My Life With Dogs
47 years, most of them with a dog on the floor, and Bell, a five-year-old Shih Tzu who taught me the rest. Who writes this site, what I got wrong first, and why none of it costs you anything.
When Your Dog Dies: The First Hours, the Choices, and What Comes After
What to do in the first hour and the first day, cremation or burial, keepsakes from a long coat, a grieving second dog, and where to find support.
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My Dog Barks and Lunges at People and Dogs: What Actually Helps
Fine at home, impossible in town. Why dogs bark and lunge at people and other dogs, the order that fixes it, and the common advice that makes it worse.
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My Dog Has Tear Stains: What Causes Them and What Actually Helps
The brown streak under the eyes is a symptom, not dirt. What causes it on flat-faced dogs, the once-a-day wipe Bell gets, what to skip, and when it is a vet visit.
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Carrying a Small Dog: Sling, Backpack, Stroller or Trolley
Pick the carrier for the trip, not the look. Where each format puts the weight on you, how to size one by measurement rather than the label, and three things no carrier is.
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My Dog’s Coat Keeps Matting: Where It Starts and What Stops It
Mats start in the same few places, and each one has its own cause. The comb test that finds them, why a bath makes them worse, and when a short clip is the kind answer.
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My Dog Won’t Hold Still for a Bath
Ask around and the advice is always about hands. Get someone to help hold them. Put a towel down so you do not slip either. Do it outside with a hose so it does not matter where the water goes. None of that is wrong, exactly, but it treats bath time as one problem when
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Clipping Your Dog at Home
A clip in the order it actually happens: the week before, the comb test that changes the plan, blade heat, and the parts worth handing to a groomer.
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Why a Gentle Dog Might Need a Muzzle, and for How Long
The dogs muzzled most often are gentle ones having a bad five minutes, usually in pain at the vet. Which muzzle suits which face, why a loose one does nothing, and how long any of it should last.
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Orthopedic, Cooling or Enclosed: What a Dog Bed Actually Fixes
A soft bed solves exactly one problem: it is soft. Four specific failures – sinking, overheating, a soaked cover, a dog that will not settle – and the four different fixes, plus when none of them is the answer.
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Car Seat, Hammock or Tether: What Actually Keeps a Dog Safe in the Car
Three different jobs are sold under one “car travel” banner: a booster stops a small dog vanishing into the footwell, a hammock protects your seats, and only a tether does anything about a crash. Which one you actually need.
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