June 11, 2016
Look who’s turning five. Among the myriad causes for celebration of such a marvelous event lingers one I’d rather see fizzle. No. Die. And quickly. Sir Thomas’s fifth year among us marks three-and-a-half years of partnering with me. In that time, strangers have been taking our picture. That’s 42 months. Make that 182 weeks. Shall I continue? Okay, in days, we’re talking 1,274. Surely, you say, his handsome face isn’t snapped on someone’s cell phone every day? No. There have been, however, numerous days when more than one click of some unknown camera captures our likeness. Therein lies my issue with the puparazzi. First, it is not our ‘likeness’ that is being captured. Second, consider that word capture. Our images adorn the digital photo albums of people’s vacations (tourist camera-at-ready stroll-by shots), individual’s wow-ya collections (the stop-and-comment crowd who must show their neighbor, brother-in-law, dentist’s sister’s uncle) who pull out […]
March 23, 2016
Art? Literature? Travel? All are fine topics to wrap a conversation around. Politics? Not so much, for me. There are times, however, when a discussion must include the very topic that sits in the living room like the proverbial pink elephant. The only way around is through. And my only way through is with the help of my service dog. Climate of Fear Fear factors rise with each news story of the verbal and physical attacks occurring at Trump gatherings. Disagree and you might become disabled. It seems not to matter that rules are broken or laws overstepped. For a wee sense of balance, counter those images with clips of Sanders on stage, arm-in-arm with musicians singing, “This Land Is Your Land.” It makes me wonder if Trump protesters could be so easily tossed out if, linked together at the elbows in a human chain, they held no signs but […]
February 12, 2016
Love seeing stories of real service dogs and the real lives they impact. Meet one of Sir Thomas’ younger cousins: Sienna at work And click here for another glimpse at the beneficial pairing of a service dog with its human.
February 5, 2016
I’m used to me waking in the wee hours to use the bathroom. When Sir Thomas wakes me to use the outdoors, it’s a sign something’s not right. The first protocol, given that he didn’t show any other signs of distress – no fever, no unusual behavior, no breathing issues, no tender areas – is to let his system settle down. Try and rationalize with a 145-pound dog that it’s in his best interest not to eat for twenty-four hours. Next, explain to the dentist office the need to reschedule because the dog is sick. I could’ve elaborated on the, er, size if the problem when ‘Great Dane’ and ‘diarrhea’ are used in the same sentence. Beyond the risk of needing a major cleanup, it’s not fair for me to ask him to work when his tummy isn’t well. When we’re out and about, he’s my steed, my regal Dane […]