Category Archives: pets

December 18, 2011 · 6:43 pm

Dog High Chairs

I have written – with disgust–about kids on leashes and dogs in strollers. The former spawned a call from Dr. Phil to try to get me to come on the show and duke it out with the leash supporting moms of America.

I am always astonished at the lack of separation out there between parenting kids and owning pets. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love my pets. Losing Mel was one of the hardest things in my life, and now having Iko and nurturing a young puppy is a whole new set of emotions. But I never once confused them for my kids. Or felt I was parenting them. Not to say putting my toddlers in a crate to discipline them wouldn’t have come in handy, but a dog is a dog. A kid is a kid. And the idea of taking the methods used in raising one and projecting it on the other is concerning.

Enter the clip-on dog high chair. I believe when my kids were little we used to call these Sassy Seats (stupid name!). Now, in my home, we spend an enormous amount of time getting our dogs NOT to eat at the table. No begging. No jumping. Certainly no taking the food off the table or the counters. That would be specifically because…

THEY ARE DOGS!

But it seems that the makers or buyers of this ridiculous item don’t agree with the theory that dogs belong on the floor when they eat. Again, because…

THEY ARE DOGS!

Note there are more than one of these on the market indicating there is demand or people are trying to create one. Crazy stuff. And if you ask me all these dogs look a little out of their minds and certainly over-indulged.

The last one is really scary. Is she eating flan with a straw and a paw candle with a side of bisc(uit)otti?

My favorite search result is the April Fools video from Ikea. I just love this guy:

So, show of hands. Are you comfortable with your dog at the table. (warning: those who say yes, we will not be eating together any time soon)

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December 13, 2011 · 10:15 pm

Biker Dude

I know, only I could run across a french bulldog with a pleather Biker Dude jacket  in Home Depot.

On a Monday night.

In the suburbs.

Because, my friends, I attract this sort of thing. And I fully accept my lot in life and whole-heartedly embrace the responsibility to share this with those of you who are less fortunate in the ways of crazy occurrence in daily living.

Or just don’t carry a camera. Or a smartphone. Or – we can’t rule out – don’t care enough to document (shame on the last category)

Sunday I came across a ridiculous man with a dog in a stroller in the Bloomingdales shoe department. The next day I meet a foreigner with a biker bulldog in Home Depot. That makes sense, right? I am usually a firm believer that pets do not belong in clothing. They already have a coat, if you put one over it they might get overheated. Except in the case of my dear dog friend Penny, she just gets a little chilly and needs something to warm her up in her old age.

But since this coat was so spectacular I loosened my rule and started a conversation with the guy:

Me: OMG can I take a picture of your dog?

Guy: Um, I guess so (heavy slavic accent)

Me: He seems to like wearing it.

Guy: Yes, he does.

Me: Where did you get such a thing?

Guy: (with a much thicker accent than I thought he had at first.) Wal-Mart.

And there you have it kids. Another day in the life.

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November 28, 2011 · 10:19 pm

Time to Cry Tuesday – The Joy of Puppies

Yeh, pretty corny post title. And yes, I have become that weird girl that posts pictures of puppies on her Facebook page. And I am damn proud of it.

For those who are not regular readers, I lost my best friend on earth almost 8 weeks ago. Mel, my Lab of almost 13 years, died suddenly and took me down. I literally cried for 3 weeks.

And then I stopped.

I realized, I am a dog person. As simple as that. I am not the type of person who can walk into their house and not have a four-legged heartbeat burst with joy at the site of me. Let’s face it, I am a canine-induced egomaniac. And I am not embarrassed to say that life without that unconditional love was simply too hard for me. This does not mean I am over the loss of Mel. Or that I could ever replace her. It is more a testament to what an amazing dog she was that I needed to have another right away.

So I would like to introduce you all to the next chapter in my dog-loving life:

Iko Iko Levinson.

For those who are music fans or hail from New Orleans, you will say things like, ‘Hey now’ or ‘cool’ or ‘which version, Dr. John or the Grateful Dead?‘ Or if you are a real music fan, ‘The Dixie Cups‘

If you are not a music fan, click this link to read about the song and it’s lore, and click the artists above to hear all the versions.

She has been home with us only a couple of days but we have already learned this one undeniable truth:

It is simply impossible to be sad in the presence of a puppy.

