I wasn’t going to write about this.  Especially for a start-of-the-week blog post.  We’ve had too many losses this year, and I know quite a few of our regular readers were getting emotional fatigue in recent months from logging on to the blog and having to reach for the Kleenex box too many times. But…

From the moment he arrived at the ranch a few months ago from Georgia, blind Briggs fancied himself as a ladies’ man.  Nothing gets him more worked up than the nearby presence of a new female dog … and yes, he’s been neutered!  The only thing that comes close to generating that level of excitement…

When I took blind Austin the Beagle to our vet clinic in Helena yesterday, I also brought along blind Lady, the old girl who came to us about a month ago from Missoula Animal Control.  A week after she arrived, our vets did an echocardiogram and found that Lady had a serious heart problem —…

I took our recent arrival from Atlanta, the blind Beagle puppy Austin, to see our vet Dr. Brenda Culver in Helena this morning.  Austin needed the usual "oil, lube and filter" work — neutering, blood panel, and urinalysis — but the first order of business on any of our blind arrivals is a thorough eye…

It’s a rare evening when Alayne and I can spend an hour watching something on TV, but last night after dinner we had a moment to watch a History Channel program on the aftermath of the American Civil War.  Blind Widget loves it when this happens, because it gives her an equally rare opportunity to…

This is blind-and-deaf Spinner on our front step this afternoon.  She was waiting not only for me to open the door for her, but to give her "the touch," as I call it.  Somewhere along the way she decided that she would not go through an open door until I had given her permission, and…

When our equine vet, Dr. Erin Taylor, came back today for the second round of dentals — this time on the middle-aged set — she brought with her Amy P., a fourth-year vet student from Oklahoma State University.  Typically in their fourth year, vet students are expected to do an "externship" … working outside the…

Despite all the snow we had, and the longest winter in eight years, we have already become concerned about the lack of spring rain.  We only had one appreciable rain so far, and the top inch or two of soil was dry.  Of course, the rain arrived on the same day that our farrier, Rich…

How about a second incredibly happy ending in the same week? John and Michelle W. from Buckley, Washington, had adopted a three-legged Border Collie named Cheyenne from us several years ago.  Cheyenne had just endured having her right front leg cut in half by a leg-hold trap and was sitting in the animal control shelter…

You could be forgiven for looking at this photo and thinking that we were preparing a horse body for burial.  Except our ancient Appaloosa named Crazy Horse is just fine, thank you — he’s enjoying being groomed while sleeping! This past Saturday was one of our regular volunteer days, and with all the horses shedding…