone available for the hours we need who’s willing to work hard and follow our super stringent processes is a multi-week laborious project…. View more
Safe
It’s that time of year when we’re mentally and emotionally preparing ourselves for what most of us consider dog’s-least-favorite-days. All any of us want is for our dogs to feel safe, yet they don’t understand the loud booms and crackles as we attempt to help them before fireworks and comfort them during what many of… View more
Bumps in the Road
Mabel growled at me Monday night. I hope it was just a blip, a bump in the road, as it was a wonky day that started with her being terrified of the trash truck on our way to the car for her to go to daycare. The grumble ended as quickly as it started, and I’ve… View more
Time
I woke up this morning on the tiniest sliver of the edge of my bed. I could hear Mabel mumble and sleepily stretch as she lay belly up, horizontally next to me, waiting for her pre-breakfast belly rubs. In the short time Mabel’s been with me, she’s shown me what a sensitive sweetheart she is,… View more
Chickens & Eggs
As Mabel and I continue bonding and learning to communicate, I’ve thought a lot about the beginning stages of the dog-human relationship, whether forever or fostering. It’s a lot for everyone, us, our dogs, the people we love. Give our dogs bones to relieve stress. Oh, but some pups swallow and choke on those bones…. View more
Hearts
The day after I said goodbye to my spunky soulmate Finn, I needed to connect with him, so I went to the park, where he passed peacefully. In the spot where we ran into our beautiful neighbors John and Javier was a three by four foot perfectly shaped leaf-filled heart, in January, in Chicago. From that day on,… View more
Ease
I believe you get back what you put out into the world. I can’t tell you how many dogs I’ve met named Barkley who live up to their name, so I’ve been referring to my almost official rescue dog as my easy breezy Mabel girl. Mabel has settled in so remarkably well. The most challenging… View more