Friday, December 21, 2012

Holiday Dog Treats

As fun as it is to make Christmas sugar cookies, don't forget the pooch!

To make these parmesan-flavored goodies, I used spinach to color one side green, and tomato juice to tint the other side red. Grab a bone-shaped cookie cutter, pop them into some pretty bags, and voila! Homemade gifts for Shadow and some of his very best friends.

Word to the wise: A person can only push down on a cookie cutter so many times before feeling like a real wuss! If you see some with a handle in your travels, snatch them up. (My palm is throbbing!)

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Dog hand-me-downs

Sometimes it takes a little creative thinking to stop a dog from licking/biting/scratching his wounds... without making him miserable in one of those giant, Queen Elizabeth cones.

I can't remember how many shirts and socks have been pulled from my closet, cut up, and refashioned as giant bandages for Shadow!

This most recent look (to prevent an upper arm rash from being licked to death) is Old Navy circa 2004. Personally, I think he looks pretty good. Sort of like a pirate..

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

And now for a public service announcement

Will autism make it into the conversation this year? I know one cat, a couple dogs, and many, many people who think it should.


Let your voice be heard at autismspeaks.org.

Thursday, August 23, 2012

Writers Need Ink, Inspiration, and a Dog

There from me from the beginning
The great Jennifer Weiner (author of Good in Bed, In Her Shoes, and, my personal favorite, Goodnight Nobody) doesn't need to give advice to the legions of writers salivating over her wild success. With nine bestsellers and 11 million copies in print, she could easily spend the rest of her life in seclusion, mailing out manuscripts for instant publication, and cashing in royalty checks.

Instead, she is constantly going on Twitter to make adoring fans laugh; on Facebook to provide glimpses into her life; and all over the web to answer questions and make hope-swollen writers feel a little bit at ease.

A few years ago, when I decided to stop dreaming about becoming a novelist and do something about it, I found a great deal of guidance from a spot on her website. In addition to the numerous pages reflecting her success, there was one titled "For Writers."

I was intrigued. For writers? For me? I wasn't sure. Sure, I'd been a journalist for five years, edited a newspaper, and won a handful of awards, but fiction was new to me. Who did the great Jennifer Weiner consider a writer?

Written with her trademark wit, Jen's "completely idiosyncratic, opinionated, flawed and somewhat sassy take on some of the steps you can take to get published" made me feel simultaneously terrified, energized, and cautiously optimistic. No doubt it continues to do the same for many.


Some of her criteria sounded perfect:

Major in Liberal Arts (but not necessarily creative writing)
I have a bachelor of arts degree in English and communications (plus a minor in history, for good measure) from Boston College. Check.

Get a Job (not an MFA)
Until reading this, I'd been convinced all those MFA students and publishing house interns were miles ahead of me. Jen gave me a huge boost in confidence here. Like her, I began my career as an entry-level reporter at a community newspaper. Over five years, I steadily climbed the ladder to features editor, assistant editor, and, finally, the first female editor in the publication's 100-year history. Her description of this "occasionally frustrating, desperately underpaid" time, as well as her affinity for feature writing, could have been written in my diary. Perhaps mine wasn't such a bad start after all.


Other points were a bit less encouraging:

The Unhappy Childhood
Well, as a redheaded kid with freckles, I was an easy target for schoolyard bullies; that was pretty unhappy. But at home, I had a big, loving family. In a world of literati obsessed with divorce, discontent, and tragedy, I wondered, would that make my work obsolete?

The Miserable Love Life
Yes, I experienced high school and all the teenage angst, heartbreak, and all-consuming crushes that go with it. But was that miserable enough?

Find an Agent
Umm, sure. Was Joanna available?


Then there were two pieces of advice that turned out (many sleepless nights, crumpled drafts, and rejection letters down the line) to be invaluable:

Be a Smart Consumer
In other words, don't jump for the first agent who shows interest if your gut is screaming against it. It's lonely navigating these waters some (nah, let's face it, most) of the time. And when you're ready to drown in self-loathing, it's hard to pass up anyone. Jen's advice gave me strength I desperately needed when the first offer came. Hearing that an insanely successful author whom I greatly admired went through something similar (and survived) made all the difference. Now I can proudly say that I'm represented by Michelle Brower of Folio Literary Management. Sometimes life does give us a few happy endings.

GET A DOG
Finally, we arrive at the reason I began writing this post in the first place. Few fans of Jennifer Weiner don't know that the lovable Nifkin character in her debut novel Good in Bed was based on her rat terrier, Wendell (RIP). She has said his appearance is the only thing from her real life that she translated into her book. No doubt that was a cameo well earned with countless afternoons sitting by Jen's side as she typed, tearing her from her writer's cave for a walk around the neighborhood, and forcing her smile when the stress of writing tempted her to cry.

