Resolution Report Card

Here we are on the cusp of 2112 and I still haven't finished cleaning out that hall closet. Then I remembered my list of resolutions for 2011 and I wondered how I did. Here's the score.

Clean the garage--yes
Re-roof the decorative well in the back yard--yes
Find Sasquatch--no
Lose a couple of pounds--yes
Inherit a diamond mine--no
Plant tomatoes--yes
Pick tomatoes--yes
Eat tomatoes--yes
Save some tomatoes for later--no
Improve my handwriting--no
IMporve my typingg--no
Learn six new jigs--yes
Learn to make a nutritious pie from grass clippings and corn starch--no
Visit the Rock Hall--yes
Get inducted into the Rock Hall--no
Finish a book--yes
Not reading, writing--okay no
Sing out of tune--yes
Have you stand up and walk out on me--yes
Find a good challah recipe--no
Eat a lot of so-so challah--yes
Keep my shoulder to the wheel and my nose to the grindstone--yes
Submit medical claims for injuries to shoulder and nose--yes
Shower the people I love with love--not nearly enough. I am, after all, a work in progress.

Have a good New Year everyone. See you on the other side.

Today we learn a new phrase

'Anticipatory grief.' In this excellent guest blog post (not my guest, not my blog, I did a lot of borrowing here), the multi-talented Dale Wisely talks about pets and worry and, well, I'll let you read the rest.

The Blogapalooza Report Card

As much as I had wanted to finish Blogapalooza with a flourish on the final day, it just didn't work out. What happened is I sort of put it off to the end, and then I sort of fell asleep. So let's give ourselves marks for the month.

Intentions: A+ (always the best of intentions)
Sticktuitivness: B-
Educational value: D
Entertainment value: A++ (I'm easily entertained)
Social value: D-
Value as a percentage of the GNP: .00000000000000000000000001
Political acuity: not observed
Carbon footprint: C (I could have turned off my computer between postings)
Spelling: A
Typos: B+
Grammar: A- (I'm sure there are things Mrs. Kirby, my 7th grade English teacher, would have corrected)
Punctuation: B (Downgrading for my inexplicable fondness for nested (like this) parentheses))
Design: C (Hey, it's a template!)
Voice: B (It sounds a lot like me (wait, maybe that's a bad thing))
Use of hyperlinks: C-
Avoidance of cliches: A- (without re-reading I bet one slipped through)
Incorporation of references to animal and/or the Aurora Kennel: B+
Incorporation of important cultural icons: D+ (I did mention National Vicheyssoise Day after all)
Meeting the requirement for embedding at least one video: A
Meeting the requirement for mentioning recently passed boxing legends: A
Meeting the requirement for mentioning the Kardashians: F
Never missing more than two days: F
Never missing more than 6 days: A
Reading other people's blogs: C
Commenting on other people's blogs: D
Liking other peoples' blogs even though I didn't read them as much as I'd hoped: A
Minimizing embarrassing posts about my family: A

Final Grade: (using the dart board protocol) B+

Thanks for reading. We promise to post more.

So you think you're already tired of Christmas music?

This is the time of year when people look forward to holiday concerts. At venues all over the area, local musical groups put on free and not so free performances of all your holiday favorites. You can hear concert bands at nursing homes, bell choirs in the gazebo on the town square, choruses in the mall, and small combos in whatever cafe nooks they can find. There is nothing like live music, which sets the tone for the season, and creates the backdrop for the memories we carry with us always.

But as you're just now starting to find your way to the live musical performances, we musicians have been rehearsing for weeks. One of the groups I play in began the holiday repertoire in early October, so we could be ready by this week, when we play the first of five concerts. Another of the groups I'm in (neither group is blog friendly, in that they do not have a web presence I can link to) started in late October. My friend's bell choir started weeks ago.

I've rehearsed Frosty the Snowman 6 times so far, The Christmas Song 5 times, Festive Sounds of Hanukkah (my personal favorite to play) 7 times and the Nightmare Before Christmas about 15 (it was new and we really needed the work on it). There was also a piece called the Eighth Candle (or something like that), with a tricky 5/8 time that we never polished up enough to present in public. Maybe next year.

