Tag Archives: dog

July 16, 2012 · 10:26 pm

Time to Cry Tuesday – Dog as Copilot

We have been away a lot this month, and Miss Iko has been a good sport about being in the care of others. But on the day after we return I always try to spend the day with her. Working at home makes that pretty easy.

Today I found myself having to make a last minute trip in the car and was going to be gone for a couple of hours. I just could not bear that little face as I was leaving the house, so…

I invited her for the ride.

The thing is, this puppy is far from a good car dog. Mel? She was the queen of the car ride. She sat in the back when asked and would never consider jumping out the window. Hell, she would sit in the convertible with the top down and never think of bolting. Iko? Not so much.

I know it is not good to compare dogs, and they all have their roles in your life. So I am going to deem Iko my co-pilot. I am sure it is a job she will take very seriously as she gets older. This shot pretty much illustrates her dedication.

As for the title of this post, it was inspired by this book, that I highly recommend.

3 Comments

Filed under animals, Iko, mel, pets, Time to Cry Tuesdays

Tagged as , , , ,

May 24, 2012 · 11:38 pm

Labragoat

If you have ever owned  Labrador Retriever puppy you already started laughing at the title of this post. My last lab was a chewer as a pup as well, but it was so long ago my memory has faded. I am pretty sure that Iko is way worse. To give you an idea, here is a list of what she has chewed or eaten in the past few weeks:

  • A leather flip flop (see above, she did quite a nice job on this one)
  • 2 pairs of vintage prescription sunglasses and a nice bite out of the lens of a brand new pair (yes, I know, stop leaving them on the counter)
  • 2 plastic bins that we kept her toys in (BTW,red plastic comes out exactly how it went in)
  • A few indestructible dog toys from manufacturers with claims that they cannot be destroyed (they have not met Psycho Iko)
  • A couple of mouthfuls of Biotone (this is a garden fertilizer and required an emergency trip to the vet with the bag and a call to poison control. They told us it is not toxic and she will just violently projectile vomit… um, that is how we knew she ate it, but thanks.)
  • A ballpoint pen (leaving a blue birthmark on the side of her face)
  • A client’s check (perhaps she ate the pen to forge my signature on the check)
  • Countless sticks, flowers and terra cotta pots (she loves the garden)

Shall I go on? I guess you get the picture. Hey anyone want to dogsit this weekend?

5 Comments

Filed under humor, Iko, pets

Tagged as , , ,

March 1, 2012 · 7:18 pm

Kosher Dog Biscuits?

The first thing I will say about this shot is, only on the North Shore of Long Island.

This, my friends, is the bakery case at a local pet store. Yes, a bakery case. And these would be dog biscuits sporting messages in yiddish and hebrew. Both are fairly common slang that even those not of the tribe would probably recognize, but just in case, these are the definitions.

Oy vey! Sort of like OMG for Jews. In a sentence, “Oy vey, these people are selling dog biscuits with yiddish sayings on them”.

Shalom: Hello. Goodbye. Peace. Jews like to conserve and recycle. Contextual clues usually give this one away. Yet when someone says, “Shalom, my friend’, you might have no idea what he really means.

I must not forget to point out the half off sale price. Because, you know, we Jews love a good bargain.

No, I did not buy these for the puppy and yes, people did watch me take the picture. I am guessing it might have discouraged sales that day.

 

3 Comments

Filed under absurdities, carry a camera, humor, products

Tagged as , , , , , ,

February 27, 2012 · 9:49 pm

Time to Cry Tuesday – My Spot (one year later)

Last year on February 22nd, I wrote this post. If you are not inclined to go back and read it, the short version is that there is a spot in my house that is my perfect place. I am sure many of you have one just like it. The place you go to read, to rest, for comfort, to chill. YOUR spot. Sometimes it comes with a cup of tea and others it needs a glass of wine. And when things get really hectic, a vodka on the rocks goes perfectly.

Needless to say I have clocked many an hour there. What always made that spot one step more special was having my dog at my feet. For those who don’t know, I lost my dog Mel at 12.5 this past October. I was completely devastated and lost without her. Thinking I would never be able to do it all over again with a puppy at this stage of my life I soon proved myself wrong.

We were lucky enough for the stars to be aligned and not long after we lost her, Iko came into our lives.

And wouldn’t you know it, that puppy just KNEW where  she needed to hang.

She is freakishly Mel-like in this shot, but oh so welcome. I am sure the essence of Mel lured her there. This is not the only spot of Mel’s that she has taken as her own.

There is not a day that goes by that I do not think of my old girl. Somehow this makes it both much harder and infinitely easier.

7 Comments

Filed under animals, Iko, mel, Time to Cry Tuesdays

Tagged as , , , ,

December 28, 2011 · 11:23 am

New Puppy Joy

Nothing like a daughter on twitter who has funny friends, that’s what I always say.

Yeh, the time has come for sweet little Iko to be put in her adorable puppy place. It’s one thing when she bites the ass of a family member, but the poor housekeeper… I don’t think so!

The shedevil is tons of fun and we are loving (almost) every minute of her, but the ass biting… not so much. As I said to her the other day, “No one bites MY ass without permission, kiddo.” TMI?

So, she learned to sit at 9 weeks, is closing in on giving paw and has been housebroken since we brought her home except for the occasional excited peeing for Jana’s boyfriend. But the nipping needs to be nipped, so let the games begin.

Seriously, though, how could you be mad at this face?

6 Comments

Filed under animals, humor, Iko, Jana, pets, twitter

Tagged as , , , , , ,

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)

12 Comments

Filed under absurdities, animals, humor, Iko, mel, pets

Tagged as , , , , , , , ,

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.

19 Comments

Filed under Iko, mel, pets, Time to Cry Tuesdays

Tagged as , , , , , ,

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.

7 Comments

Filed under friendship, mel, pets, Time to Cry Tuesdays

Tagged as , , , ,

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?

5 Comments

Filed under animals, humor, mel, pets

Tagged as , , , , ,

July 13, 2011 · 11:09 pm

K9JSTICE

Ah… nothing like a little K9JSTICE. I always think that the dogs should have a fair shot at everything. And if they have been wronged, then by all means they should have their due process.

A little research and I came up with the K9 Justice League. They focus on dog rescue and adoption. Love that!

I saw this license plate on my way home from the city (that is what we NYers call Manhattan… ‘the’ city, you know because we are egocentric and we act like it is the only city). Just before I saw this one I saw YOGALVR and CROWNO2. Is that second one Crow No. 2 , like the second crow or is that Crown O2, like a crown of oxygen?

Could it be possible that I should pay more attention to the road and less to all this nonsense?

3 Comments

Filed under carry a camera, license plates

Tagged as , , ,