Karen Shanley - My Life as a Writer, Mom, Dog LoveKaren Shanley - My Life as a Writer, Mom, Dog LoveAuthor, Karen Shanley, shares her quirky and insightful views on life as a writer, mom, and owner of three dogs - one Australian Shepherd, one Border Collie Mix, and one dog in a Maine Coon cat's body. Articles
Chocolate Danger Chart for Dogs
2007-12-11 14:04:00 Hopefully, everyone knows that small amounts of certain kinds of chocolate (especially the dark chocolates) can kill your dog. My Bit of Earth had a heart-stopping day when one of her dogs got into a box of chocolates. She found this National Geographic Chocolate Chart which lists different kinds of chocolates and lets you determine by ... More About: Dogs , Danger
Update On Google/Blooger Commenting Snafu
2007-12-09 06:18:00 Lynn Sinclair from Animal Ovation just sent me this link where you can directly leave a comment at Blogger to let them know what you think about the recent deletion of the username and URL field in the comment window. At first glance, it looks like the option they’re proposing will solve the problem. But it’s ... More About: Google , Update , On Writing , Commenting
When is Ice Thick Enough to Skate On?
2007-12-07 06:27:00 I’ve lived on or near water my whole life — ponds, rivers, swamps, lakes, streams, you name it. And I’ve spent a good deal of my life swimming, sailing, and skating on it. So I’ve learned a lot about how wind, water, and ice work. When it comes to ice safety, there are several factors that ... More About: Nature , Skate
The Other 99.9%
2007-12-06 06:35:00 Cait is studying US History and Current Events in one of her classes. She came home bemoaning how the world just seems to be getting crazier and crazier. I couldn’t disagree. She asked, “Mom, do you think there are more bad people today than when you were growing up?” I grew up during the Cold War, when ... More About: Life
A Petition against Google?s Blogger, and OpenID
2007-12-04 05:42:00 I’m betting that those of you on Typepad, Wordpress, and some of the other blogging platforms, have noticed recently that you can’t leave comments directly with your own username and url on Blogger sites anymore. You now must have a Blogger account, a Google account, or an OpenID (all Google owned). For those of you on ... More About: Petition , On Writing
An Evening Walk
2007-12-01 23:52:00 Sometimes the day races by before I get a chance to get outside. Kiera doesn’t care what time of day it is, she just wants to make sure that, at some point, we get in our three mile walk. You see, Kiera has taken it upon herself to act as my personal fitness trainer. She ... More About: Nature , Walk , Evening
Bird Songs - A Review
2007-11-29 05:42:00 I’ve always loved watching birds. Once you know how to decipher their signs, they have a lot to tell you about what’s going on around you. For instance, if you’re sitting in the woods, and all of a sudden you see a flush of ground birds (robins, pheasant, turkey, etc.) fly up, you’ll know that ... More About: Nature , Songs , Review , Bird
No Hurries, No Worries.
2007-11-26 05:22:00 It’s been a loooooong time coming. Three years, to be exact. Graidy loves to run — lives to run. And, for years, was happy doing laps around our fenced three acres. But, recently, he’s been interested in expanding his horizons, and has acquired a new favorite running buddy — Andrew. (I’m too slow for him. But ...
Dangerous People Food for Dogs
2007-11-20 11:00:00 Here we are, at the beginning of the holiday season, with lots of cooking and entertaining going on. Here is a list of foods that can be potentially poisonous for your dogs. Perhaps you’re already aware of most or all of them. I found a few that surprised me. Here’s to safe and happy holiday season ... More About: Dogs , Food , People , Dangerous
Wanderings ? Pandora Radio
2007-11-18 05:04:00 If you haven’t discovered Pandora Radio yet, you’re in for a treat. It’s an internet radio station that lets you pick the songs you want to listen to. From your selections, through their Music Genome Project, the radio will add additional songs similar in quality to the ones you’ve picked. It’s a great way to ... More About: Erin
Control vs Self-Control
2007-11-15 05:21:00 There is a trainer who shall remain nameless who believes in controlling a dog by what she calls the “Down Restraint Technique.” Translation: Alpha rolling a dog and keeping it pinned to the ground with an elbow in the dog’s throat, leaning on it’s side and having several people hold down the feet spread ... More About: Control , Self-Control
Because Sometimes Ya Just Need?