You would think we're sick of it, but I can tell you we are not. I guess I cannot speak for all my band mates, but I've been playing Christmas and Hanukka music for almost 20 years now and I'm never tired of it. But I can say I don't listen to much of it on the radio until the last few days before Christmas. And since I rarely shop, I'm not subjected to the overhead music inspiring me to buy, buy, buy.

Here's what you can do to help your local musicians, Show up. Listen, Applaud. That's all we ask. It makes weeks of rehearsal completely worth it.

When Black Friday Comes I'm Going to Stake My Claim

Black Friday starts at midnight and this song won't get out of my head. All you shoppers who are heading out for the deal of the century, enjoy one of my favorite bands

My Cat is Trying to Kill Me

I have sleep apnea, and I use one of those CPAP machines at night. For those who do not know, the CPAP forces pressurized air into my nose via a mask I wear that makes me look like I have a monkey on my face (I stole that analogy--thanks LIE).

I have woken up with my machine turned off and I recently discovered why. My cat sits on it and pushes the off button. I think it's on purpose. He doesn't understand that the mask is designed to let me breath when the machine goes off, or else there'd be a rash of suffocation deaths every time someone crashed into a power pole. Every time he turns it off I eventually wake up and turn it back on, saying, 'Nice try, Custard.' He's undeterred. He must really have it out for me. And I'm not even the one who gives him sub Q fluids every other night.

The Great Bridge Repair of 2011

On September 19, they closed a bridge a mile west of our place. Totally closed it, complete with a 5 mile detour. Kind of a pain, if our destination was points west, such as Twinsburg, Hudson, Akron, Macedonia or Missouri. In fact driving to Missouri was sufficiently more difficult that we avoided it altogether.

The bridge crews were kind enough to put large detour signs up for the motorists, to keep them from making wasted trips all the way to the bridge, which was a solid mile and a half from the nearest alternate route. Yet, people ignored those signs in droves. We had a game where we sat at the end of our driveway and watched the cars head west, brake, turn around, and come back. In any given five minute period three or four cars would do this. One of us even got out of her car and waved at them as they doubled back. And once, while I was getting the mail, I shouted at a passing car with an open window, 'IT'S REALLY CLOSED.' It didn't help,

The inconvenience of the detour was lessened a tiny bit by the fact that our road was so quiet.  It's a state route, with a 50 MPH speed limit. There is always traffic. But with the bridge out, you could literally stand in the middle of the road for minutes until someone who believes detour signs aren't for them drove by. I really liked it. But only until I had to drive the 2 miles to Twinsburg and leave 10 minutes earlier.

So today I drove down to the bridge to see how it was going, and there were guys painting stripes. I asked when it would be open and he said, "In about 20 minutes, as soon as the paint dries." Sweet!

So now the traffic has picked up and our pastime of making fun of people who were texting instead of watching detour signs is over. Just in time for Thanksgiving. We have a lot of people bringing a lot of dogs and this will make it easier.

And it will mean that 2 college kids will get home ten minutes earlier for Thanksgiving break. Good news all around.

Tomorrow is National Vicheyssoise Day

Today my wife tells me of a Facebook post by our nephew who is in college. He noted that today is Homemade Bread Day. Actually this is what he said: "Today is National Homemade Bread Day.....too bad I'm hungry now and can't wait 3 hours for a sandwich."

Pretty funny.

Then I wondered when was the last time he's ever made bread? My guess it's never, which means it would be a lot more than 3 hours before he had anything to spread his peanut butter on, especially considering that where he lives (his grandmother's house) has none of the following: bread flour, yeast, loaf pan, a suitable place to knead.

Coincidentally, four hours before I even knew it was Homemade Bread Day, I tossed some flour, yeast, eggs, butter, and water into the stand mixer and started a batch of challah. I've been on a challah kick lately, trying to find a good recipe. So right about the time I was being told about Homemade Bread Day, we were cracking open a beautiful yellow loaf, crusty on the outside and soft on the inside.

