Posted on

The Respect Owed to Military Dogs

Once in awhile I will be on the subway and I will see a person entering the subway station with a dog walking in front of them and just as I am about to think to myself that it seems odd that the person is bringing a dog with them in a place where dogs usually are not allowed, I see that the dog is wearing a jacket that marks it as a service dog, meaning that the dog is being useful in some way to that person — we called them “Seeing Eye Dogs” when I was growing up.

Continue reading → The Respect Owed to Military Dogs

Posted on

A Cat by Any Other Name

When I was growing up, I had a friend in West Windsor who had a pet cat. He told me one day that it didn’t matter what he said to the cat as long as he used a soothing tone when he said it. He proceeded to demonstrate by saying some of the most ugly things I had ever heard a twelve year old boy say all with a cooing tone. I noted at the time that the cat didn’t seem to mind all too much.

Continue reading → A Cat by Any Other Name

Posted on

The Cat that Refuses to Listen

In the last year, I have learned a lot about what it means to live with a cat. For the most part, it has been a pleasant experience, with Abby being nice company and a good addition to the mix. Sometimes, however, she can be a supreme, nuisance — fortunately, this is not too often the case.

Continue reading → The Cat that Refuses to Listen

Posted on

Why the Dyson Ball Sucks in a Bad Way

Dyson Ball vacuums look great.  They also suck — and not in a great way. 
Don’t be fooled by the ball.  Don’t follow the ball.  Roll away from the ball now.

Continue reading → Why the Dyson Ball Sucks in a Bad Way

Posted on

Tax Break for Pet Owners

If you’ve ever struggled to medically save the life of a dying pet, you know the end-of-life costs can be extravagant if you choose to try prolong life instead of just ending it. A year ago, I wondered in an article — Deducting the Cat — why pets weren’t considered part of the family and eligible as tax deductions for their veterinary care. I was delighted to learn this week there is now a move afoot to allow a $3,500.00USD “pet deduction” on your income tax.

Continue reading → Tax Break for Pet Owners

Posted on

Ten Forty

Pet me.

Poke me.

SuperPoke Pet me.

Pet Fame mendacity.

Posted on

Do We Love Pets More than People?

Dealing with the death of a pet is, for some people, an event from which they never recover.  Where once we just buried pets in the backyard under a foot of dirt — or dumped the carcass in the trash bin like garbage–many now honor their deceased pets with cremation, mausoleums, headstones and other burial rites that were formerly reserved in the domain of people.

Continue reading → Do We Love Pets More than People?

Posted on

Pet Food that Kills Pets and Emotional Urbanization

I have been wanting to write about the massive — in the hundreds of millions pounds — recall of tainted pet food sold in America, but there hasn’t been time for reflection and distance to help provide context and meaning of pet owners unwittingly killing their pets with food they purchase to keep them healthy.

I realize now is the moment to step forward in light of today’s New York Times article — explaining how it is a conflict of cultures, an acquiescence of values, and a shared economic drive between companies and countries to save as much money as possible — that threatened our animals and killed our pets:

Continue reading → Pet Food that Kills Pets and Emotional Urbanization

Posted on

Picking Presidential Pet Names

One mark of a bully beyond the physical is intimidation of others through direct and veiled belittling. One way that kind of emotional bullying occurs is through the application of invented “Pet Names.” Some refer to pet names as “nicknames” but “pet names” is more appropriate for the intention behind the naming because it conveys ownership and dominion over the named.

Continue reading → Picking Presidential Pet Names