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#AtoZChallenge: Fur
Oliver, aka “Ollie, has some of the softest belly fur I’ve ever seen or felt on a cat. He turned 12 this spring. © by Diane Weidenbenner If you own a cat, dog or other cuddly pet, you know there is just something sweet and blessed about fur. Recently our dog, Hershey, got banned from the bedroom while my husband, Joe, and I sleep. If we’re watching TV or reading, Hershey is allowed in the bedroom and even (gasp) on the bed. Something happens to him, however, when we fall asleep and he chews holes in our comforter, extracting the stuffing and carrying it around the house like it is…
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Blogging A to Z: C-ats and Dogs
Update to knee replacement surgery – I cannot sleep with any pets in our bed the night before surgery, through six weeks after surgery, according to the “class.” Of course I will follow the instructions prior to surgery because I want a successful outcome. And, if at all possible, I’ll try to adhere to the rule afterwards. Ollie is the “vocal” kitty in our household. He is 11 years old this May so as a senior citizen, he’s allowed! As it stands now, Hershey, our 70-lb. dog, sleeps in the living room because he has eaten four or more comforters. Apparently he wakes up and gets bored while we sleep.…
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Under-wear?
If you’re like most people, you have pondered now and again where that one sock, that matched only one other sock in your entire wardrobe, went, when both went into the washer but only one came out. My “sock drawer” has been building for years. It had gotten to the point that rather than venture into the drawer to spend 20 minutes to find two same-color/ design socks to wear, I’d begun purchasing new ones. The madness had to stop. Last weekend I spent three hours matching up sock mates and throwing the singles away. As you can imagine, it was a daunting task. Here are the steps, should you…
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St. Francis
I’ve always loved animals. When I was young, we had turtles, a Welsh Corgi and my parents raised and showed English Springer Spaniels. Today, my husband and I have one dog, Hershey (although he prefers to think of himself as a person), and four cats (three are rescues). I shared this love of animals with a good friend of mine, Becky, who passed away last year from lymphoma. She was with me when I spied Hershey as a puppy and was supportive of Joe and me adopting him. Did you know that St. Francis of Assisi, who lived from 1182-1126, felt he could communicate with animals and that he was…
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Winter wonders
It’s been a winter to remember, that’s for sure. As a transplant to Indiana from Colorado, having snowy winters is not new to me. However, this has been by far the snowiest winter we’ve had in our nine years in the Midwest. Here’s a recap of our winter thus far at the Weidenbenner home: To clarify, I love snow, whether it’s falling, drifting, being formed into cool snow sculptures and yard art, or adorning various trees, houses, and other outside structures. I am not in favor of, nor have I prayed for, freezing temperatures, ice, traffic accidents/rollovers or power outages. I think you can and should have one without the…
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“R”escue
My entire family loves animals – dogs and cats especially, but we’ve had our fair share of turtles, hamsters, a pet rabbit – you get the idea! I think “love of animals” is in our DNA. Hershey at 8 months old, stopping to smell the roses! Photo © Diane Weidenbenner Before my husband and I got married, I promised him that we’d only (ever) have two kitties – I’d always had two because if I traveled and had to leave them alone in my condo, they wouldn’t be lonely. We’ve been married 13 years as of July 1 of this year and we have four cats and one dog. All…
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Blogging from A to Z: Reuse, recycle, ruff!
These two beautiful dogs were at this year’s Earth Day, compliments of the Parke-Vermillion County Humane Shelter located near Clinton, Ind. Their names are Stubby and Angel and their owner passed away. They are about 8 years old and are affectionate, loving, calm and just looking for the next “ms/mrs/mr right” to share their lives with. If you have room in your heart and home for these two dogs, please contact the PVCHS at 765-492-3540. Please leave a message if the answering machine picks up. We got Hershey at the PVCHS and he’s been wonderful. This shelter has a low-kill rate because they work so hard to get their pets…
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Blogging from A to Z: Oh, no, my dog ate my …
Woke up this morning to Hershey eating a paper item that he had acquired off my bedside table which I soon discovered was my blog calendar for the Blogging A to Z Challenge. Hershey is our (now two-year-old) Australian Cattle Dog/Labrador dog. We love him to death but it’s always a mystery as to what he’s eating next. I also found another hole in our down comforter this morning. I’ve already spent enough time on him in my blog post entitled, Hershey, an apology and Down for the count among others. Suffice it to say I need an extra day to recreate my blog calendar. So, this is my blog…
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Blogging from A to Z: Hershey, an apology
Hershey, age 2 months, during his formative years. Note: Hershey is our 2-year-old Australian cattle dog/labrador retriever mix dog. Joe and I are first-time dog owners and we thought it was necessary in our puppy’s development for him to learn the importance of an earnest apology. Here, printed in its entirety, is his letter to Dish Network. Yes, he dictated it to me and I typed it, otherwise the company would not have been able to read his paw-writing. He insisted on us using a younger photo of him although he now weighs in at 51 pure-muscle pounds. Dear spare parts coordinator: My name is Hershey and I am 2…
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Blogging from A to Z: Dogs resemble their owners, yes?
I’ve heard of dogs and how, if you put their photos side-by-side with their owners, many look like they are related. However, have you ever heard of dogs getting ailments similar to their adoptive parents? It was a week before I left for California on business that Hershey began having problems with his lower back. One night right before bed, he sat on our bed and cried. For over an hour, he whined like he was in excruciating pain. It was heartbreaking! We have a central emergency vet so I called them to let them know we were coming. Hershey loves car rides and going “bye-bye” but even he didn’t…
