A miscellany of thoughts about dogs, cats, writing, life in the Ozarks, & occasional book reviews
After this morning's backyard adventure, the four-legged family members opted to spend most of the day inside. Sasha seemed apprehensive when it came time for her mid-afternoon yard break, so I went out with her. This time, however, I was armed with a Plan of Action. The dogs visiting next door came straight to the …
Continue reading A Blue Ribbon Day!
In Dangerous Deeds (#2 in the series), Waterside Kennels owner and amateur sleuth Maggie Porter finds herself caught in the crossfire when community members take sides over a proposed "dangerous dog" ordinance to ban specific breeds. For the record, Maggie agrees with the AKC that breed-specific legislation (BLS) is not the way to go. Her refusal to support the ban …
Continue reading At the Crossroads of Fact and Fiction
It's been a mild winter here in the Ozarks, with temps fluctuating between single-digit bone chilling cold to spring-like days when we traded parkas for tee shirts. Green sprouts appeared in the garden a month ahead of schedule and daffodils splashed color across the late winter landscape. We settled in the Ozarks 22 years ago after decades of living …
Continue reading Winter Fun and Safety
I’m editing scenes from Dangerous Deeds in which my protagonist Maggie Porter is leading a Good Dog! class to help owners and their dog prepare for their Canine Good Citizen test. I first wrote those scenes before Sasha came into my life, so I had to rely on information from the AKC, training blogs, and YouTube videos. And …
Continue reading It’s a Dog-Meet-Dog World
Just when I think we're making progress in our preparations for the AKC's Canine Good Citizen (CGC) certification, something happens that has me reevaluating my process. From our first days together I knew I couldn't apply the same training methods I'd used years ago with my spaniel Alix. For one thing, Alix was just six weeks …