This blog is a tribute to Belle, and all the dogs who have come before and after. They are my friends, my companions, my teachers and my students. They bring me both joy and heartache, laughter and tears. There is nothing as sweet as the smell of puppy breathe, and nothing as sad as the final goodbye.


Monday, December 24, 2012

Friday, December 21, 2012

Winter has come to Columbus

Old Man Winter has finally arrived in Columbus, Ohio. Temps have dropped and it's snowing. Please keep your pets safe indoors, and remember to bang on the hood of your car to alert any animal that may have sought warmth and shelter under the hood before starting your car.

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Monday, December 17, 2012

Dogs Make Life Better

I can't imagine what my life would be without my dogs.  I am truly blessed to have had the most amazing dogs share my life. Those I've lived with, and those I've known through rescue or training, they all have touched my soul and live forever in my heart.

Saturday, December 15, 2012

And The Angels Cried


While out training Timo early last evening, I met a man walking his lovely little dog, Freckles. While having a conversation about the events in Conn. he took a piece of paper out of his wallet and shared the following essay, written by George Vest in 1855.I can't help but think that maybe the events that occurred yesterday might have been avoided if Adam Lanza had the love of a dog to help ease his pain. I share Vest's essay with you, my fellow dog lovers, with the hope that it brings a little comfort in these trying times.

Gentlemen of the Jury: The best friend a man has in the world may turn against him and become his enemy. His son or daughter that he has reared with loving care may prove ungrateful. Those who are nearest and dearest to us, those whom we trust with our happiness and our good name may become traitors to their faith. The money that a man has, he may lose. It flies away from him, perhaps when he needs it most. A man's reputati
on may be sacrificed in a moment of ill-considered action. The people who are prone to fall on their knees to do us honor when success is with us, may be the first to throw the stone of malice when failure settles its cloud upon our heads.

The one absolutely unselfish friend that man can have in this selfish world, the one that never deserts him, the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous is his dog. A man's dog stands by him in prosperity and in poverty, in health and in sickness. He will sleep on the cold ground, where the wintry winds blow and the snow drives fiercely, if only he may be near his master's side. He will kiss the hand that has no food to offer. He will lick the wounds and sores that come in encounters with the roughness of the world. He guards the sleep of his pauper master as if he were a prince. When all other friends desert, he remains. When riches take wings, and reputation falls to pieces, he is as constant in his love as the sun in its journey through the heavens.

If fortune drives the master forth, an outcast in the world, friendless and homeless, the faithful dog asks no higher privilege than that of accompanying him, to guard him against danger, to fight against his enemies. And when the last scene of all comes, and death takes his master in its embrace and his body is laid away in the cold ground, no matter if all other friends pursue their way, there by the graveside will the noble dog be found, his head between his paws, his eyes sad, but open in alert watchfulness, faithful and true even in death.

George Graham Vest - c. 1855