“At least you still have Yoda.” A sentence I heard countless times after people learned about the series of traumatic events that have happened in my life within the past 365 days. They were right to say those words. Even if they were an attempt to placate me when not knowing what else to do or say in light of my response to an innocent question of “how are you?” Which, let’s be honest, we should really stop asking that question if we’re not equipped to deal with an answer beyond “good, thank you.” But, that’s a conversation for a different day. Either way, they were right. At least I still h ..read more

We knew we would name her Quincy before we even knew she existed. A Boston Terrier clearly was intended to have a name for a famous Boston landmark, or that was our logic at the time. We decided that she would have a middle name, too and Bean seemed logical, since the Boston Baked Bean is a lovely sweet treat that people only get to have once and awhile. We talked about who “she” was, imagined what our life would be like with her by our side, considered how life with a puppy would be hard but a great start to the family we were going to build together, our hypothetical children and our concoct ..read more

I had the opportunity to attend the Westminster Kennel Club dog show as a member of the press last year and I’m gearing up to attend again next week. I, honestly, don’t fully know what I expected leading up to the event, but what I can say is that it was far different from what I had anticipated. Recognizing the discrepancy between what I expected and what I experienced, I thought you’d like to get the behind the scenes scoop on what to plan for should you attend some or all of the programming in the future. Here are the top three things you should know for planning a trip to the Westminster K ..read more

I did a little hop-jiggle dance when my copy of Pet Blogging for Love & Money arrived in the mail, recently. It’s a book I’ve been anxiously awaiting for quite some time. There are a few reasons for that anticipation. First, two of my favorite people in the pet blogging universe are the co-authors. They are individuals in the niche that I highly respect and have looked up to ever since I took on the role as a pet blogger. I’ll introduce you to them in a moment. Second, and this reason is a little selfish, I’m featured in the book as one of their Case Studies! You can flip forward to page 9 ..read more

CBD. You hear about it all the time, nowadays. In one regard, that’s awesome, especially if people are learning about its potential benefits and different resources for getting it. In another regard, it can be dangerous, especially since regulation of CBD is still in its infancy, meaning not every product is created equal. Have no fear! I’m here to introduce you to the benefits of CBD for dogs and humans (yep, this is a dual purpose post) and also share a brand we’ve tried, and trust for you to potentially add to your product lineup (spoiler alert, it’s Veritas Farms, the only CBD brand we’ll ..read more

Yoda was on TV last week. This is his fourth appearance on our local news channel for a mid-day program called “Mass Appeal.” The hour long program features helpful tidbits, upcoming events, food recipes, and health segments. When I first brought Yoda to the station for a filming, I didn’t come prepared. I only brought a small amount of treats, which wasn’t enough to keep him entertained and quiet while we waited for our time to go in front of the camera. I’ve learned, since then, that high value treats are the key to keeping his attention on me and his movement to a minimum. As a result, I’m ..read more

It happened this weekend. While we were packing the car after spending time visiting family, we allowed a “guest” to join us in the car ride home. At first, we noticed the tell-tale buzzing, zipping near our ears, but too quick for us to catch. Then, I saw it fluttering near the windshield, too far for me to smack. Lastly, it found what it was looking for, a tasty morsel, someone’s blood. It landed on my arm without me noticing until I felt the prick of its bite. WHACK! I got it! That darn mosquito messed with the wrong car filled with humans, dogs, and packed bags. Blood smeared on my hand as ..read more

Up until a couple months ago, both Bean and Yoda would huddle on a tiny round dog bed in front of the heating vent. While the bed was purchased for Bean when Yoda wasn't a part of our family yet and fit her perfectly, it was still a "meh" dog bed in relation to quality and comfort. I think it was one of my first purchases before Bean was even picked up from the breeder. In the almost 10 years it's been our house, it's been ripped, peed on, puked on, pooped on, and I'm pretty sure I dropped coffee on it once or twice too. It's a mess. We received a bed from Janery to try and share our experienc ..read more

It’s mid-march, and dreams of corned beef and cabbage are floating in people’s heads in advance of St. Patrick’s Day. No one in our household has an ounce of Irish heritage, but we do like drinking beer, so we’ll celebrate the holiday by enjoying a brew or two. While we may not be Irish, we do feel pretty lucky to have been introduced to Tomlyn pet products and adding them into our lineup of items to help with Bean and Yoda. We use so many Tomlyn products each day, our kitchen counter top is lined with their signature green packaging, which was the inspiration for my luck of the Irish Tomlyn p ..read more

If you couldn’t tell already by Bean’s frosted eyebrows, she’s officially considered a senior (commence high volumes of sobbing, now). I don’t know how nine and a half years happened so quickly, but we have somehow made our way to this landmark. Just because she’s technically a senior, doesn’t mean her spark has waned and it’s my responsibility as her owner to take proper care of her and some of her additional needs now that she’s reached her golden years. Caring for a senior dog is an important way to make sure that you continue to live many more joyful years together. This post will help you ..read more