Category: Dogs

Last weekend, my son and I visited one of my best friends who lives in Orlando. When we walked through the door around 6 p.m. on Sunday, my fur babies–Rusty and Sasha–ran to the door jumping and kissing us as if we were a pair of beef lollipops. Immediately after, Rusty led the way to his feeding bowl trying to show me that something was missing.

Earlier, my dog sitter texted me to let me know that Rusty didn’t eat his breakfast, so he picked it up and put it on the kitchen counter, that way Sasha—the food vacuum—wouldn’t eat it. I knew exactly why Rusty did that: every time that I leave for more than one day, he starts a hunger strike to show his discontent. Continue reading “Hunger Strike”

Note: I posted this column on November 11. However, the theme is so relevant for Christmas–and I haven’t finished wrapping the presents –that I decided to post it again.

On November 4, I read on Twitter the story about a little puppy rescued after being thrown out of a moving car. I wish I could meet the person who did this and throw him inside an active volcano.

Although this story is unusual, rescue shelters all over the country are filled with dogs who have been abandoned by their owners when they move. I can’t help but wonder, what makes people do such terrible things? Are they even human? Continue reading “Dogs aren’t Toys”

Note: I posted this column on November 11. However, the theme is so relevant for Christmas–and I haven’t finished wrapping the presents –that I decided to post it again.

On November This past Wednesday, I read on Twitter the story about a little puppy rescued after being thrown out of a moving car. I wish I could meet the person who did this and throw him inside an active volcano.

Although this story is unusual, rescue shelters all over the country are filled with dogs who have been abandoned by their owners when they move. I can’t help but wonder, what makes people do such terrible things? Are they even human? Continue reading “Dogs aren’t Toys”

For years, going to the vet was “herding” two stressed-out, yapping dogs, and a toddler from my car to the dog clinic.

Once inside, I had to be careful not to lose a finger in the grip of leashes while Rusty and Sasha jumped from side to side hyperventilating. If that wasn’t enough, I had to stop my son, several times, from putting his little hand inside the doggie treats jar instead of the butter mints. Continue reading “Mix-Breed”

This past Labor Day weekend was the rainiest holiday of the year. My poor pups, Rusty and Sasha, stared at me for four days hoping to resume their afternoon walks.

Every time they saw me putting on my running shoes, they started wagging their tails, hopeful, only to realize that the walk was just for me on the treadmill. I could just hear their muffled complaints: “Why does she like walking on that thing? There is  no pee to sniff!”  Continue reading “Don’t Change, Exchange!”

Last week was the hottest week of my life. Not because I ran to an exotic island with my husband, but because literally it was the hottest week in Jacksonville in many years. I have lived in this city since 2007 and never before had I seen my car’s temperature reader reach 100 degrees Fahrenheit –plus 10 degrees of heat index —  in the middle of June. The heat, and worse, the humidity, were so bad that even the swimming pool at out community turned into hot soup. Instead of cooling it was boiling. How I wished I was a cold-blooded reptile!  Continue reading “The “Puppy” Side”

Rusty and Sasha, my two rescue dogs, enjoy marking their territory as many times as possible when they go out to potty. Rusty, lifts his leg countless times during the evening walk, and pretends to wet light poles and trees even if not a drop comes out.

Although Sasha is female, she also squats like she has incontinence, and leaves her scent every where. I never noticed this trait of her personality until recently, but I assumed that maybe it was part of her aging process. Heck, I go to the bathroom at least 30 times a day!  Continue reading “Sasha Raptor”

Every Summer, just when the temperature begins to rise, I take Rusty–my Shiba Inu/Terrier mix–to get shaved at Petco, and he always comes back home with an attitude. Not until last Wednesday did I understand why.

My son had Taekwondo class at 4:15 p.m. at the Titus Institute, and my husband was able to take him. I left my boys at the class and ran to the Great Clips next door for a quick trim. Even though this franchise has a reputation of “assembly line” hair cuts, I trusted this place for almost a year without complaint. Unfortunately, that day, a comet was crossing the Earth’s orbit because a rain of meteors crashed on my head.  Continue reading “Bad Haircut”

Last week my eight year old dog Sasha, a rescued Beagle/Labrador mix, had a UTI (Urinary Tract Infection). Yes, turns out female dogs get UTIs as much as human females do. The difference is that when our symptoms appear we can almost diagnose our condition and take medication over the counter to relieve some of the pain. Dogs in the contrary, have to rely on their masters and hope for the best that they can interpret their signs and take them to the vet for proper treatment.  Continue reading ““This bitch…!””