So, back to the title. Tomorrow really is National Vicheyssoise Day. (which I'll be skipping). And yesterday was National Baklava Day (sorry I missed that). And the day after tomorrow is Carbonated Beverage with Caffeine Day. I swear. Look it up. It turns out every day of the year has a food dedicated to it. Some have a week or a whole month. But who decided papaya gets a whole month (September) while chocolate milk shakes get only a day (September 12)? Oh, the healthy foods get preference you say? How about Brownies at Brunch getting a month (August) while zucchini gets August 8? How many days a week do people even eat brunch?

And what were people thinking who designated Aug 3 as Grab Some Nuts Day?

There are literally 200 good jokes waiting to happen on that list of national food days. And I will be waiting, typing fingers poised,  for National Roast Suckling Pig Day (Dec.18) if only for the awesome blog entry it may yield.  

My Public Service Good Deed for the Day

Because of my published writing, this blog, and my website, plus the kennel website and the various other ways I've weaseled myself into the internet, I signed up for a service called Google Alerts, which scours the internet for search terms I have provided and emails me with the results. For example, I have it set up to keep an eye open for any time 'John Sharp' comes up. So on a given morning I will have an email listing the happenings of all the John Sharps important enough to make the web.

There are three John Sharps that I hear about the most: former State of Texas comptroller and current Texas A&M University Chancellor, John Sharp; Kansas City Councilman John Sharp; and Peoria journalist John Sharp. After that, most of the John Sharps are obituaries, like John D. Sharp from Los Angeles, which always make me a little sad.

It will also return hits where 'John' and 'Sharp' and in the same paragraph. It's just Google being thorough, I guess. 

But sometimes it shows me me, like when I am published someplace. The best part is that one of the times I didn't even know I was published and I had to have words with the publisher. It's bad form to publish without notification.

And a couple of times it found where I was mentioned in a blog.

I know it's not perfect, though. Sometimes after I am published I wait and wait for my Google alert and it never comes. It makes me feel like the internet has forgotten about me. But I also know that all the John Sharps in the world who have set up their own Google Alerts will be flashed a notice when one day my obit wends it way across the interwebs. I hope it makes them feel a little bit sad.

So now that I've written John Sharp enough times to spark a dozen Google Alerts, I'll leave you to set up your own Google Alerts so you can keep track of yourself. So long as your name isn't Barack Smith or David Obama, you won't get too many hits.

HBD LMS

One of our valued employees has a birthday today.

Lauren, take a bow.

If she were here, I'd make her dump the poop buckets.

We have this family tradition where the birthday celebrant gets the Big Birthday Weekend Extravaganza.  The weekend closest to his or her birthday is centered around that person, where he/she gets to choose meals and stuff. Both my kids are away and we're having their extravaganzas without them.

Goodnight, Champ

I was in eighth grade when the first Frazier--Ali fight happened.  It was all we talked about. A lot of my friends loved the fast talking, boastful Ali, but I liked Frazier. He was a no nonsense bull of a man and I liked the way he just went about his job without all the showmanship.

RIP Smokin' Joe

Toy of the Day

Did you ever want a dog toy that talked to your dog, so you didn't have to?  Babble Ball comes with pre-programmed phrases and wisecracks and when your dog goes near it, it turns itself on and talks to him. It's activated by vibration or even the dog breathing on it. They have different sizes, and some for cats, ferrets and birds.

Here's a video of a dog being "entertained' by one that makes bird sounds. .



I have to wonder if by the time the people get home, will this dog be a complete basket case? Maybe there are some dogs that shouldn't have one.

Sunday Chuckle

This

 is a what? .

Don't ask me, I stole this picture from Facebook (thanks Michelle Rizzo) (wait, Michelle is an Aurora police officer so I didn't steal it I, um, found it lying in the street, next to my house, no wait, it followed me home, yeah, that's it, it followed me home), but feel free to make up your own joke.

Best line so far is from Mike Tinlin of the Tinlin Team: "I can't hear you when you're behind me."

