Tag Archives: puppy

Turdogken

Posted on December 22, 2014 | Leave a comment

For 20 years, photographer Peter Thorpe has put his dog in costume for his annual holiday card — first Paddy and then Raggle have been dressed up and propped to celebrate the season.

No Photoshop allowed.

turdogken

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Poor puppy.

Seeing this display, I’m even more resolute to never dress up my dog for Halloween or Christmas.

And definitely not Thanksgiving.

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Posted in Animals, Christmas, Dogs, Humor, Life, Photography

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Deaf dogs rock

Posted on February 20, 2014 | 2 comments

My dog Rory, who turned 15 in December, is almost completely deaf…has been for almost a year.

His hearing loss is obviously age-related.

Dogs can also lose their hearing due to ear infections or injury, but many dogs are born deaf.  The most common cause of congenital deafness is pigment related. If there is un-pigmented skin in the inner ear — often found in white-haired or white-skinned dog breeds — the nerve endings atrophy and die off in the first few weeks of the puppy’s life, resulting in deafness.

And people are often hesitant to adopt deaf dogs and puppies .

deaf dogs rockDeaf Dogs Rock is a non-profit organization formed two years ago to promote the care and well-being of deaf dogs.

I happened upon them through the great Google machine and wanted to spread the word.

I’ve learned how to accommodate Rory’s deafness through trial and error, through hand signals and changes in my own behavior to aide his understanding.  Deaf Dogs Rock offers so much more education and information on how you could provide a loving home to a dog with hearing loss.

It will be your gain!

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Posted in Animals, Dogs, Education, Family, Internet, Life, Love, Relationships

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Just dog it

Posted on May 3, 2013 | Leave a comment

Rory and I were passed by a jogging dog and his human this morning in Central Park and, as always, I tried to read the dog’s mind.

jogging dogDid he give Rory a look of superiority?  You know — the one a long-time yoga student gives a newbie when he enters class?

(Not that yoga’s competitive…yeah, right.)

Did he scorn my dog’s meandering pace?  His aimless sniffing and peeing?

Or was that really a look of longing?  Did Rory’s relaxing walk spark a memory from his puppy days, when mornings didn’t include a mandatory three-mile run?

Perhaps he was just in the zone.  Focused.  Wired in.  Didn’t see me or Rory at all……

Good boy..

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Posted in Commentary, Dogs, Exercise, Family, Humor, Life, Walking

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Throw ’em a bone

Posted on March 23, 2013 | Leave a comment

Ruh Roh…

The Wichita State Shockers certainly lived up to their name – huh, Gonzaga?

I know it stings every time I look at my wreck of a bracket.

Poor puppy.

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Posted in Basketball, Dogs, Humor, March Madness, Sports

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Chewed

Posted on October 2, 2011 | 2 comments

When you look at these faces, what do you see?

Some might think trash ready for the garbage bin.

If you have a dog,  you see much loved friends.  Heck, you probably have some pretty similar toys lying around the house.  That one stuffed animal (that’s really not ‘stuffed’ anymore) that your dog prefers over all the new ones you buy.

For my dog Rory, it’s Bear.  I gave Bear to Rory on the day I brought him home almost 13 years ago.  (He was a panda bear with a face and ears back then.) I’ve bought countless new toys over the years, but Rory has always loved Bear more…wanted to play with Bear first.  I just kept stitching him up and shoving in more cotton.

Now he’s more ‘panda ball’ than panda bear.

Arne Svenson and Ron Warren have put together a collection about toys just like Bear — with far superior photography —  in their book Chewed.  Some great writers have contributed stories, too.

It lets folks with a puppy know what to expect, and gives a nod to the senior dog and his ‘best friend.’

Picture perfect.

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Posted in Animals, Books, Children, Commentary, Dogs, Humor, Life, Shopping, Toys

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Puppy inventor

Posted on September 18, 2010 | 1 comment

Rory and I met the cutest little four-month old puggle puppy named Walter during our morning walk today in Central Park.

Rory took one sniff and walked away.  I was lured closer by Walter’s cuteness and was soon a victim of his sharp puppy teeth.

Once again, Rory was the smart one.

The incident took me back to Rory’s puppyhood and the now legendary day when I returned home from Walmart with a new toilet brush in my bag.  Rory was about two months old and still a tiny thing, but he grabbed the brush out of the bag and started running around the house with it.

That toilet brush never saw the inside of a bathroom.

Almost 12 years later, it remains his favorite toy.  I have added a couple of socks to the bristle end to protect his mouth, but it is still the first toy that he brings me when he wants to play.

I recommend it to friends with new puppies (Walter’s mom heard about it this morning).  The long handle keeps your hand far away from those sharp puppy teeth.  He can chew on the bristle end (covered by the socks), and you can tug on the handle end.  You wash and replace the socks as needed, too.

Can’t envision this game?  Take a look at this recent video….and wait for the end!  Rory’s celebration when he pulls the socks off the brush is classic.

Brilliant, yes?  But then, if you’ve met Rory, he’s that kinda dog.

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Posted in Animals, Business, Dogs, Family, Home, Humor, Life

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