A Tense First Encounter

“…For all Floyd’s bravado, playing baseball and suavely sauntering through the playgroups, he wasn’t without his neuroses. One time, I opened our front door and the cat came exploding into the house, crouching in terror under a chair. Randy and I hurried to look out the window, expecting to see a coyote pack or rabid […]

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4 “Terrier-Tested” Calming Techniques

Anxiety seems to be creeping in everywhere. You can literally feel it in the air. But there’s a creature in our house who teaches my husband, mom, and me every day how to relax, stay chill, and hang loose. She’s our Yorkie Libby and here are four things she does to keep herself (and us) […]

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The Little Dog Who Just…Knew

  “…I had forgotten how loyal dogs were. According to Randy and the kids, when I go to the mailbox, Ren climbs onto the love seat in front of the living room window and anxiously scans my every move, whining with worry. When I come back with the mail three minutes later, he greets me […]

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A Hesitant Introduction

“…On the weekend, I brought Randy to meet Simon at the kennel. After observing all ten dogs in the lineup, my husband stood before Simon’s cage. Simon looked back, giving his best eager smile and wagging tail. “So, this is the one,” Randy whispered. His voice had a You’ve got to be kidding tone. He […]

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A Kitten Arrives…

…“What should we call her?” I asked Randy. My husband gazed at the ceiling, squinting his eyes. Then he looked down at the tiny gray-and-beige tabby now snoozing in my lap. I held my breath, not sure what he’d come up with, or if I’d like it. Finally, he said, “Callie.” I smiled and nodded. […]

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The Great Sleeping Dilemma

“…After debating the pros and cons, Randy and I decided there were some nice things about snoozing with our terrier Libby. First, she was portable. I knew people who slept with full grown German shepherds or dalmatians, which would have been too much animal flesh beside me in bed. But Libby was the size of […]

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The Cat Who Disappeared

“…Because Rocky liked being on his own so much, the cat came to know hidden parts of our house that we didn’t. Sometimes he’d be missing for the whole day inside, and we had no idea where he went. He’d just magically reappear. One day we heard Rocky’s cries from the den but couldn’t find […]

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Is Your Dog Secretly a Genius?

When Randy and I adopted our Yorkie eight years ago, we thought we were just getting a cute dog to offset our empty nest. What we didn’t know was we were taking on a pint-size Einstein-level savant. Wondering how smart your pooch is? I Googled the question and learned that intelligent canines have the following […]

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Rounding Up the Usual Suspects

It happened one morning. I came out to my back deck to water the plants and found an unexpected scene. Chair cushions and throw pillows lay everywhere. One of the pillows even had a long tear and white stuffing coming out. I stood a second, watching and listening, but only heard the birds twittering. Who […]

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“Bye Bye Birdie!”

As if finding a mouse in my car’s air filter last week wasn’t enough, this weekend we had yet another wild animal caper. And no, it didn’t involve Ann-Margret. But it did begin when our terrier Libby started sniffing at the fireplace. I walked over, peered inside, and found a dark gray and white swift […]

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