2007-11-12 13:15:00 …some fresh air. I can only take so much of being cooped up inside. Didn’t matter that it was only 41 degrees out. I needed some sunlight and fresh air. Not only was I toasty warm with my dogs playing around me, but I finished my proposal too. YAHOO!!! There’s gonna be some celebrating tonight! More About: Life , On Writing , Some
The Last Hurrah
2007-11-09 05:19:00 The wood’s stacked, the leaves raked, the lawn mowed one last time, and the tools put away. We’re ready for winter. But my Maple trees? They’re still busy putting on their last hurrah. More About: Nature , The Last
Of Brick Walls and Petty Tyrants
2007-11-07 15:47:00 Cait came home complaining yet again about one of her teachers. Being familiar with this teacher, I knew that her complaint was more than legitimate. The rant started as soon as she walked in the door from the school bus. She launched in, “Mom, she’s incoherent when she’s giving directions. Nobody understands her!” I didn’t even have ... More About: Petty , Brick , Walls
Donaldson and Dunbar Take On Dominance (and Dog Whisperers)
2007-11-05 09:41:00 If you’re sick of hearing ccchhhhhtttttt, you’ll be happy to know that Dogwise is offering this DVD by Ian Dunbar and Jean Donaldson. If you haven’t seen it, it’s well worth viewing. Here’s the blurb and link from Dogwise: Many trainers today find themselves facing questions and comments from clients like “Why don’t you do ... More About: Mina , Whisperer , Domin , Whisper
The Call
2007-11-02 05:10:00 I remember how, as soon as the phone rang, as soon as I heard my brother’s voice, I knew my father had had a heart attack. Don’t ask me how I knew (because the call was in the middle of the day), but I knew. I woke my then 2 year old daughter from her ... More About: Call , The Call
From Our Boo Crew to You
2007-10-31 05:28:00 Goblins, witches, ghosts take flight In the shadows of the night. Children flock from house to house Greeted by a pumpkin mouse. HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE! More About: Life , Crew
The Morning Bus Stop: Part 2 - Or How to Get Your Dogs to Stop Barking
2007-10-29 22:41:00 To continue on the Bus Stop theme, I thought I’d share how I got my dogs to stop barking like maniacs every time the bus rounded the corner. But first a little background on how I came upon the solution: There is a woman I know who I aspire to be when I grow up. She ... More About: Dogs , Morning , Part
The Morning Bus Stop
2007-10-25 13:24:00 For those of you who don’t have kids in middle school or high school yet, and are wondering why we need Daylight Savings Time — this is the reason. Oh, and this picture was taken with a flash. Without, you’d see nothing but pitch black. Which is why I wait with Cait with a flashlight until ... More About: Morning , Stop
Respecting the Emotional Lives of Animals
2007-10-24 10:04:00 Whales-online.org offers this podcast with Marc Bekoff, Professor Emeritus of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Colorado and Fellow of the Animal Behavior Society. The interviewer and Marc discuss his new book Animals Matter: A Biologist Explains Why We Should Treat Animals with Compassion and Respect. Marc’s book considers ... More About: Nature , Lives , Emotional
Take It From the Top
2007-10-23 15:52:00 This is the view from the top of Owls Head, one of Lake Placid’s shorter hikes — just over 2 miles up and back. Cait and I were heading back after a long weekend at my mother’s (Andrew stayed home to get in the last of some golfing, while watching the dogs). Just as we ... More About: Nature
A Chill in the Air
2007-10-19 06:45:00 A cup of tea shared in front of the fire, with animals near (Finnegan is keeping my spot warm on the chair next to Graidy). With the late October chill in the air, the woodstove’s rosy glow draws us all closer, helping to get us ready for winter’s simpler pleasures. More About: Chill
I love Wordpress but?
2007-10-15 16:12:00 I hate how hard it is to upgrade! Grrr…. After two miserably failed attempts which have messed up my RSS feeds among causing other problems (if you read through an RSS feed, you may need to resubscribe to automatically get the current posts), I’m giving up! For now anyway. Yes, for a few hours, I’d lost ... More About: Wordpress , Love , On Writing
What Makes a Mutt? DNA Tests Can Tell.
2007-10-08 23:58:00 DNA testing has come a long way from the days when tests were exorbitantly expensive and results could take months to get. Today, you can order an inexpensive ($65) DNA test that can tell you what your mixed breed dog’s heritage is. In an AP article, Nate Jenkins tells of how one woman did just ... More About: Tests
If You Need a Smile ?
2007-10-05 17:18:00 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgWD6F-paE 4 More About: Smile
Last of the Harvest ? and Kiera
2007-09-17 20:57:00 Thanks everyone for the well wishes; the writing is going well. I took a break from it this morning to finish putting my garden to bed, which gave me a chance to reflect on the past growing season. Each year, I try a few new seeds. This year I planted Hokaido Stella Blue squash and Dave ... More About: Harvest
Intermission
2007-08-16 06:10:00 I have a writing project that requires my undivided attention. Hence, for now, posts will be on hold as I shift my writing energy over to getting a book finished. (Deadlines and all, ya know…) When I’m done, I’ll be back to pick up where we’re leaving off. So, just think of this as an ... More About: On Writing , Term , Missi
Got It
2007-08-15 06:10:00 For the last few years, whenever Cait’s been in the car with me, I’ve looked for opportunities to teach her about safe driving. I figure if I can slide little tips and warnings in over time, they’ll stick better and become automatic for her when she’s driving. It’s my chance to start her driver’s education ...
Happy Fourth, Graidy
2007-08-14 06:36:00 Actually, I don’t really know how old Graidy is. When we got him out of rescue, the vet guesstimated him at a year old, and since we’ve had him for three years as of today, that makes him fourish. When I think about all the reasons why I love this dog, I guess this post from ... More About: Happy , Raid
How To Find the Right Dog Breed For Your Family
More articles from this author:2007-08-13 06:46:00 You’re thinking about adding a loving addition to your family. No, not another kid; you either have enough of those or you’re not quite ready to start down that path. So what’s the perfect choice? Yep, dogs. There are more than 400 breeds of dogs recognized by the American Kennel Club (AKC), United Kennel Club (UKC) ... More About: Family , Find , Breed 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
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