This is a very happy ending we've been keeping under wraps for a while — and today we're thrilled to report the news!  The day after I posted Snuggles' arrival on the blog, I received an email from Ellen M., a long-time supporter of the ranch who happens to be a veterinary internal medicine specialist…

I was sitting in the living room Sunday night reading when I looked down to see this sight on the floor just in front of my chair.  That's blind and wobbly Briggs the Beagle with his face pressed under blind Madison's head.  Both were sleeping soundly.  When I saw this, the expression "cheek by jowl"…

First Helen, now Callie. Well, we had hoped to have more time with Callie than this.  Just about 18 months after she developed a brain tumor and then had successful radiation treatment for it, we had to say goodbye to our plump little Dachshund yesterday.    A couple of months ago Callie started having seizures…

About 30 minutes after we let the dogs out on Saturday morning, I was walking down the hallway between the two wings and looked outside to see Spinner apparently trying on a new costume for Halloween.  I guess when you're pure white, the best disguise is to simply smear mud on yourself … but on…

A few days ago Daisy developed a swollen right ear, with fluid forming under the skin.  It looked like her ear had swallowed a small balloon.  So Alayne took her to our vet clinic in Whitefield, where they lanced it, put a drain in, and sewed up the incision.  When Alayne went back to pick…

— First, Alayne and I wanted to thank everyone who posted such wonderful comments on the blog about losing dear Helen.  We appreciated your sentiments more than you can realize.  Thank you. — On a cheerier note, here's an update on two of our happy endings — a good way to wrap up the week,…

She gave it everything she had … and then she let us know she was ready to go.  Our beautiful blind Rottie, Helen, died yesterday afternoon.  I took the photo in the morning, knowing this would be her last day.  As always, she had her little tongue sticking out while she slept.  She had battled…

I've posted before about how Bailey likes to go cruising, despite the obvious difficulty he has with his hind legs and back.  (Because he's still very mobile and not in any pain — not to mention loving his independence — he would not like to be in, nor would he benefit from, a wheelchair.)  In…

The email subject line was "Very sweet Cocker in need!," and it came from Patty R. at the SPCA serving Erie County in western New York.  The Cocker's name was Snuggles, and she had a terrible case of glaucoma, bad dental disease, and nasty "Cocker ears."  She was 10 years old, and had been surrendered…

On Tuesday one of our vets from the Whitefield Animal Hospital, Dr. Nancy Lefavour, came out to do the annual exams and vaccinations on all the dogs and cats.  In the large animal world, when a vet comes out to your place it's called a "farm call," but everyone seems to use this term whether…