Period.

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October 11, 2011 · 1:19 am

Time to Cry Tuesday – A Dog’s Purpose

And she said losing love 

Is like a window in your heart.

Everybody sees you’re blown apart.

Everybody hears the wind blow.

– Paul Simon, Graceland

Mel, the wonder dog, my walking companion, the canine comedian, sadly died on Friday. It was sudden and shocking. Even though she was a 12 year old Lab with some health issues, she still behaved youthful. We had saved her from the brink of death twice already, so this one was unexpected. And fast. Too fast.

Part of loving a dog is losing a dog, and I found that out the hard way this weekend. But I also found out how incredible people can be. How they reach out with kind words and even lend you one of their dogs for the first walk after yours is gone. How they lay on the floor with her and say good-bye and text you tirelessly to make sure you are ok even when they know you are not. How they tolerate the tears that feel like they will never end and never say ‘she was just a dog.’

Strange and wonderful things happen even in the worst of situations. There are simply no coincidences in life. You just need to pay attention and it is all clear.

Mel was named after the ice cream man. The kids loved him (who doesn’t love the ice cream man). Late Friday afternoon I was picking up dinner and when I got to my car there was a long line of cars waiting for the light to change. There, next to where I was parked, was Mel the Ice Cream Man. 

On Main Street.

In October!! WTH!

There are no coincidences.

Last week I read A Dog’s Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron. This charming tale is written from the point of view of a dog who keeps dying and is reincarnated until he finds his purpose. Each life had a purpose of  its own. Yes, we personify our pets, but I truly believe they get IT (note the caps). And I thank Mr. Cameron for the point of view that helped me through one of the hardest decisions of my life – to let her go before she started to suffer. I finished the book a couple of days before Mel died.

There are no coincidences.

Mel was my other half, my walking buddy, the one who soothed me when I was at my saddest. She was a good sport about my habit of taking pictures and would pose patiently whenever called upon. As I have said before, she acted like each ride in the car was a trip to the Caribbean. She was full of joy and never complained. The Schmoop, as she was affectionately called, was larger than life and a huge part of our family. We will miss her terribly.

If you have a dog, go grab the leash and take her for a walk. Throw a ball. Enjoy every joyous moment of her unconditional love. Get over the chewed shoe or the the tumbleweeds of fur she sheds and give her a big hug on Mel.

Oh, and a huge thank you to the Vets and the entire staff at The Port Washington Animal Hospital who not only saved her so many times, but treated her, and us, with the greatest compassion and dignity. We will forever be grateful for your love of animals.

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September 25, 2011 · 9:07 pm

Dog’s Eye View

This is the Port Washington Animal Hospital…

from my dog’s point of view.

We have spent a lot of time here over the past 9 months. Sweet Mel was very ill with Diabetes and dear sweet ‘Dr. Ann’ pretty much saved her life. That, of course comes at a price. Not only the dollars to keep her in insulin, but also the many visits to monitor her glucose and yadayadayada for canine health issues with an old dog.

The other day I was stopping by to pick up a bag of food and I dropped my keys. When I went to pick them up, this is what I saw. Pretty much Mel’s line of vision as we walk into the place. I had to laugh. And of course I had to grab my camera.

Do you think that the fire department purposely put the hydrant in front of a vet’s office for the laugh?

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April 26, 2011 · 9:31 pm

Loris is the New Teacup Pig

I know. Last week I said that the mini-giraffe was the new teacup pig. But c’mon, kiddies, we all know that those aren’t real (sorry @sonjagarelick, I hate to be the one to break that to you, honey). How did I live all these years without ever hearing of a Loris.

Today someone a work team posted this on one of our walls. I could not stop watching it. I am pretty sure that a curly-headed little Badger just might have to get one for a graduation present (because the idea of a pig, teacup or otherwise doesn’t seem all that kosher to me). Although, I am a little concerned about how Mel will handle it.

I dare you to watch this and not want one.


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March 19, 2011 · 7:53 pm

Pet Toilets

This one comes from my dear friend Dani. She posted it on facebook and I knew she had me in mind. This is at South of the Border (where else?). I wonder if it is just an open field or if they have set up something cute with dividers. You know, to give the furry little creatures some privacy.

I have always been amused by the JFK Airport Pet Relief Area sign. I googled it and found this picture. You have to love the fire hydrant in the middle. To make them feel less self conscious and more at home, I suppose.

