Tidings of Comfort & Joy

Poe is arguably one of the most eloquent Beagles of his time.

Video by Rachel

Nurie & Bozie

In this lovely Alameda abode, Nurie, dressed in black, loves to drink slowly from the bathroom sink, while Bozie, in the gray and white tuxedo, is happy to wile away an afternoon gazing out the window. But I believe they are secretly relishing their own reflections. I have heard that Elvis was unable to pass a mirror without pausing to admire himself, and I think we may have the same situation here. And who can blame them? When you are truly beautiful, the draw must be irresistible....

Tiaras & Tenderloin

It's a very special day here on Harrison St. It's Chloe's 11th birthday - truly something to celebrate, so she had a sparkly tiara and a juicy steak. Both lasted about 23 seconds, but what a great and wondrous 23 seconds it was...

Gracie & Red

In this Richmond household Red is the permanent resident, and Gracie is visiting while looking for a new home, but if you ask me, I don't believe Gracie is leaving anytime soon. First of all, she's claimed the couch as her own personal property, and I don't know how she could get it out the door if she had to leave. Second of all, Red has claimed her as the long lost little sister she always knew was out there somewhere, and is delighted has finally arrived. And as Red's people so aptly put it, their house is like the roach motel - dogs come in, but they never leave - in a much nicer way, of course.

Onni & Snitch

These are the big dogs that Hobbs loves (see below), and with good reason, as they are indeed quite lovable. If they look familiar, it may be because the fabulous beings from Where The Wild Things Are were based upon them. That's what I think anyway. And if you saw the way they wrestled and tumbled and slept in a pile you'd probably think so too.

Hobbs Who Loves Big Dogs

His people said he'd stay hidden at least for the first few days. They said there was a possibility I might never see more than a flash of a tail darting behind the bed. But three hours after I walked in the door Hobbs Who Loves Big Dogs was nestled in my lap, contentedly chewing on my necklace and covering me with a lush blanket of long luxurious orange fur. How lucky am I to be one of the chosen few in his circle...

Slap Happy in Pacifica

My friend Cleo, aka Boss Lady, is a fun and yet complicated character. We all have our little quirks and one of Cleo's is that, well, she just loves to be slapped while she eats. It is not my place to question, but merely oblige. So every morning at breakfast I kneel beside her and smack her smartly on the rump while she chomps on her kibble and writhes with ecstasy. To each his own, right?

I've learned not to do this at any time other than mealtime though, or I could lose an eye with one swipe of her paw. It's all very specific...

What's wrong with this picture?

No animals anywhere in sight!

After a few weeks of traveling through Portugal, I am once again astounded how few animals I encountered. A few stray cats in the Azores, and perhaps a dozen dogs in all. But they have that peculiar way of looking straight through me that I find so unsettling. I love traveling but I'm finding it increasingly difficult to go without animal contact for so long. Perhaps I'll start a new service for small dogs - Come With Me - for those who wish their dogs to become more culturally well rounded. A week in Aix de Provence, or 10 days touring the Greek Isles. Hmm, I may be on to something here...

Jimbo

I met Jimbo while staying at the incredibly beautiful Chamounix Mansion Hostel in Philadelphia. I think he's the owner. We met only briefly, but I could see that he works very hard. Greeting the guests takes up quite a bit of his time, and he seems to spend an equal amount of time frolicking in the grass. But his most important job is pictured above - herding the trio of resident cats - until they turn on him, of course.

Fact Finding Mission

As a strictly indoor cat, Bruno gathers information about the world outside wherever he can, willing to brave even the most dangerous of terrains in his quest for knowledge.

Nights in Potrero

Late on these balmy summer nights Daisy Dorables loves to relax while watching an old movie, but Lil' Nikki Snikki prefers being read to - nothing scary for these tender hearted girls though or they simply cannot sleep...

Ida

Although I've cared for Ida several times now, she never loses patience with my inferior ball throwing abilities. " Just watch me," she"ll say sweetly, gently wresting the ball from my hand. " With time and practice you're sure to improve. Don't worry, you'll get it." It's so heartening to be believed in...

Chloe Meets a New Friend

Ming

My former next door neighbor, the heartstoppingly handsome Ming, has hated me for years. As a serious guard dog, he would snarl and bark at me every time I passed his gate. So when his owner asked me if I would stay with him for two weeks this summer I said "Yes, certainly, I'd love to", because I try to accept what is offered to me in life, all the while ignoring those shivers running up the back of my legs whispering "Run as fast as you can and get the hell out of here!".

Ming suffered a stroke last year, he's deaf now and almost completely blind, but his sense of smell is still intact - and there's nothing wrong with his teeth either.

I spent the night before she left there, because, quite frankly, I was afraid to enter the house after her departure.

