Category Archives: Pets

Helping a Pet Through a Breakup

The only thing that can prod me through writing a book is caring about my topic. Everybody knows I care about dogs. But in my new novel, Earnest, I care specifically about dogs’ distress when their people separate and their … Continue reading

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Adopting a Dog

While I have dropped off the earth to write a new novel, a wonderful thing has happened. Bridget, the world’s most beautiful German shepherd, has come to grace my life. Her former people, who deserve withering disdain, dumped her in … Continue reading

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The Healing Power of Pets

  After a stressful day this week, I went to visit my friend Patty.  She wrapped her Chihuahua, Lucy, in a blanket and set her on my lap.  I petted her and watched her eyelids sag closed as she fell … Continue reading

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Benevolent Chickens?

Years ago I interviewed a woman who had a sanctuary for needy chickens. She told me about sitting on her porch steps one afternoon and wiping tears off her cheeks. Her favorite in the flock jumped into her lap, cuddled … Continue reading

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Choosing a Dog

Since the deaths of my two beloved dogs last January, I have been longing for another furry friend. But my husband, John, who is a sensitive soul, has resisted. “I can’t go through the loss again,” he said. I respected … Continue reading

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The Death of Pets

 Today I could no longer put off changing the “about Kristin” page on this blog.  What I changed — and my heart slides to my feet as I say it — is the paragraph about sharing my life with Phoebe, … Continue reading

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Cat Symphony

Since Father’s Day, it’s no surprise, I’ve been thinking about my father.  He was a symphony conductor and composer; and before he died when I was 23, I enjoyed going to his concerts and waking in the mornings to his … Continue reading

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Learning from Animals

Last summer I told you about Logan, my German shepherd, who had major surgery for a ruptured tendon in his knee.  For four months my kitchen was his convalescent hospital, and now he has a weekly swim to rebuild muscle … Continue reading

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Sick Dogs

       Even peaceable kingdoms have challenging times. In the last two weeks both of my beloved dogs have had major surgery, and for too many days I’ve feared they might die. It’s been a time of gritted teeth, … Continue reading

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The Loyalty of Dogs

I want to show you a beautiful (but very sad) photograph, taken recently in Teresopolis, Brazil, just northeast of Rio: If you look in the lower left corner beside the cross, you will see Leao, a blonde Lab sort of … Continue reading

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