The Gold(ie) Standard

  The Gold(ie) Standard My husband and I have been lucky with the stray and rescue dogs who have joined our pack in the past 20+ years. They all came with their own personal mystery baggage, which manifested as behavior problems, but none were so awful that we had to un-adopt or relinquish them. In…Read more The Gold(ie) Standard

My Failed Attempt at Dodging Grief

  I thought I was doing a good job of processing my grief after losing my friend and service dog. Henry, who passed away on Easter Sunday. I was wrong. By adopting Teddy, the Chihuahua/Sharpei/Cocker/Cattle Dog/Shep mix less than 3 weeks after Henry died, I only postponed the necessary grieving. Teddy came bounding into our…Read more My Failed Attempt at Dodging Grief

The Results are In!

  Oh boy, oh boy, was I excited when I got Teddy’s DNA results from Wisdom Panel! Exciting news, the results are in! Here’s what makes Teddy so unique. Using the data generated from Teddy’s DNA, our sophisticated computer algorithm performed over 17 million calculations! What you see here is Teddy's ancestry by percentage. 25%…Read more The Results are In!

Our New Family Member: Teddy the “Sharpusky”

When we lost Henry, I knew I couldn't replace him, but I really missed having a little buddy by my side. If I did get another pup he would be small like Henry, because that's what I was accustomed to, and it was more practical. But the universe had something else in store for me.…Read more Our New Family Member: Teddy the “Sharpusky”

For Your Special Mom…

      Mama Sloth moves on Pacific Sloth time, but she's determined to get to her destination by May 13 to wish a "Happy Mother's Day" to all the special moms out there. For more info... http://www.etsy.com/listing/576824355/mothers-day-mom-and-baby-sloth        

A Sweet Tribute to Henry

This lovely announcement appeared in The Gnus, a newsletter from the Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens, where Henry and I used to work. It was written by Kirin Daugherty, Manager of Volunteer Programs. Since Henry's passing I've received many emails, cards and flowers from his friends. He was one popular dude! Thank you very…Read more A Sweet Tribute to Henry

Good-bye to good friends

Since I got home from the hospital a few weeks ago, all my time and energy has been focused on Henry and his needs. His spine and mobility problems, which came on quite suddenly right before I went into the hospital, increased his need to pee and destroyed his ability to control some bodily functions,…Read more Good-bye to good friends

A Smiling Sloth Says it All!

 MOTHER'S DAY - because I have the best mom in the world. GRADUATION DAY - They finally did it!   Yes, I've gone Sloth-silly, but it happened by accident when a friend encouraged me to put some of  my seasonal ornaments on Etsy.  Last year I randomly chose the sloth as my subject without realizing…Read more A Smiling Sloth Says it All!

Henry

  My heart is breaking. On Saturday morning when Henry woke up and tried to walk to Don and me, to give us his usual morning smooches, his movement was uneven and jerky. He favored his front right leg as he hobbled to me. After licking my hands and letting me scratch his head, he…Read more Henry