FYI, Philadelphia has 7 pet relief areas at their airport. So I am guessing that when you fly through there you best be carrying a second pair of shoes,just in case.

I know what you are thinking. Only I could write a whole post about pet toileting. Yeh well, it amuses me, what can I say?

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March 12, 2011 · 10:50 pm

Life with a Diabetic Dog – Part 2

In case you did not read Part 1, you can see it here.

Basic facts: dog is diabetic and needs to have insulin shots 2x a day. On the weekends I stay in bed a little later and my sweet husband takes care of feeding and ‘shooting’ the dog before he leaves for tennis.

Last time the note on the counter was shit. shot. fed.

Today, he was feeling a little abbreviated, I guess.

Gottta love it.

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February 13, 2011 · 11:24 am

Life with a Diabetic Dog

Oh, and with my husband, of course. A man of brevity, Gary leaves me little notes on the kitchen counter if he leaves before I get up. (he is such a romantic).

I have been battling the plague some sort of sinus/respiratory thing this week and slept in this morning since I was up hacking half the night. I came downstairs to make a cup of tea and found this note on the counter.

Translation: Let the dog out and she did her business, gave her insulin and fed her.

It’s good to laugh first thing in the morning, thanks G.

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January 21, 2011 · 7:02 pm

How much is that doggie in the window?

Let me preface this post with the fact that I have an 11 1/2 year old dog who I adore. That said, I also have 2 kids in college and money does not exactly grow on the trees in my yard (although we are pretty convinced it might on the trees of others in our zip code – note to self: buy one of those houses).

This week our dog, Mel, was diagnosed with diabetes. I am happy to report that after a rough few days and fear that I would be working the night shift at Dairy Barn to pay for her treatment, the financial hit was not that bad. We will manage because… well because she is our friggin’ dog, for G-d sake and it is hard to put a price on her head… ish.

Which brings me to a story about my dear friends in Rhode Island who called in a timely fashion as we were going through this with a story that is not to be believed. This is a bit long but worth following. And it has a major ‘ish’ to it.

Their dog had a tumor in her eye. She is also almost 12. No pain, happy as can be, just an eye tumor. Vet recommended removing the entire eye and the cost of surgery was $2,800 plus-plus (hospital stay, meds, etc). They opted out and the vet had an attitude. Fast forward a few months or so and the tumor had grown out of control. They went back to the vet who then wanted to charge $4,000. They hem and haw and realized that with all the unexpected expenses that month (wisdom teeth, new boiler, etc) they simply didn’t have the cash and $4,000 to do surgery on a 12 year old dog seemed crazy. She had a good long life and their hearts were broken but they decided they had to put the dog to sleep.

They say their goodbyes the night before. They bring her into the vet. They are sick. The receptionist tells them the vet wants to see them. They are then told that they have found someone who will adopt the dog and pay for the surgery but they have to sign the dog over to them.

WTF! They are freaking! “Sure”, he says, “they have now embarrassed me that I will not save the dog, then they knock her  out and she wakes up without an eye and has to live in some alternate reality where they start calling her Daisy and want to be her family. Now how the hell can I do that?! This is a tiny town in RI. I can see it now, I am going to pull up in a parking lot a few months from now and there will be my freakin’ dog sitting in someone else’s car. She will see me and give me the ‘where the hell have YOU been’ look and ask me why everyone is calling her Daisy.”

At this point of his telling of the story I am both laughing and crying and cannot breathe.

Needless to say they grabbed their dog, left the vet and went for a second opinion. They went to a well known animal hospital that quoted them $2,000 for their canine opthalmic surgeon (still wondering why they need the specialist if they are taking out the whole damn eye) and they schedule the surgery. Of course there is a snowstorm and they have to reschedule.

It gets worse. The next day they see blood on the kitchen floor and they find that the tumor has burst. They wrap the dog in a blanket and rush her to the doggie ER where they do emergency surgery, remove the eye, the dog is fine and the cost?

$1,000 because it was emergency, not scheduled, and they did not use the specialist.

Seriously!

Happy to report the dog is now happy as can be – sans one eye – and barks with a bit of a pirate’s accent. They are using the money they saved to buy a wardrobe of eye patches for her.

Can’t make this stuff up.

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