An Interview with Victor

 Victor, is a 9 year old shepherd-retriever mix, currently staying at the Humane Society of Greater Akron, waiting for a new home.  November is Adopt a Senior Pet Month, and Victor hopes someone out there is looking for a dog just like him. I spent a few minutes with Victor this week.


Aurora Boardealis:  Let me first say how great you look for being nine. What's your secret?

Victor: I go easy on the vices, ya know? I don't smoke, and I only drink out of the toilet on weekends. I gotta stay on top of my game for the ladies.

AB: You're still chasing the ladies?

V: Are you kidding? Look around. There's some real knockouts here, let me tell you. See that collie over there? She checks me out every time I go for my walks.

AB She is kind of pretty.

V: Back off, pal. I saw her first.

AB: No problem. Let me ask you, how did you get the name, Victor?

V: My first home, they was Michigan fans, and they named me after their stupid fight song, 'Hail to the Victors.'

AB: Oh man, that's terrible.

V: Tell me about it. One time they was watching the game and when the band started playing I went over and peed on the TV.

AB: You're my new favorite dog.

V: Did I mention I like cats?

AB: No, but the people at the Humane Society did. Why is that?

V: I don't know, they're just so soft and cuddly. Plus, the chicks really dig a guy who likes cats.

AB: Listen, it's been good meeting you. I hope you find a forever home soon.

V: Thanks for coming by. Say, can you sneak me over with that collie?

AB: I don't think so.

V: Come on man, just this once.

AB: All right, I'm going to leave now.



Victor is available for interviews at the Humane Society of Greater Akron. Please go check out him, and all the other wonderful older dogs and cats who are looking for a home just like yours.

When trees attack

A couple of nights ago I heard a huge racket outside. I went outside and since it was dark I couldn't see much. Here's what it looked like in the morning




A huge maple tree, which had never been pruned properly, split off and fell, stripping branches off the pine tree and landing on the garage. Fortunately it looks like maybe only a shingle or two were lost, and maybe some minor repair to some wood, but the pine tree really took the brunt of it.

Here's looking up from the base toward the pine




The trunk is about 18 inches in diameter at the base.

Here's a closeup of the damage to the brave pine tree




And yes, this blue sky really is in Ohio in November. It's a perfect day.  Except for the whole tree falling on another tree and garage thing.

Blogapalooza 2011

Today I discovered, via the Facebook post of a denizen of Toronto and probable future family member (this is shaping up to be a grammatically torturous sentence but I'm going to keep going), that November is National Blog Posting Month, aka NaBloPoMo. It's a sister to NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), and NaPoWriMo (National Poetry Writing Month). During November, bloggers are encouraged to produce a post a day, every day.

This leaves several areas writing still without their own month.We are yet to see:
NaTechWriMo--(National Technical Writers Month). Daily task: translate from Taiwanese to English one manual on assembling a swingset.

NaRaSpoWriMo--(National Radio Spot Writing Month). Daily task: write one 30 second commercial for a local car dealer that does NOT include the words big, giant, deal, low, money down, lease, APR or the name of any make of car.

NaInfWriMo--(National Infomercial Writing Month). Daily task: Try to sell us something using words that sound great when shouted repeatedly.

NaTOSWriMO--(National Terms of Service Writing Month). Daily task:  Write 40 pages of legalese in 2 point font size, followed by a click box that says 'I Agree.'

NaChaSignLiYoSeAtMufShoWriMo--(National Changeable Sign Like You See at Muffler Shops Writing Month). Daily task: One message that is short enough to make us want to read it, but long enough to make reading it dangerous. 

NaMenBorSpecWriMo--(National Menu Board Specials Writing Month). Daily task: Try to make a new way to say 'Yesterday's stuff chopped up and put into a nice sauce.'


So I'm on board for this whole blog-a-day thing. I expect some posts to be brilliant, and some to be drivel (isn't that the usual ratio anyway?), but they'll be here, even on Thanksgiving (which my Canadian friend doesn't have to worry about).

See you tomorrow.

