I am my fathers daughter

I never really thought about why I love animals and why I'm passionate about them. It just seems natural that you would care about an animal that is a sentient being, right? Well, I was speaking with my father the other day and it hit me where I think I get this from. My father is a renaissance guy -he's a wonderful chef, a talented musician (12 string guitar), an awesome designer and a guy who can pretty much do whatever he sets his mind to.

He owns a 13 acre farm out on Long Island where he grows wonderful Hydrangea, Peonies, and other life forms. That should be your first hint - he gives life. But here's the one that had my laughing so hard I was crying. Deer and woodchucks routinely visit to eat his crops. He's had modest success keeping the deer away but the wood chucks are a tenacious lot. So he buys a whole slew of Have-a-hart traps and sets them out. He goes out each morning, gathers up the full traps and...does nothing. He can't release them because he would be fined if caught. So he stares at their little brown eyes and they stare back. And he does what any evolved human would do. He releases them so he can start the process again. He doesn't have the heart to harm them even though they whittle into his livelihood.

Sayings like "The acorn doesn't fall far from the tree" exist for a reason.

I love my father and my four legged kids. Happy fathers day dad.

Dogs, stem cells and Hyper Baric chambers

Big Tuna sleeping on top of her brother Bishop

Today Big Tuna had a very eventful day. As I mentioned earlier, Tuna has a degenerative condition in both elbows, more pronounced in her left elbow. It has gotten to the point where she is lame most of the time, limping - in fact we noticed she was no longer going for longer walks with us because of the discomfort.




We met with Dr. Latimer of Jupiter Pet Emergency and Specialty Center. and discussed surgical options.You can watch the video below to get an idea of what we're in for!

How to trim a dogs nails

I recently had a reader say they could not trim their dogs nails because the dog wouldn't let him touch his feet. I've heard this often - I can't clean his ears because he doesn't like it or he runs when I grab the trimmers..." Well, not unusual but it is something that can be remedied. Some dogs could care less and some do. Generally the ones that could care less have had their feet and ears handled from day one.

That's the key - getting them used to being touched early on. They should not be uncomfortable or afraid. It should be pretty natural, just like petting them. And it's never too late to start either. But it will take longer for the dog to trust you the older they are because it is a new thing they have to get used to.Trust me - if I can do it, you can to. Dogs can be stubborn but with a little patience and lots of treats (you're going to feel like a human pez dispenser) you can get them used to a nail trim or an ear cleaning. Keep wagging everyone!

My husband and I are keenly tuned into customer service skills, specifically the lack of. So when we cross paths with someone who demonstrates customer services skills that are off the charts, we take notice and genuinely share the observation with the individuals.

Case in point, we had dinner at Carabas and we had a young man, Tyler, wait on us. Tyler nailed the customer service angle and it was obvious he was tuned into every customer within reach of us and genuinely seemed to be a nice person.

We prepared to leave and made an off hand comment about the "bullies enjoying the left overs" which led to Tyler talking about his rescue work and his rescued baby pit Vino. As all proud parents do, Tyler dutifully pulled out his phone to show us his beautiful kid (pictures to the right and below). When he mentioned "rescues" (as in dogs), I thought - duh! How obvious! You would expect someone who was involved with a caring act such as rescue work to have excellent customer service skills. My husband frequently comments that people who treat their animals as family members are more evolved that those who don't get it. There are of course many caring people who don't share their lives with animals but I think my husband may be on to something.

Should you be interested in gaining another loving family member, I encourage you to visit your local Humane Society or local rescue organization and meet all the furry kids looking to rescue a human.

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“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”

― Mahatma Gandhi