I’m not sure what my favorite part about Doggie Palooza was: the beautiful weather, the couple thousand dogs on site, the community participation or the happy vendors.

The four years that Doggie Palooza has been around, I’m left with a lasting memory of each one. This year, it’s a quote from a participant who approached me and said, “Thank you for having this event. It is exactly what we needed.”

I petted her dog Milo while she explained that Doggie Palooza is a unique event for people and their dogs, and it brings together local businesses and people for a real sense of community. While referring to the Twin Cities, she said, “It’s kind of our event. We look forward to it each year.”  read more »

The “New” Meryl
by Kelli Ohrtman

I’ve been following the 22 pit bulls that arrived at Best Friends from the Michael Vick case for several months now on the Pet Central blog. This means going over to visit them, talking with their caregivers and trainers, and getting the general scoop about their personalities and progress. When I went to visit recently, I heard something that frankly, I didn’t think I’d ever hear: “Meryl loves people now! Do you want to meet her?”

Meryl is a different dog than the one that arrived here in January. The red pit bull with the cute underbite, speckled red and white front legs and the always-serious expression on her face was the one dog that everyone was extra careful with. Most of the dogs were more marshmallow than mean—-a surprise to many considering that they came from a fighting ring.

In the beginning, Meryl lunged and roared if anyone lingered too long in front of her run. She was afraid of new people, and was willing to defend herself. A select few staff made friends with Meryl, and once she accepted them she was golden—their best buddy. But it took a lot for Meryl to meet a new person. If a stranger were to saunter up to her run and barge in, she’d probably react. And it probably wouldn’t be pretty.  read more »

This Thursday October 2, Doggie Palooza will be promoted on Fox 9 News with M.A. Rosko.

Tune in Thursday morning at the following times to get a glimpse of some of the activities that will be at Doggie Palooza on Saturday October 4. (All times CST)  read more »

This Tuesday September 30 between 3:00 – 4:00 pm, Dakota is going to make her TV debut on KSTP Channel 5 Twin Cities Live program.

Hosts Rebekah Wood and John Hanson will talk about Doggie Palooza and show video from last year. My dog Dakota and I will appear on the segment along with local TTouch practitioner Elaine Garley demonstrating the TTouch technique.

Dakota has a very nice hot spot on the front of her leg that has morphed into a lick granuloma. Elaine will work on Dakota illustrating how TTouch can help heal the body.  read more »

Whenever my husband Brian travels, I am, of course, responsible for all things animal in our house. Since Brian gets up before the sun, (and I definitely do not) he feeds the animals in the morning. So whenever he is traveling, the animals have to adjust to my internal alarm clock and eat later in the morning. Which they are not happy about.  read more »

Mr. Clemens’ Cats
By Laura French
“A home without a cat--and a well-fed, well-petted and properly revered cat--may be a perfect home, perhaps, but how can it prove title?” Thus wrote Mark Twain in The Tragedy of Pudd’nhead Wilson.

It might seem a little surprising that the cranky, crotchety American writer Samuel Clemens, better known as Mark Twain, showed a distinctly softer side on the topic of cats. The website www.twainquotes.com shows the author of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn with an enormous cigar between his teeth (one of 40 he smoked each day) and a tiny tiger kitten in his lap.

Clemens was always highly critical of the human animal. In his notebook, he said that humans “seem to be a poor invention.” In an article, he called it “a pity” that Noah didn’t miss the boat. He claimed to be free of prejudice and bigotry simply because, “All that I care to know is that a man is a human being--that is enough for me; he can't be any worse.”  read more »

My husband and I had a party this weekend. Some of the people who attended were animal people, others were not.

Having non-animal people over always makes me a little nervous. First of all—I’m sure my house has the faint odor of animal—which I can no longer detect. So I go around lighting scented candles before the guests arrive.  read more »

If you are looking for a getaway close to the Twin Cities, be sure to look into Turtle Creek Ranch. My husband Brian, our dogs Dakota and Meadow and I stayed at Turtle Creek and loved every minute of it.

80 private acres of rolling hills, woods and fields were ours to explore. I loved watching the dogs run freely and investigate the property and interact with the ambassador animals of the Ranch—-horses, potbelly pigs and goats.  read more »