At every step of the way, I worried. When I left the house, would he let me come back in? - Yes.

Would he let me walk into the back of the house? The bedroom? The deck? Yes Yes Yes.

I quickly came to realize, Ming no longer hated me. In fact, he kinda liked me, and it was a pleasure to see his tail wag as I scratched his back and neck. I don't know what changed. Perhaps he's decided to retire from a long guard dog career - or maybe he just realized I was there for him. Within a matter of a couple of days we became good friends, although I admit I was always intensely aware of my ankles every time I had to pass by his slumbering body, lest he forget our new relationship.

Let's go - bring water

I came upon this post while blog browsing, and while I certainly realize the sad circumstances, I think if the Australian Tourist Board used it in their advertising they would be flooded ( no pun intended ) with thrill seekers ...

http://aubreyirmgard.blogspot.com/2009/06/cute-koala-bear-email.html

Boss Lady

Life with Cleo is a breeze once she impressed upon me one simple fact - her way or the highway. This means I am free to hike the beautiful hills and coastal trails here in lovely Pacifica all day, as long as I adhere to a few modest requests. Number one most important - breakfast is to be served at 3:30 a.m. She is happy to remind me of the time by stepping on my head. Should I ignore this gentle reminder, Cleo will step to the edge of the bed and launch herself into a full body slam against me, which sends me flying to the kibble closet, quaking with fear at what might come next. Breakfast is followed by the gentlest stream of water from the kitchen tap, and once her thirst is quenched Cleo is ready to begin patrolling her garden, a job she takes quite seriously. For the rest of the time, whenever I'm in the house, my one responsibility is to respond immediately to her swift rap against the window, signaling her desire to come in and snack.

At nightfall, Cleo will curl up beside me on the couch, and allow me to pet her, as long as I don't get carried away. When I remark on her great beauty, she quietly agrees. And when I admire her lovely orangeness, Cleo says that she is really more golden than orange. She went on to explain that golden cats are the highest form of life, and that they are in direct communication with all of the magical beings. "What? Magical beings?" I stammer, wide eyed. Cleo pauses, yawns delicately and then stretches. " Not for humans to know," she murmurs, and then settles down to sleep, ignoring my questions completely, until I finally give up. After all, she is the boss.

Chloe/Katherine

I know what you're wondering - which one is which? Not only is the resemblance uncanny, but they are both spirited, feisty women who enjoy an active sporting life. And now that Chloe is getting up in age, she even has a little bit of that shaky limb thing that Hepburn was so famous for not hiding. But most importantly, Chloe has a huge dose of that sparkly, magical star quality that makes people do a double take when they pass her on the street.

Do people reincarnate as dogs? If they have an inkling of the good life ahead, as in Chloe's case, they'd be foolish not to.

And I think we all know Kate was no fool - I'm just saying ...

Fibby

Unlike her elusive brother Tibby, who is a man of few words, my gal Fibby is a real chatterbox. She has opinions on just about every subject under the sun, which she freely expounds on all day and night. As smart as she is though, Fibby is often puzzled by the strange behaviors of the humans she sees on TV, and will wander around the house asking  "Why? Why? Why?". I never know what to tell her - we humans certainly are a strange lot. Usually we agree it's best to just cuddle up on the couch, and do some serious head scratching. That works out well for both of us.

Sparky

Older brother to Josie, Sparky was almost my first client. He was a robust, sturdy young man then - a real people person, especially pretty women, and never really cared for other dogs, and wasn't afraid to say so, if asked. Now Sparky is an elegant gentleman, old and slow, but just as handsome as ever. He keeps his strolls to a minimum, taking care of business and then turning back towards home. Still, he always has a happy wag for anyone passing by, but a word to the wise canine - do not attempt to sniff his butt, because he won't hesitate to tell you to back off!

Daisy & Nikki

After nearly two years of trying to work out our schedules, I finally won the jackpot - six fun filled days with these ultra adorable little girls. Let me just say, it was well worth the wait.

When my daughter saw these pictures, she was certain the Blue Fairy had gone to FAO Schwarz, passed her wand over two stuffed animals and whispered  "Now you are real dogs." I myself think that's entirely possible...

After the Incident

It was too horrific to talk about at the time, but the last time I took care of Buddy Boy, the remarkable little dog, he was attacked by another dog. We had just headed out for an early evening stroll through the neighborhood, and had only gotten around the corner, when a female black lab ( I know, right?) broke from her leash and oh, I don't want to go into details but it wasn't pretty. I managed to pull her off of him but not before she sank her nasty fangs deep into his thigh. I like almost all dogs, but don't mess with my Buddy!

