Image provided by Kate Parkes at Elevation Pictures Bones of Crows: Forced into residential school, Aline Spears is plunged into a fight for survival that shapes her family for generations On Friday, June 2nd, 2023, a feature film premiered in Canadian theatres called Bones of Crows, depicting the true history of the residential school system. This is an important film for Canadians, especially Indigenous, First Nations, Metis, and Inuit.  "Unfolding over 100 years, BONES OF CROWS is a feature film told through the eyes of Cree Matriarch Aline Spears as she survi ..read more

Invest in our Planet: Embrace the 5 Rs of recycling on Earth Day We grew up being taught the three Rs- Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. That's where it all began. Fast forward to the present day. Pollution and human-caused climate change are far more devastating problems than we could have predicted. We are in a climate crisis, and three Rs aren’t enough.  This post contains some affiliate links and I will be compensated  if you make a purchase after clicking one of my links. The theme for Earth Day 2023 is Invest In Our Planet. It highlights the importance of ..read more

Happy International Women's Day: Defining what being a woman means to you is a unique and personal journey Womanhood is such an unpredictable journey. I continue to learn from the women in the past who paved the path of privilege that I walk on today. When I say they paved it, I mean it! They saw a path of dirt that wasn't good enough. They didn't know where it would lead. So they dug it up and ripped it apart. Burned it to ash. They levelled it out, trying to make it as even as possible. They mixed the asphalt with their blood, sweat, and tears, and paved their way through women's suffr ..read more

The truth about brewers rice: What is brewers rice in dog food? Reading the back of a bag of dog food can be confusing. Some ingredients are easy to identify- meats, fruits, and vegetables. Even some vitamins and nutrients are familiar. Other items in the list baffle pet owners. Nutrients, the quality of the ingredients, and where they are sourced is far more important than the ingredients on that list. The same goes for brewers rice. A low-quality product purchased from an illegitimate source can be bad for your pet. If the ingredients are regulated and of the highest quality, it ..read more

In love with love: Today isn't about romance, it's about LOVE I have a public service announcement to make, brought to you by someone who doesn't live her life 'as expected.' I'll keep it brief. Here it is: We have been doing Valentine's Day ALL WRONG. Today is thought to be a day of 'romance.' I think it's time to divorce that concept. Ghost it. Valentine's Day is about LOVE. I don't know when or why Valentine's Day became more about romance and less about love, but I say we take it back. Romance and love are not mutually exclusive. A wise woman recently sang "I can buy myself flowers ..read more

Ask a vet: How do I improve my dog's dental health and prevent dental disease? It's time to flip that lip, cause it's National Pet Dental Health Month! If I'm being honest, every month is Pet Dental Health Month, but it's nice to have an annual reminder during February that dental care is important. I'm interested in what the common signs of dental disease are in dogs and how I can prevent my dog from getting dental disease? So I did what I do best. I asked a vet! I interviewed Dr. Danielle Bernal, DVM, an on-staff veterinarian at Wellness Pet Company. Dr. Bernal has over a decade of exp ..read more

Frito feet: Why do my dog's paws smell like corn chips? And should I be worried? Frito feet! I know it sounds corny, but if your dog's paws smell like corn chips, then your dog has Frito feet. Full disclosure, Hazel has Frito feet sometimes, and so did Keira. Although TikTok is popularizing the term, this is something that I've heard pet owners mention in veterinary practices. January 29th is the perfect day to talk about why your dog's paws may smell like Fritos. Why is that? To celebrate National Corn Chip Day! Yes, that's a thing, and yes, it's today. Let's bite into what causes Frito fee ..read more

Wishing you hopeful holidays: We may not all suffer the same this season, but we can heal together This Christmas I feel something I haven't felt in the past few years; calm. The past few years have been transitional for me. Moving away and starting anew. Again. Sometimes my life feels like it's in a perpetual state of starting over. Losing Keira was devastating. Isolation from the pandemic was beginning to drag me down. The veterinary industry has been in a crisis and empathy is not always a renewable resource. Healing the fault lines on my surface was something I knew needed more attention ..read more

This post contains affiliate links to pawsitively adorable dog products, and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links. Bum wiggle-worthy dog gifts: Canadian-made Christmas and holiday dog collars that are merry and bright It's beginning to look a lot like spoil your dog season! What better way to make your dog merry than a new collar that will make it stand out from the rest of the pack? We don't have much time left for holiday shopping, but I wanted to squeak in another holiday dog gift guide to support local sellers. I searched Etsy for the most ..read more

'Make More Merry' with Petco: Certified dog trainer Darris Cooper shares holiday safety tips and his top picks for dog gifts  Let the festive season begin! Holiday festivities include gift shopping, and although we may have mixed feelings about this, our pets LOVE it! Not the shopping but the gift-receiving part. I'm not trying to throw shade at cats, but let's be honest; dogs are often much more enthusiastic when opening holiday gifts. Hazel is adorable. She's learned what gifts are and assumes all gifts under the tree are for her of course, and how to tear into them to get her pr ..read more