Late last night, just before I nodded off, one last email came through from Nicky. After a year of naughty Badger tales (daffodil excavation, impish glory), Nicky reported that Badger finally became a cow dog. After months of chasing moths, butterflies, flies, bits of paper, Rooster’s back legs, and the occasional person he didn’t like all…
Category: dogs
Down and Dirty in the Pryors, or Springtime Badger and the Glories of Mud
Ah, Badger–tis spring, glorious spring, even if it is still snowing in Montana. I can almost sense your frothy delight as you anticipate digging up more of Nicky’s freshly planted bulbs. But today was special. You were special. You got to spend your hard-earned weekend in the back of the truck with Rooster and Spud,…
Tips on Badger Love, or Why Badger Thinks He Is a Great Kisser
Oh Badger, just when you couldn’t get any cuter you have to go and mug Grace down for a kiss! Valentine’s Day was last week, you wee spot-nosed Lothario! I must confess that I and I alone am unloved by the Badger. I braved dodgy roads, bad drifts, and Google maps to try and include…
Leftovers Are Overrated, or Every Good Dog Has Its Holiday
What happens when your dogs eat all of the leftover Christmas turkey…
A Dog’s Will, or What I Wish for Christmas
A few year ago, just before Christmas, a longtime vet-clinic client sent me this card. I cried when I read this. Truth be told, I cry every time I read it. Heck, I’m crying now. But after some more sniffling and some time to think on it, I realized that there was cause for happiness…
Trick or Treat, or That Christmas Cookie Is Not for You!
Cookies and biscuits are a big deal in our house. Always have been, always will be. The problem is that sometimes the dogs and the humans get the treats mixed up, and no one can tell which belongs to which. Until the human takes a bite, of course. My friend Carol makes Russian tea cakes…
All Good Dogs Go to Heaven, Except Muddy, Who Is Likely Still in Purgatory (If She’s Lucky)
While driving home this morning from seeing a friend, I noticed several nativity scenes on front lawns as preparation for the upcoming Christmas holiday. There were rustic versions, plastic versions, versions with lights, and even an inflatable nativity. (I must apologize to the planet Earth for the U.S. starting that whole horrible inflatable craze. That…
Where Do I Sit, or Just How Many Dogs Can Fit into the Kubota
I returned from my usual Turkey Creek hike last evening with Eleanor and Beatrice to find this photo from Megan. While Doc Randall and mum, better known as my parents, are traversing Tanzania and sending me elephant photos at every opportunity, their third-child-in-everything-but-genetics child Megan stays at the house. She feeds the dogs, feeds the horses, makes…
Snowbound Badger, or Why It Pays to Have a Cute Nose
It has been far too long since we’ve checked in with the cheeky Badger, so here he is in all his snowy glory! Nicky was a bit worried that he wasn’t showing off his impish side, but I think he’s just biding his time here with the snow, dreaming of the springtime daffodils that he’ll…
Indoor Days with Outdoor Dogs, or What I Miss Up North
Ode to winter hiking, mountain sunsets, and dogs underfoot…
Divine Canines in Action, or How Dohggy Lifts a Paw–and a Heart!
A note from Erin… As I mostly reside in Austin, sometimes the vet clinic blogs had a bit of Texas flair, and this was one of those days. This post was written by good friend Bobbi for Divine Canines, a group here in Austin that provides free, animal-assisted therapy services to various groups in Central…
The Wearing of the Orange, or Hunter Safety for Dogs
Thanks to my mother-in-law, this photo popped up yesterday in my Facebook feed. Once I finished laughing, I got to thinking that these dogs actually had the right idea. See, mum and I have been known to be avid autumn, winter, and spring hikers (no snakes, and beggar’s lice and cheat grass haven’t cropped up…
Strayhounds 