Saying goodbye to my alien baby

For years I have had this little bump in my belly that stayed smallish and never really bothered me, and I knew it wasn't anything serious but I didn't really know what it was. As it got bigger my son asked me what it was, and I told him it was my alien baby, and that one day he would have a little brother or sister with a long, skinny neck and and the ability to ride a bicycle up to the moon. He didn't laugh--he's never really appreciated my humor.

This year my bump had become bothersome and it really showed through my shirt, so I decided to have it looked at. The surgeon told me it was an umbilical hernia and that he would go in through my belly button with a scope and fix it by putting a patch on it. No big deal, according to him. But you'd be surprised that once you start telling people you're going to have this done, just how many people have had it done too. I think in my tiny circle of friends I counted five. And best part is how much they tell you it's going to hurt.

Now, I'm not scared of pain, but I have so many things I want to do this fall and I would be so disappointed if I couldn't to them. Plus, I also have to lift, push, pull, drag and be dragged by dogs all over the place as part of my job and much of the time I'm a staff of one. But it had to be done and yesterday was the day.

My surgeon gave me my choice of venues and I picked the new University Hospital Ahuja Medical center on Richmond Road in Beechwood, because the commercials on the radio make it sound so nice (and aren't radio ads the very best to select a hospital?). I gotta tell you, it really is! It's gorgeous, spacious, bright and open. They have very comfortable seating for all sized people. They have computers in the surgery waiting room for family to use, and you can use a cell phone any time you want. There is also a huge screen that has color coded updates on all surgery patients so people waiting can see at a glance if you're in pre-op, post op, etc. I think there was even a color for "He's just changed out of his clothes and into that little gown where the back flies open.."

By my count I had seven different nurses (not counting the ones who were there only when I was asleep) and they were all super nice. Anyway, it was all uneventful and I came home the same day. I'm on some pretty good drugs and I've slept a lot, but in between naps I'm watching 'Dexter' on DVD and re-reading Harry Potter.

As for the kennel. I have plenty of help for a couple more weeks, until Lauren goes back to school, and by then I'm supposed to be able to resume my normal activities according to my doctor. But the unknown is how much all the bending and lifting I have to do will hurt, and for how long. 

The other unknown is that what if it really was an alien baby, and this has been a giant conspiracy to get me to the hospital so they could deliver it? What if somewhere out there is a creature with smooth gray skin, giant black eyes, four arms and an IQ of 792? And how awesome a drummer would a guy with four arms be?

Hair, hair, everywhere, and all the boarders did shrink

This has been a hairy year. I don't mean 'skidding through a snowy mountain pass' hairy but actually hairy. Dog hairy. I have to guess it's a combination of weather and, well, weather, that is causing dogs to leave large amounts of themselves with us after they leave.

Pippen, for example, has been here several times this summer and we can barely get rid of one batch of hair when she comes again and we have to start all over. We vacuum, we hose, we sweep, we think we've gotten it all, then a puff of breeze makes a little hair tumbleweed roll across the floor, and in our best Seinfeld imitation we say, "Pippen."


It just seems late to me for all this shedding. Why can't they have a week in spring and a week in fall when they drop all their hair. We're going to just finish the spring/summer shed and they'll start getting their coats ready for winter. When my parents got an Akita, the breeder told them they only blow coat twice a year. My mom says, "Yeah, twice a year: January to June and June to January."


One of our dogs, Comet, was a hairy black mix, and every few months we'd start to think he was looking like he'd gained weight. "Time to cut his food a little," we'd say. Then we'd give him a bath and brush out and he looked normal (and we would sheepishly increase his food again).

So the morals of the story are, brushing your dog regularly is a great idea. And use a scale before calling your dog fat.