Several hours later he emerged from the emergency vet shaved, stitched, and with a very unpleasant looking drain installed in his leg. Poor little guy! He was in the house for a week, recovering. This picture was taken on his first outing, outside of Peet's Coffee Shop, where he graciously accepted the good wishes of his very large fan club.

Josie

Josie is a rescued street dog from China, and who knows what she experienced before she was adopted, but I'm willing to bet it wasn't a lot of fun. When I first started taking care of her, I called her my little land shark. Out on our walks, everything would go in her mouth, and if it was inedible , she'd spit it back out. That's not  an issue for her anymore now that she can count on being fed regularly, and although at home she is happy and relaxed, out in the world she can still  be quite skittish. Any little thing can send her hightailing out of the park, and leave me trailing after her with shredded nerves.

Halfway through this last visit, she came home with a baby's pacifier concealed in her mouth. She carried it with her everywhere, from the couch to the crate to the deck, and maybe it's my imagination, but she seems to be much calmer. On our last morning walk, she saw three dogs walking toward her and turned to run. I said  "Wait Josie, it's just two Pugs and a Ridgeback, nothing you can't handle." For the first time she paused, considered the situation, and decided she probably could handle it. 

So now what, for Josie? Perhaps she'll decide to help others  - coming out with a line of Panicked Pups Pacifiers of her own.  Remember you read it here first...

Rainy Morning

Venus, Vashti and Bruno are hoping it rains all day. I asked Slidell if he agrees, but he's too busy running up and down the stairs after his ball to talk.

Just a Dream

Back here on Wool Street with my quartet of lovelies, I find I often have a reoccuring frightening dream that happens just before waking. In the dream, I see the kibble. I know the kibble is there. The kibble is rolling in the drawer, and yet, although the kibble is close, it does not satisfy. The kibble does not satisfy, and I am tormented by this. My discomfort rises to a level that I am forced to waken before I am ready, and then there is Bruno, sitting by his food bowl, impatient for breakfast, smugly aware that he has once again managed to invade my dreams. See how he laughs?

Buddy Boy Tours

Because I am that rare American who does not drive, never has and probably never will (and I say probably only because of the never say never rule),  I tend to gravitate toward places that are easily walked around and/or have good public transportation. So imagine my dismay when I was being called repeatedly to petsit in the deep suburbs of Novato. The little dog, Buddy Boy, is a joy and the house is lovely, but it's a mile to the nearest good coffee shop, and a mile in the opposite direction to the good food market, with very little of interest in between. I felt bored and isolated, and always dreaded having to come out here. But, I try to do a quasi zen sort of thing,  to go where I'm called and to be where I'm at, but still,  I went whining and complaining.

One bright spot was that Buddy Boy loves to walk as much as I do, and I guess it was around my 4th or 5th visit that I noticed he seemed to know where he was going. So, I decided to try a little experiment - let him decide which way to go, and see what happens. Well, it's been nothing short of amazing! Who knew the suburbs were filled with such beauty?  Gorgeous open spaces to wander endlessly in, ducking down a little side path to stroll through the landscaped gardens of a housing development, rounding a small church to find a charming garden to sit and rest in.  Buddy knows all the best that Novato has to offer, and enjoys sharing that with me.

In truth, though, it hasn't been easy to completely trust a little dog. After all, I'm in totally unfamiliar surroundings, and I don't know a single person here I can call on for help if we really get lost. But the few times I said I think we need to go left when he was headed right,  we really did get lost. So I learned the hard way.

This is what our days look like now. Buddy likes to sleep in until 9:00 or so most mornings, and we wait about an hour after breakfast, so usually around 11:00, we're ready to head out the door. It's always Buddy's call where we go, but before starting out, sometimes I'll say I'd like to drop off a library book, or I need to stop for groceries on the way back, and Buddy adjusts his planned itinerary to accommodate me, and off we go to some amazing 3 or 4 hour hike.

But yesterday Buddy pulled out all the stops! I wanted to get coffee so he dutifully led me downtown to Peets, then we turned left on Redwood, and then right on Olive, and walked for a really, really long time. As usual, I started to get nervous, not knowing where we are, or where we're going, but Buddy is used to my fretting, and continued to patter serenely along. Eventually, he pulled off into a seemingly dead end street, and then there we were, at the entrance to the breathtakingly beautiful Deer Island Open Space. Gorgeous green rolling hills studded with wild iris, and overlooking sparkling marsh land filled with waterbirds of every description. We wandered all over and saw more deer than people, and I knew I could travel the world over and perhaps see many things as beautiful as this place, but forget the rule book  - never, never could anything exceed it's beauty.

We arrived back at his door a full 7 hours later than we left, it was easily a 10 mile hike. We were both footsore but completely relaxed, and as I begin to prepare our dinners, I marvel once again what a pleasant path I can walk when I'm able to let go and have faith in Dog.

