All Blog Posts Tagged 'pets' (48)

Off-leash blog: Wag that tail and speak to me

Dogs, they say, are always looking to their human companions for clues about what to do.

I recognize this when I’m on the “ballroom” floor with my dance-happy Zach: He’s waiting for a cue — a hand or eye signal — to tell him to spin, circle or take three steps back. When he messes up a move, it’s more my fault than his.

But what about the signals dogs give us? Whenever Zach’s down, he’s got his tail between his legs. I tell him to wag his tail and he complies. It’s sort of… Continue

Added by Ben Swan on September 7, 2008 at 12:22am — No Comments

Morgan's blog: Dog days of summer

Greetings, all you four leggers and two leggers as well. It is raining today. Reminds me of my old home in Anacortes, Washington. That's where I first met Alice. It rains quite often there, and it is really green.

I like the rain, getting wet, walking through puddles, and shaking my fur with raindrops flying. I like being wiped down with a towel, sort of full body massage time.

Does this mean the end of summer? No more hot weather? Lying around the house with the… Continue

Added by Ben Swan on September 1, 2008 at 1:30pm — No Comments

Dog Art Show photos

Here are some photos of Friday's Dog Art Show. Make sure to vote for your favorite at the gallery opening on Friday at Zoe & Guido's. She's almost made the $3,500 needed for her new service…

Added by Ben Swan on September 1, 2008 at 11:57am — No Comments

Off-leash blog: In search of love's magic wand

In the ’60s, a simple answer was offered to almost every question: more love.

But when it comes to troubled companion animals, is love enough?

This is a question I’ve been mulling around in the five weeks or so that we’ve been fostering a timid rescue dog. Bear has made significant strides in coming out of her shell-shocked self, but will she ever be a part of the family? Will she ever come when called, respond with trust instead of fear or snuggle when we need an… Continue

Added by Ben Swan on August 31, 2008 at 12:05am — 2 Comments

Off-leash blog: What to avoid in Denver if you're a dog

A dog in Denver awaits his doom. His crime? Wrong breed.

Forrest, according to news accounts, is an affable dog who roamed across Denver city lines for the second time in three months. He’s been at the Denver Municipal Animal Shelter since July, quietly awaiting his fate.

Animal-rights activists, on the other hand, have been anything but. City officials have been receiving e-mails and letters in support of Forrest from throughout the world. Several e-mail petitions are… Continue

Added by Ben Swan on August 24, 2008 at 12:31am — 2 Comments

Morgan's blog: Canine Olympics

Welcome to Morgan’s blog. Alice types and I dictate. Lately my humans have been talking and watching the Olympics.

Well, I just want to say, what about dog Olympics?

Can you swim like a dog, Michael Phelps? Retrieve? Sniff out all kinds of information from pee-mail? Do agility trials? Dance? Help your human partner when she’s in trouble?

I protest the anti-dog Olympics. Fastest dog in the world … Highest jumper … All around… Continue

Added by Ben Swan on August 20, 2008 at 1:00pm — No Comments

Off-leash blog: Canine capers the stuff of dreams

I guess you could say the change started when I reached for my cup of coffee one morning and found Bear’s face. This black dog was likely taking her first sip ever of Kona blend.

But maybe the biggest hint that our foster dog was finally coming out of her shell happened a few nights earlier when we heard a crunching sound from the corner of our bedroom. At first we thought Bear had discovered the rawhide toy we had left for her: the… Continue

Added by Ben Swan on August 17, 2008 at 12:34am — No Comments

Off-leash blog: Vicious attack spurs dog trainer to action

Astro is an affable Shar-Pei with an impressive résumé. He’s been in movies, worked as a therapy dog, has training as a service dog, volunteered in schools and nursing homes, and is bilingual.

Most importantly, he’s been Heidi Kingsbury’s best buddy for more than seven years.

But Astro is no longer the dog he once was. He’s hesitant to go on walks, suffers from a staph infection and has a skin disease that will not… Continue

Added by Ben Swan on August 10, 2008 at 12:00am — 7 Comments

Off leash: Coaxing dogs from out of shadows

Somewhere inside Bear is a dog that isn’t afraid of the dark, unexpected noises or chain-link fences. Somewhere in that mass of canine cerebellum is a dog that knows what a biscuit is, that an outstretched hand is not an attack and a stuffed toy is not a weapon.

But for now Bear, once known as Velvet during her days at The Animal Support Center in Las Vegas, N.M., is trapped in the cycle of her neurosis, fearful of everything, mistrustful of everyone.

And for now, she’s in… Continue

Added by Ben Swan on August 3, 2008 at 12:27am — 7 Comments

Off-leash blog: Struggle to save animals overwhelms pet advocate

On Thursday, Alix Novack and her husband collected more than three dozen puppies from Artesia, Carlsbad and Clovis. Then the two drove them to safety at Puppy Lifeline in Brighton, Colo., a no-kill rescue group for young dogs.

“They were all so cute,” Novack says. “It was hard to part with them.”

Just another in a long series of dog-rescue trips for Novack, the Santa Fe beauty adviser who, when confronted with the reality of neglected, unwanted dogs at the Clovis Animal… Continue

Added by Ben Swan on July 27, 2008 at 12:00am — No Comments

Off-leash blog: Healing animals one touch at a time

It begins with a heart hug.

