Monthly Archive:: April 2014
The Voice
Willie hardly makes a sound. He doesn’t whine, and he doesn’t bark, though he communicates with me a great deal through eye contact, body posture, and tail wagging. His basic states of being are: happy (to see me); excited (to go for a walk or to eat); contented (after a walk or a meal); and
Category: Dog
Salty Dog
I neglected to post this entry while our Hudson Valley winter was in full force…but decided this was my chance since we had yet another dusting of snow last night (yes, on April 16!) # # # It snowed again last night, obliterating all the paths I shoveled after Sunday’s storm. I looked out the
Category: Dog
Saddle Up & Move ‘Em Out
Each morning before our walk I get Willie into a harness. I do this so I can attach his lead to the harness rings between his shoulder blades – an alternative to attaching it to his collar, which would put stress on his neck. We’ve been through a few different harnesses; he hated the one
Category: Dog
Dog Songs
Yes, Cesar; I’ve been doing things by the book – your book, in fact. Each day, my rescue mutt Willie gets his Recommended Daily Allowance of exercise, discipline, and THEN affection, in the proper order. I’m doing it by the numbers – with some apparent success, as this dog is usually uber calm and submissive
Category: Dog
Bad Dog
We came home tonight after our Ulster County Beekeepers Association meeting to find the kitchen floor around Willie’s crate completely surrounded by fluffy green poly-fil. He had ripped open the base of his gray fleece-covered doggie bed, pulled out all the stuffing, then somehow managed to push all the stuffing out through the bars of
Category: Dog
Puppy Love
Everyone loves puppies. They’re fuzzy and adorable little babies, and their size and vulnerability and cuteness prompt powerful instincts to protect and care for them. And to get out of bed in the middle of the night because they’re whining. And to cover our floors with wee-wee pads and clean up their accidents. And to
Category: Dog
Turkeys In The Straw
A flock of wild turkeys regularly makes its way across the west side of our property, traveling south each morning through the trees toward Saddleback Ridge, then, casting long shadows in the glow of the late afternoon light, they travel back again, heading north into our neighbor Jody’s yard and beyond. When I step outside
Category: Dog