As I was thinking about my life and readers, I considered ‘how about something for the four legged beasts?’ My dogs keep me company on walks in the alleys, bark at strangers, and eat cooking leavings off the kitchen floor. They also eat my tomatoes, birthday cakes, and everything else passable. They are, in part, evil. But even evil dogs deserve a nice fresh collar and leash once in awhile. Today’s birthday giveaway is a [...]

Did you know that black dogs and cats are more likely to linger in animal shelters than any other color of pet? The problem is so pervasive that shelters have given the syndrome an acronym, BBD, for Big Black Dog. BBDs persist in shelters despite being personable, house trained, and gentle. The animal shelter from where we adopted our hounds, Capital Area Humane Society in Hilliard, is actively combating the lack of adopters from dark [...]

Devie the big hound is adapting wonderfully to life with a single eye. At our dinner party Wednesday, everyone commented on what a different dog she is now.  She is calmer, quieter, and seems happier than any time in the last year. Guilt creeps in when I think that perhaps her bum eye was hurting her for a long time.  But there was no way to know how much pain she was feeling and only [...]

It has been hot here in Ohio.  And humid.  A friend described the recent weather as “walking around inside someone’s mouth.”  Indeed. Instead of enduring the wicked weather during the afternoon heat, I searched for indoor activities to occupy Lil’s boundless energy in the relative cool of the air conditioning. A few days ago, we made homemade dog biscuits.  Making dog treats is a perfect activity for a young chef, as the recipe employs lots [...]