Just recently, I was humbled to have a wonderful artist graciously do a portrait of me and my dog, Maui.  It got me thinking about how animals are true “art for the heart”.  I absolutely consider the face of a beautiful horse to be true art, as are a group of puppies and kittens, or pictures of you playing and being incrediblyhappy with your pets. It is amazing all the different mediums and choices an artist can use to give you such emotion from what you see on the canvas, or the sculpture.  The amazing feeling that they give you in your heart, forever, is priceless. For the por ..read more

Humans can be so silly sometimes. We get so worried about making a fool of ourselves, or what others might think, that sometimes we miss out on having a truly great time.  This is something I LOVE about kids.  Before they grow up and are “taught” to stop being so foolish, kids can have so much fun doing the simplest and silliest things.  It is true happiness and a wonderful gift which we are all born with, but somehow lose as we age.  Animals have the gift that they NEVER lose this wonderful quality. I had a very bad horse accident twenty years ago that put me in a coma.&nb ..read more

Woof woof! Meow! Tweet tweet!  Do these sounds make you feel happy, comfortable and good inside?  Dogs, cats, horses and other animal species can be not only our best friends, but they can also benefit us emotionally, psychologically and physically.  For years, the medical community has reported tremendous health benefits brought to us by animals and that can also hold true even if they are not in our own family. Perhaps one of the most studied and obvious health benefit pets provide is cardiovascular improvement.  Certainly, Fido needs regular walks, runs and playtime.&nbs ..read more

As today is Earth Day, it is especially important to be grateful for all the AMAZING beauty, bounty and incredible creatures and plants that we are unreasonably lucky to be able to enjoy.  Nature has given us beautiful sunsets, incredible oceans, lakes and mountains, deserts, rainforests and more.  Included in all of that unbelievable backdrop are some of the most outrageous, weird and wonderful creatures that we can’t even pretend to have come up with ourselves. The cool thing about all of this is that it is just here for our enjoyment, frustration (if you have ever owned a pet ..read more

  Have you ever noticed that all animals can bring on friendships and make even the most introverted people more open?  All animals, pretty much regardless of species, can bring that out in a human. This is one of my favorite qualities of animals.  All animals enable you to open up yourself to others and to open up yourself to animals in a way that many people just CAN’T with other people.  They simply make things better.  I mean, dogs are used as service animals to comfort as one of their tasks.  They use dogs because other people simply can’t bring that out in a ..read more

“You never know if you don’t go.”  Isn’t that the truth? All animals roam.  In herds, the tendency is to go the way of the crowd.  Certainly, this has some benefits.  Still, sometimes, you have to just “take the back streets” and explore.  This is a skill I learned most from dogs and cats.  I don’t know which species goes on little explorations more (since they are both always looking to find new and exciting trouble! LOL), but they each have taught me that wonderful skill. Sometimes you just HAVE to get off the beaten path and find a new route.  Animals hav ..read more

There are several, very wonderful web sites set up specifically to get older dogs (and other animals) adopted and I think that it is truly fantastic, and very much needed. Since I have quite a bit of experience working with older horses (and dogs and cats and birds…), I wanted to share what amazing experiences that the older generation has given me. Honestly, some of these most enriching, funny and heart-warming times I ever had were with my years of taking care of the “older generation.” Many years ago, I managed a farm that had many retired horses that we cared for on the farm.  Althou ..read more

FURBO DOG CAMERA $199 I know, I know. Many of us have a soft spot in our hearts for all of the unloved and forgotten dogs (and cats, horses, etc.), BUT we really love specific breeds. Let’s face it, there are certain qualities, temperaments and “looks” we each like about specific breeds. The good news is that you can STILL get all of the qualities you want in the breed of your choice AND adopt a loving animal needing a new situation. It isn’t uncommon for people to give away purebred animals due personal and financial situations.  Social media has been a great outlet to locate these anim ..read more

UNBRANDED:Four men and sixteen mustangs on an epic 3,000-mile journey Looking for some help with adopting a dog, cat, horse, bird, rabbit, or some other new best friend? Not sure where to go, or where to start? I’ve decided to help spread information about adoption, create awareness and just help get the word out, so I’ll feature a blog series that focuses on a different agency, organization, etc. to help spread the word.  I’ll review the site, give great tips and links for each and just try to help be a centralized location for all thing’s adoption. Keep coming back to learn more! This ..read more

It’s Saturday morning and raining, which is depressing since I wanted to ride today. I truly love the horse, that incredible partnership and friendship that I have now, and have had in the past, with those essentially perfect animals.  When I think of all of the truly fun, happy, tough and sometimes painful moments (ouch!) that I have been through with them and how much value they have brought to me, I just feel so appreciative and grateful. Horses have taught me many things.  One of my favorites (and most useful) is the art of planning and seeing ahead. They have definitely taught ..read more