Category Archives: Uncategorized

Happy Leap Day!

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And I’m back. I don’t really have a good excuse for my almost three-week absence, so let’s just call it a case of the February Doldrums. I have had some serious motivation issues (not just with blogging), but I’m going to make a comeback! And I haven’t been feeling well at times, but that’s not a great excuse.

The not feeling well is especially not a great excuse since Duke hasn’t been feeling well either, but he is still raring to go every single day. It turns out he does have surgery to repair an ACL tear. It’s never a good sign when your vet gives your dog the nickname “Money Pit,” but we love Dukie, and he’s going to get his new knee.

In addition to his knee issues, Duke currently has an ear infection and could also use surgery for gingival hyperplasia (overgrown gums). He has also had a scratched cornea recently. But I am just hoping all goes well with his surgery this Friday, and we’ll deal with the rest later.

I apologize for my long drought in posts, and I hope you’ll stick with me as I get back on track! Next week I’ll be posting about dog photography.

Do you ever feel like you spend way too much time with your vet?

Liebster Blog Award

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It must be awards seasons in the blogosphere (or the dog blogosphere at least). I was fortunate enough to be nominated for the Liebster Blog Award by three blogging friends last week! As I stalked her site looking for pictures to add to my photography post, I happened to notice Laurie Bartolo’s post in which she nominated me. Then I found out that Deanna at For the Love of My Dogs nominated me as well, and I also got a nice comment from Shary Hover telling me she had nominated me. Thanks so much fellow dog lovers!

Here’s the info about the award:

Liebster means Dearest in German, so the Liebster Blog Award is the Dearest Blog Award. It’s an award intended to recognize worthy, lesser known blogs and to help expose their work. Of course, accepting The Liebster Award comes with a few rules!

1. Thank the giver and link back to the blogger who gave it to you.
2. Reveal your top five picks {with less than 200 readers} and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.
3. Copy and paste the award on your blog.
4. Hope that the people you’ve sent the award to forward it to their five favorite up-and-coming bloggers and keep it going!

Here’s some more information about my nominators:

Laurie Bartolo–Laurie is an excellent photographer and writer whose passion for dogs comes through in poignant, sweet, and funny ways on her blog. Her dogs Daisy and Webster make frequent appearances in her posts, along with any dogs she encounters.

For the Love of My Dogs–Deanna is a lifelong dog lover and a rescuer of animals. She advocates for the humane treatment of animals through her blog, as well as telling stories about her fur babies: Harley, Scarlett, Chelsea and Roory.

Shary Hover–Shary is a writer who shares blogging duties with her canine buddy Lola. Lola happily filled in for Shary last month as she successfully completed NaNoWriMo by writing more than 50,000 words!

Now here are my nominations (drum roll, please):

Three Well Beings at Breathe Lighter–These three (well, two for now–Debra and Beth) well beings write about living (and maintaining) the good life. I appreciate their positive outlooks on life and their posts aimed at helping others live well. (And Beth is “mom” to two dogs, including a boxer–bonus points!)

Kissbeep–I admire Juli’s dedication and strength as she blogs and tweets about lost and stolen dogs from across the country. I think I would get too sad and worn down by all of that sad information, but luckily Juli has her French Bulldog Izzy to cheer her up.

A Dog’s Beach–One of the greatest characteristics of dogs is the joy with which they live life. Jen captures this joy in the pictures she shares of dogs romping, swimming, and running on a San Diego beach.

The Dassler Effect–I featured Neil’s photography advice in my last post because I have fallen in love with his photographs. His love for beauty and nature come through in his pictures, and I’m so happy he shares them with all of us. Neil’s work has been noticed by many people besides me; he has been Freshly Pressed not twice but thrice, and he has 189 readers (he just squeaks in under the 200-reader maximum for the award).

Life with Olive–Patti’s posts about–what else?–life with Olive, her Weimaraner, consistently crack me up. I also love that she gave her dog a porch-sitter name. Despite Patti’s wry wit, her love for Olive shines through in her writing.

Thank you again to Laurie, Deanna, and Shary for nominating me for the Liebster Blog Award! I really appreciate it, as I appreciate all my readers and blogging friends.

What are some other blogs I should be reading?

You like me? You really like me?

“The Saucer of My Heart…”

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“…fills with “milky admiration” (from the poem “Dharma,” by Billy Collins. Read the whole poem here–it’s one of my favorites. It really speaks to dogs’ ability to live in the moment.).