That’s what animal expert Linda Tellington-Jones calls it when you place your hands upon your chest — your heart chakra — and press gently. It’s a way of calming yourself, reducing stress and opening yourself up to a sense of awareness.

“I’m telling you this because I believe it’s a gift for you,” she told a group of about 20 during the opening of last weekend’s two-day workshop. “And not just because it’s relaxing for you and your dog. It’s a… Continue

Added by Ben Swan on July 19, 2008 at 11:00pm — No Comments

Off-leash blog: Running wild with horses

NORTH POLE, Alaska — I’ve missed seeing grizzlies by moments, dodged some moose and even spotted a “lion cut” on a chow at the Santa Claus House, but the beast that’s caught my attention in Alaska isn’t a wild one. Lately I’ve been smitten by horses.

Sure, there are plenty of dogs, cats and even domestic rabbits running loose to pull at my heartstrings in the Far North, but the horses have been beckoning.

And I hear their… Continue

Added by Ben Swan on June 29, 2008 at 12:00am — 5 Comments

Saturday’s community dog walk raises awareness, promotes healthy lifestyle

Ben Swan

The New Mexican

Dogs, kids, and fun and games. Throw in a walk for health, and you’ve got a winning combination.

At least that’s what organizers of Paws For A Cause hope. The community dog walk is set for 8:15 a.m. Saturday at Alto/Bicentennial Park in Santa Fe. The 5-kilometer dog walk follows the trail along the Santa Fe River to the Plaza and back, but it’s not necessary to do the entire walk.

A host of activities for dogs and humans will take place at the “Pet… Continue

Added by Henry M. Lopez on June 15, 2008 at 9:30am — No Comments

Off-leash blog: Canine party favors often full of tricks

When my beloved black Labrador, Krista, turned 2, I knew it was time to celebrate. Puppyhood — along with gnawed-up running shoes, unraveled sweaters and an occasional dark stain on the carpet — was well behind us. I was looking forward to longer runs on the beach, camping trips and perfecting her Frisbee catch. That was her passion, and I thought she could be a champion.

My housemate at the time embraced the idea of a canine birthday celebration — anything for a party — and we came up… Continue

Added by Ben Swan on June 7, 2008 at 11:34pm — 1 Comment

A shelter's transformation

Volunteers at Española Valley Humane Society pitch in to make a difference

It wasn’t a pretty sight. Dog runs overgrown with weeds, abandoned chain-link fencing, junk and even a discarded motorcycle greeted visitors at the Española Valley Humane Society.

Until the May 31 spring cleanup.

That’s when 37 volunteers showed up to transform the shelter into a welcoming facility, with a new picnic area, trim and clean dog runs and… Continue

Added by Ben Swan on June 7, 2008 at 11:30pm — No Comments

Morgan's blog: Party time

Greetings, all you two-legged and four-legged critters! Happy hot weather, uh, NOT! Try wearing a fur coat in 90 degree weather.

Do you guys have suggestions for ways to cool down?

I used to live three blocks from the beach. Alice or Wayne would take me swimming every day with my good buddy (uhm, best girlfriend, Abbey, a yellow lab). I really like to visit Abbey. She is getting a little old and cranky (bad hips), but the humans of… Continue

Added by Ben Swan on June 2, 2008 at 9:30pm — 1 Comment

Off-leash blog: Snatching dogs from death row

Alix Novack is a woman who doesn’t give up.

The Santa Fe beauty adviser thought she was simply rescuing animals in need this spring — something that’s second nature for her. But when she met the two border collies — emaciated, flea bitten and covered with feces — she knew it couldn’t stop there.

Now her work and steady pressure promises to change how some shelters do business in the state.

“If you had seen those dogs, you would have wept,” Novack says. “You would have gotten on… Continue

Added by Ben Swan on June 1, 2008 at 12:13am — No Comments

Friends in need

Feline & Friends foster parents have fun while filling a vital role

Nancy Palmer loves kittens.

The Eldorado resident gets her kitten fix in an upstairs room of her house where, nestled among toys and exercise equipment, two large playpens temporarily house any number of kittens.

“I call this our kitten room,” Palmer says, gently coaxing six kittens out of their cages for fun and socialization. “These are my babies right… Continue

Added by Ben Swan on June 1, 2008 at 12:11am — No Comments

Morgan's blog: Will work for treats

Hey all you two legged readers and four legged read aloud to…it’s Morgan, as dictated to his human, Alice, who types just a bit better than I do with my paws. For those of you who have been getting my blog from Summit Assistance Dogs, you will know about my comings and goings in the Lee household.

For you new readers, Bienvenidos!

We always try to include photos with my blog because I realize some critters don’t read. (Like cats). I, on the other hand can read! Yes,… Continue

Added by Ben Swan on May 26, 2008 at 4:36pm — 1 Comment

Off-leash blog: Tails that never stop wagging

In Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, a young boy hears a dog bark. Or he and his father think it’s a dog. It’s never clear in that desolate tale of survival what’s real and what’s imagined.

Later the boy longs for that dog, imagines what it would be like to take care of the animal. It’s the simple longing for normalcy: an animal to pet, to play with, to nurture. A being that enriches one’s life.

There are no animals in McCarthy’s book, which describes a father and son’s journey… Continue

Added by Ben Swan on May 25, 2008 at 12:00am — No Comments