Names, Part 2: Every Name is a Song Cue

Many years ago I had a kennel assistant named Ellie. One day I (unintentionally) snuck up on her while she was bathing a dog named Mickey.  I caught her singing, "Hey Mickey you're so fine, you're so fine you blow my mind, Hey Mickey." Then she saw me and said, sheepishly. "You weren't supposed to hear that." Maybe not, but she's not the only person to be inspired by dogs' names. With jillions of songs having been recorded it's hard to NOT have one that is brought to mind whenever a Lola or a Mandy visit. Here now are my top song cue names (this will keep you busy for a little while):
 

Layla
Patches
Harmony
Rocket  (but ya gotta see this version too)
Angel
Blondie
O'Reilly 
Sloopy 
Brandy
Denver (apologies for the advertisement)
Duke
Jack
Jet
Koko  but not Coco or Cocoa
Lady
And the one that sticks in my head for days AFTER she leaves Buttercup

Friends Don't Let Best Friends Drive Without Heartworm Preventative

But don't take my word for it. Here's NFL running back LaDainian Tomlinson.

Pass this along to your friends.

Names, Part 1

Some of us were talking about pet names the other day and I realized it had been a long time since I mined the database to see what pet names are the most popular here at The Aurora Kennel. I know that when you compare it to the newest studies that show the most popular dog name to be Bella (from Twilight movies/.books (which I have neither seen nor read (regular readers will remember that I love nesting parentheses))) Bella doesn't even crack the top 5.

1. Max
2. Maggie
3. Buddy
4. Bailey
5. Molly

If I bunched together all the Belle / Bella / Bela names it would be number 6.

Other popular names, in no particular order, are
Shadow
Buster
Abby
Casey
Chloe
Coco/Cocoa
Daisy
Jake
Murphy

Sam/Sammie/Sammy/Samantha would combine to be number 3

We have
2 Joes and  1 Joe Pretty
2 Hollies, 4 Hollys, and 1 Hollywood
46 Mollys and 1 Molly Tamale
1 Ed, 1 Eddie but no Edd
4 Bens, 2 Benjamins and 2 Bennies
3 Bobs, no Roberts
1 Butterscotch, 1 Buttercup
25 Charlies and 1 Charlie Brown
1 Buiddy, which I feel is a typing error


Some of our favorite names:
Aysia Sue
Baby Cat Madison
Barkley Duane
Biyatchi
Captain Jack Sparrow
Chamonix
Schwabid
Flash (a basset)
Tegelbachen
Darth Doodle
Faux Pas
Hercules (we have to shave him to keep him from breaking out)
Houdini (we are extra vigilant of dogs named Houdini for obvious reasons)
K2 (second tallest dog in the world)
Kieffer (who never stays more than 24 hours)
Moops
Pakanakas
McGuyver (see Houdini)
Root Beer
Diet Root Beer (just kidding)
a herding dog named Roundup--but he could also be a weed killing dog.


We love this trio of names:
Squeegee
Squishy
Squirtz

Ohio State related:
Brutus
Woody
Buckeye
Sloopy

And our favorite name:
Two Scoops

My personal pets have been named--
Comet --after the 'Full House' dog
Titus--from Shakespeare not the punk band
Custard--his original name was Custer but we changed it when we adopted him
Mosey--you can read about him in an April post
Lucky--because he was mangled by a car and my wife saved his life and we adopted him
Leo--not sure how this one came about. Not at all zodiac related.
Buzzworm--this was a completely random brain fart. Best name ever.
Riley--not sure
Herbie--named by the kids
Cosmo--the result of an informal contest at the clinic
Katie-- (from Taming of the Shrew (did you know there are precious few good female dog names in Shakespeare?))


If you have a favorite name you've heard put it in the comments.

Next post: pet names and song cues.

On a Day When We Did a Thing We Did Not Want to Do

Some 14 years ago the first employees to arrive at the Aurora Veterinary Clinic were greeted in the parking lot by a cat, little more than a kitten. There was no sign of an owner, and when they opened the clinic door, the cat just moseyed in like he had no particular place to be and this place was as good as any. He needed a home and we had a cat shortage at our house so we took him.

After much discussion he ended up being named Mosey, aka Moseymoze, aka Mozambique, aka Beek, aka Schmosey, aka Fatty. His rap name was Mo Z.