So my heart filled with admiration for Gertie (and pride) when this happened:

In our basement family room, an old, heavy, red and navy comforter covers part of the sectional couch. Duke likes to scratch his back against the edge of the couch. (Or maybe he’s marking it with his scent? Gertie does it too.) Anyway, he also likes to burrow into the blankets and rearrange them with his paws, creating nests or tents. Well, one night he tried to create a tent, but he got overambitious and the whole heaping comforter flopped over him, so he was completely covered.

At first Tom and I thought he was enjoying it. Some alone time, maybe? But then he started thrashing around, trying to get out. The more he struggled, though, the worse he was stuck–like trick finger cuffs. Keep in mind that it would’ve been really dark under the comforter.

Meanwhile, Gertie watched from her spot in the wedge (see picture). She cocked her head

Gertie in Wedge, Duke on Couch

as Duke thrashed. She waited. When he continued to struggle, then whimpered, she hopped down and touched her nose to his (through the blanket), as if to say, “I’m right here. You’re going to be ok.” (Not to anthropomorphize too much, but it seemed to be a reassuring gesture as she sensed–smelled?–his panic.) Then she stepped directly on the corner of the comforter. So with Duke’s next effort, and Gertie pinning the blanket down, he was free.

How does your dog make you proud?

Collar Me Stylish

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In an earlier post, I mentioned that Gertie’s collar is washable, which is lucky because she gets it super dirty on vacation. So here’s the scoop on her fabulous collar:

After we had replaced Gertie’s simple blue nylon collar for the third time in one year, I decided we needed to get her a higher quality one. Plus, she needed one with the quick-release buckle.

They’re made by Dog Gone It, based in Marion, Iowa. We got Gertie’s collar at their Downtown Farmers Market  booth.

Since Gertie got an upgrade in functionality, why not upgrade the style as well?Duke has a simple black collar with the quick-release buckle, so we’re going to keep that for now, but I’m sure he’ll eventually get a new one–I’m thinking royal blue with polka dots.

Dog Gone It offers harnesses and leashes in addition to collars with lots of cute designs that can be mixed and matched. And they’re also sold at the First Avenue Wine House–that’s where I first saw them. I stopped by the Wine House the other day and was excited that Lizzi the boxer greeted me. So I rubbed her ears and admired her Dog Gone It collar–green and aqua in the opposite pattern of Gertie’s, with her name embroidered on it (Dog Gone It provides this service too!).

But Lizzi’s mom Traci (owner of the Wine House with her husband Ron) had bad news: Lizzi had blown out her other knee (she had ACL surgery a while ago) and will require surgery. :( Traci would like to encourage all boxer parents (and I would say dog parents in general) to get pet insurance! We have insurance for Gertie and Duke through Pets Best, but there are several companies that offer it.

What’s the best item you’ve bought your dog? What kind of collar does your dog wear?

Happy (belated) National Dog Day

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The Bark mentioned on Facebook that yesterday was National Dog Day, so give your best friend a nice long scratch behind the ears or an extra special walk as a belated expression of your gratitude.

To celebrate, here are just a few of my favorite doggie pics:

As a puppy, Gertie would sleep like Superman.

Gertie's yoga pose

Sibling rivalry

No, that is not a prosthetic tongue.

Hi.

Also, celebrate National Dog Day this weekend by going to the garage sale benefiting ARF (Animal Resource Foundation) and IHA (Iowa Humane Alliance). Or dine for the dogs at Devotay on Sunday (a benefit for IHA’s new clinic). Keep up-to-date on area dog-related events by visiting the DoggiEvents page.

What are you and your dog(s) doing this weekend?

I like dogs, and I don’t care who knows.

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Actually, I love dogs. But this title goes with Lonely Island’s We Like Sportz–they’re funny. And so are dogs. That’s one of the many reasons I love them.

Gertie doing back wiggles.

As this blog progresses, I’ll try to note all the reasons. (Is that even possible? I’m not sure, but I think the beauty’s in the effort.) For now, here’s a quick overview of why I love dogs:

  • They live in the moment, and that’s a great lesson for humans (especially humans like me who tend to worry way too much).
  • My dogs (and other dogs too) make me laugh and smile every day. (See the Aboutpage for an

    Duke

    introduction to my canines. They will be featured often!)

  • Dogs are generous, good, and innocent.
  • Dogs make us better people, and they help us connect with each other.
  • They’re adorable and cuddly.

What are some of the reasons you love dogs?