(Of course, I don't know exactly what went on between Jen and Wendell, but this has been my experience with Shadow - for which he most certainly earned his cameo in Desperately Ever After.)

The life of a writer is so often a solitary one. Had it not been for Shadow, I probably would have drowned months ago in all the rejections, the second-guessing, and the painfully upbeat answers to "So I hear you're writing a book." But Shadow was always there - his mouth curled into a massive smile, his back arched to pounce, his tail swinging back and forth like a hypnotist's talisman summoning me to play.

Even now, while I sit here and wonder how many editors will and won't relate to my characters, or like how I start the first chapter, or stumble with the rhythm of my writing style... at least I know I can make someone uncontrollably happy simply by throwing a ball. We all need that once in a while.





Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Shadow's first camping trip

It seems the Catskills won...

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Happy Independence Day!


(Yes, an American beer would have been more appropriate. And no, Shadow was not drinking any!)

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Changing the Menu

Well, I've caved and switched to Life's Abundance dog food.

No preservatives? Shipped right to my door within twelve days of being made? Actually less expensive than my old brand if you sign up for auto-ship? Kinda can't go wrong there.

So long as Shadow likes it...

I'll let you know when it arrives...

But so long as it tastes better than wrapping paper, insects, and toy stuffing, we should be fine.

Plea from a holistic dog food company



In the wake of a massive dog food recall that has threatened the health of humans and canines alike, a company called Life's Abundance is embracing the power of social media.

Its breaking-news-style commentary is definitely worth a listen.


Diamond Dog Food Recall Alert from Life's Abundance on Vimeo.

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Salmonella threat leads to massive recall

Pretty scary stuff here.

Diamond Pet Foods has recalled eleven brands of pet food, as have several companies who co-manufacture with Diamond. So far, fourteen people are reported to have grown sick after handling the products, and many dogs have died. I have been told that some breeders lost entire litters due to the contaminated food.

Wellness in particular has voluntarily recalled Super5Mix Large Breed Puppy with certain "best by" dates. (Check their website for the latest updated information.) This is the exact food that Shadow enjoyed until he reached the one-year mark and that I wrote about many posts back. He now eats Super5Mix Large Breed Adult.

If you have a pet, please continue to check the official website for the recall (diamondpetrecall.com) and give some thought to making any necessary changes.

Although Shadow's food seems to be safe for the moment, this is a wake-up call for my family. I am considering switching to something more natural. Blue Diamond Breeding recommends Life's Abundance, which has no (possibly cancer-causing) preservatives, but only gets three stars on dogfoodanalysis.com. I will continue to research the best food for dogs like Shadow, and keep everyone updated. 

Being a parent of any kind isn't easy. That's why I started this blog to begin with. So often it's just an exercise in trial and error. All we can do -- while raising dogs, humans, or the snail your kid picked up from the back yard -- is make the best decision we can with the information at hand, and pray the "errors" are always rectifiable.

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

What's so great about Uggie?

Google “Uggie the dog,” and you’ll be neck deep in videos, photos, biographies, unofficial fan clubs, a failed campaign to give him an Oscar, and gossip about Tom Selleck’s rejection of Hollywood’s latest canine cutie.
                   



Yep, the ten-year-old Jack Russell Terrier and co-star of “The Artist” has officially become a STAR!

And who could argue? He’s adorable. He’s funny. He’s loyal. He does his own stunts. He saves the day. For goodness sake, he manages to tug at our heartstrings without a single (audible) bark. That is talent.

Still, all this Uggie mania got me to thinking. If Shadow lived with someone like Omar Von Muller and worked on his training twelve to fifteen hours a day… could he also be a star?

After all, he is pretty darn cute.

And super athletic. (Perhaps “War Horse” is a better comparison?)

 He knows how to work the camera.


He's already done some stunts.

He doesn't back down from a fight. (So long as it doesn't involve bunnies or cats...)


He's been resilient since his puppy days.

He's into yoga. (A must if he's gonna schmooze in Beverly Hills.)

He's a fan of excess. (Move over, Charlie Sheen.)


He's already trying to outdo Uggie’s performance in the breakfast table scene. (Bring it!)

He sings!

And he simply won't take "no" for an answer. (Diva in the making.)


With all this star quality, who needs a dog that can walk off-leash, pay attention long enough to finish a scene, or summon police to a fire?

Shadow's already got his paws full alerting me about the treacherous mailman and UPS delivery truck.

So what if, when I play dead, he comes over to sniff me and then shoves a bone in my limp hand? He makes up for that by forcing me to smile when life and work drive me occasionally insane.

Sure, I believe Shadow could play with the big shots if he really set his mind to it. But why would be want to? All those lights, crowds, interviews, exhausting publicity schedules, paparazzi. No thanks. 

The Shadow I know likes it simple. Food. Play. Sleep. Scratch.

And indulging his owners with the occasional cuddle :)