Lana Turner

Beautiful, brainy and big hearted, Lana Turner started off as a champion show dog but soon tired of the razzle dazzle of that life, and joined forces with her human companion in a pain treatment practice, bringing solace to those in need. It's been an illustrious and very rewarding career, but at 16 years old Lana is happily retired, sleeping her days away under the desk, or meandering through her rose garden.

It's always a pleasure for me to spend time with Lana because she reminds me just how satisfying a calm and quiet life can be.

Tico Dogs

I was recently in the tiny beach town of Montezuma in Costa Rica for about a week, and I really got to know some of the resident dogs quite well, and what an affable lot they  are. They're not homeless , but they are free to wander about from dawn to dusk.  They find a cool shadowy spot to sleep through the intense heat of  noonday sun, and the rest of time, they just do whatever whatever they feel like.

 From the veranda of my hotel, I'd sip  cafe con leche while I watched two Akitas romp in the surf every morning, and then roll around in the sand - absolute ecstasy - for all of us.

 And every afternoon around 4:00,  a beautiful Rottweiler would head down to the beach where people congregate to catch the best body surfing waves, pick up a dried coconut husk or a piece of driftwood, and she'd amble up to the tourists until she found someone to toss it in the ocean for her, and would joyfully dive after it - over and over again. If they got tired of playing, she'd find someone else, until the sun was nearly set, and then she would head for home, exhausted but happy, and ready for dinner. I saw her do this every single day.

I counted  about 20 dogs there, and never once saw a fight break out, or even an argument between the dogs. It's a great life and they know it. 

The dogs of Costa Rica embrace the motto of this small, vibrant country - pura vida -  the calm appreciation of the beauty everyday life has to offer.   It's a lifestyle I want to  aspire to -  wish me luck please!

Pepper & Kiley

This was our first weekend together and it just flew by, but looked how sad we are to have to say goodbye so quickly!

Desi and Baby

On a sunny but cold winter afternoon, what better way  to spend your time than on the couch, gazing (or barking, if you're Desi) at the people passing by your window, or snuggling into freshly washed sheets still warm from the dryer. It really doesn't get any better than this, unless there's some steak in the bed too.

P.S. Grace lives here as well, but she's feeling under the weather and asked me to not photograph her until she's feeling better, which I can totally understand...

Once More Please

This is Lacy, sister to the now adopted Sophie. Sweet and shy, Lacy would love to be the only cat in your life. If you know anyone living a quiet life who would like to have a sweet companion, please ask them to consider sharing their life with this stunning beauty.

Sophie needs a home

This charming 8 year old beauty needs a new home. Her Mom's health is such that the doctors have laid down the law - no cats.

Sophie is friendly, talkative and a lot of fun. She would do best in an environment where she could be Queen, i.e. the only pet. Surely big karma points await for the compassionate person that can give my dear friend the loving home she deserves. Good Karma, and a 50%  pet sitting discount from yours truly for the rest of Sophie's life.

Farewell My Lovelies 2008

The hardest part of my job is the inevitable loss I face each year.  

These are my animal friends that passed on last year.

Cocoa - Lithe and lovely, she was the fastest dog on the hill. Even so, her body was never able to match her enormous spirit and she left us far too early.

Gunner - Blind, diabetic and oh so old, Gunner was one great big smile from head to toe. This cheerful guy is sorely missed.

Miss Kitty - A pink nosed, green eyed delicate beauty with a sweet and gentle soul.

Dronie -  It was my honor and privilege to serve you, Madame Dronie. Surely no other cat has ever had such a regal bearing.

Max -  What can I say, my friend, but that you are in my heart , then and now, always and forever.

And Mirielle - As graceful as her name, a great beauty with a tender heart, I will miss her so.

The Poets

Bryon, the adorable Yorkie, and Poe, the handsome Beagle, were among my first clients. What a great way to start, and I can't get enough of them, I just keep coming back for more. 

This morning as we hiked through the heavy mist over the winter green beauty of Bernal Hill,  Poe was struck by inspiration and conjured up this lovely poem, which he has asked me to share with you. 

                                               I like to eat

                                                I think it's neat

                                               when I get to eat

                                                a lot

                                                 of things

Yes, well, it may have lost a little something in translation but I assure you, in dogspeak, it's absolutely brilliant.

Picture This

I love my animals and I'm constantly taking pictures of them, but if you would like to see some really extraordinary photos of Venus & Slidell, as well as lots of other gorgeous dogs,  check out the fabulously talented Anna Kuperberg's photo blog - slobberspace.com. Also, there's a great picture of the feline half of  the Wool St. Gang on kuperblog.com.