Last Friday, Gavin had his big quarterly appointment with his oncologist. I know I’m lucky that he loves people so much. It makes it easier for him to spend the day with kind, animal-loving people who want the same thing I want, to keep him as healthy as possible, given he’s had three surgeries to remove multiple mast… View more
When Gavin first came home with me, there’s nothing that would wake him from sleep. It took some adjusting. My Finn was always ready to save me from whatever I tripped on or dropped. And, while I knew in my soul that I was ready to love another dog, the habits ingrained in my heart for… View more
There’s a guy at our rent-by-the-hour kitchen who abhors me and my air compressor. I get it. The air compressor is loud, like El train loud. I’ve bribed other renters for kindly accepting the 15 total minutes it runs in the course of a kitchen day. Thankfully everyone who shares the kitchen has dogs so, a… View more
When there’s too much change, even the good kind, Gavin gets a stressy belly and becomes a full-on grass munching moo-cow. I can usually prevent it by proactively playing his favorite games, running through fun training exercises, or pulling something from his arsenal of anxiety-reducing stuff (all approved or recommended by our trusted veterinarians.) But,… View more
It’s fairly easy for me to be 100% focused on Gavin on our walks. I love watching him bebop along, especially since we’ve worked really hard on his confidence amidst random dogs, lawnmowers, helicopters, and other unpredictable, scary things (to him). And, there’s always this moment for me when we arrive at the park’s entrance… View more
My kitchen days start at 4:51 am, and I often don’t fall into bed until 1 or 2 am the next day. I’m not working the entire time, of course. But given that it takes about three hours to set up and tear down in the rent-by-the-hour kitchen, it makes sense to make as many pouches… View more
It’s amazing how the dog(s) in our life helps us find and become the people we’re meant to be. When Finn was still here, our walks were long and fast. My lug loved to move. And, while he liked people, he was more interested in the walk, so he breezed past human pedestrians with a… View more
When we were kids, by this time in the summer, all three of my siblings and I were whining that we were bored. And, my dad always warned, “when you get older, time moves so fast that you’ll wish you had time for boredom.” Man, was he right. We may not be able to shred our… View more
Gavin was a big factor in where we’re currently living. We’d lived for five years without a backyard, and I knew he’d love having a safe space to lounge outside during warm months. And, our walk path is perfect for him, we pass only a few houses (fewer dogs to bark at him from windows),… View more
Up until last summer, Gavin and I both worked hard to keep him relaxed and happy on walks. He’s unbelievably sensitive and doesn’t handle ANY change well AT ALL—no matter how intricately I planned and managed his walk times. A helicopter flying overhead, a lawnmower starting, or a dog getting too close despite my asking (sometimes… View more
