How many of us have had what is called a “heart dog?” Tons of those reading this, I suspect. If you have finished, or are in the middle of, Bespotted, you will have discovered the inimitable Gulliver, to whom I dedicate the book as “dog of my heart,” which means the same thing. Some of you may not have dogs, much less Dalmatians. Some of you may have cats. While I cannot attest to the … [Read more...]
TODAY, CODY TAKES THE HELM OF “BESPOTTED!”
In today’s newsletter and also here on the blog, it is Cody who comes to greet our readers–wagging his tail until it is nothing but a blur, and grinning his crinkly Dalmatian smile. He is the first dog in our household, but not the last, who stayed on when he was not meant to. Born into Breeze’s first litter, Cody found the promise of his forever home rapidly, because in the puppy box he was every … [Read more...]
HAVE YOU HUGGED YOURSELF TODAY?
Why would we hug ourselves? Is this an absurd idea? Maybe what I mean is something akin to, “have you received your hug today?” And if so, have you given someone else a hug today–all of which is just another way of saying, “have you taken care of yourself today?” One of the things researchers, animal behaviorists and scientists know is that for primates, especially chimpanzees and … [Read more...]
COMING FULL CIRCLE TO LIFE
How did I get through the loss of Gulliver, the dog of my heart, to whom I dedicated Bespotted? How did I put away my grief and return to living and enjoying myself once again? The answer is a simple one: I bred a litter of puppies. Two years after Gulliver’s death, we sent our girl, Breeze, to Canada to a male who had done extremely well for himself in the show ring. We were looking … [Read more...]