His main goal in life was to get out of the house. He was the only cat we have ever made wear a collar, which had an ID tag. He was also microchipped. He would sit near the door waiting for someone to come in so he could slip out. And no matter where he was in the house he was ever vigilant for the slightest error on our part, and would exploit it unfailingly. We learned to be very good at thwarting him, even to the point of letting the door slam in the faces of people (teaching our children bad manners in the process) just so he would not get out, but that just made him more determined--and innovative.  He would go days without trying, lulling us into carelessness, then would watch out the window until we had our hands full of groceries or something, when he knew the door would be open a little wider and our attention would be on negotiating the doorway with eleven full bags, and out he'd slip. I cannot count the number of times a child cried, 'Mosey got out,' and we had to chase him across the yard and into the woods with a bag of treats, which he could not resist.

Once we had to lure him off the roof with a can of tuna. Another time he got out at 5 A.M. when I was on the way to have surgery. It was February and he climbed to the top of an evergreen.We left him and eventually he climbed down.

His other favorite thing was to lie in the sun.

He was handsome, with a brilliant white blaze under his neck, and he never started to look old until a few days ago, when he looked alarmingly so. We discovered a large mass in his belly. He had but days left.

Yesterday turned out to be the day.

"Mosey looks uncomfortable to me."

"Yeah."

Unfortunately we've had a lot of recent experience with the passing of pets. We're good at it, but that doesn't make it easier.

We pulled the cat carrier from the closet, put on our shoes, and got in the car. But before we left, Robin took Mosey outside and set him in the grass. The sun had come out as if just for this moment. In days past he would have bolted but this day he chewed on a piece of grass and purred. 


My wife didn't want to bother the other vets so she did it herself. We laid him on a comfortable bed on the exam table. I held him there while she gathered what she needed. She showed me how to hold him just so while she administered the drugs. He purred until his heart stopped.

For 14 years, when going into the house the ingrained thing to do has been to open the door, scan for Mosey, then shut the door quickly. In the 24 hours since he's been gone I have come to understand this habit will not fall away soon. I can think of no way to better remember him.

A New Dog for the Price of a Haircut

Our newest dog, Leo, is a golden doodle. This means he's part poodle and part golden retriever. He's pretty much always had fluffy hair

and in our minds we've tilted him toward the golden retriever end of the scale, because that's what he seems like. Until now.



His hair is extremely prone to matting and requires faithful brushing. We are not faithful brushers. Nor even occasional brushers. By the time we decided he needed to be brushed it was too late. He was full of mats and there was only one solution: shaving him.

Now, in the kennel I have to be the one to break the bad news to people that their dog is beyond the de-matting stage and needs to be shaved. Many have already resigned themselves to the possibility, but some are simply unprepared. They drop off a fluffy, hairy, mat-beast, and pickup a smooth-shaved, skinny alien dog. Some people actually scream.

So it was with this in mind when I took Leo to the groomer.

"You know what he's going to look like, right" she said.

"Yes."

"Are you sure?"

I thought I was but it turns out it's impossible to fully prepare for how different he's going to look. (My wife actually laughed for five minutes.) He actually looked better than I thought he would but that doesn't mean I was prepared. She was able to leave a little on top of the head, and half the tail had some poof. The rest was shaved all the way down. Pinkness shows through. He's got a skinny little head now. He's smooth and soft and he looks pretty darned good, but just not at all like Leo. He looks more like...a poodle.

Now I have this poodle-looking dog who acts like Leo. He lays in the same spots, and begs for ice cubes when I open the freezer, and turns in circles the exact same way when we go to let him out. But he just looks like an imposter, like someone trained a strange dog to pretend he's Leo. I keep waiting for the real Leo to show up.

The hair will grow back, and we vow to keep him brushed, but the reality is we'll just have to keep him short. Big ol' fluffy golden-y Leo is gone and we have to get used to poodle Leo.

Okay, this is one cute video

8 People Foods That Are Toxic to Pets

We have already discussed onions and grapes, but here is a more comprehensive list of things your pets should not sink their teeth into.

The 8 People Foods That Are Toxic to Pets