I meant to post this for yesterday's blog but was on the road all day and just remembered this morning … so here is a link to a fascinating New York Times story on the latest research into how dogs think. The focus of the piece is on Dr. Brian Hare of Duke University, who…

Our queen bee Widget also went to Burlington last week for her annual geriatric screening. In the photo above, Dr. Tanya Donovan is doing an echocardiogram of her heart while Dr. Rachel Morgan on the right helps hold Widget still. The arms holding the other end of Widget belong to vet tech Katie. Widget's been…

I took Wilbur back to the clinic in Burlington last Thursday for a blood pressure recheck. In the photo our internal medicine specialist, Dr. Tanya Donovan, is holding Wilbur while vet tech Katie applies the blood pressure cuff to his leg. Do you think that tongue of his could possibly be any longer? Such a…

We were taking photos on Sunday for the spring print newsletter. I was framing the shot to see how it would look when I got that photo of blind Jake giving Alayne a kiss.  Here they are in the very next frame, post-smooch: I'd like to give that face a kiss, too. (The woman, not…

That's blind Fuzzy looking none too happy during his grooming on Friday. Our groomer, Lori Fillion, came out to the farm to do several of the dogs for their regularly scheduled "spa sessions."  Here's Lori working on him: The body language in that photo above suggests Fuzzy doesn't think his beard needs any trimming, a…

The New York Times yesterday had a long and interesting piece on the difficult choices people have to make when it comes to end-of-life care for their pets. This is certainly a subject Alayne and I have wrestled with so many heartbreaking times over the years. The decisions never get easier, no matter how much painful…

This adorable little girl arrived a couple of weeks ago, and we kept her “under wraps” because we had so much going on. Meanwhile it quickly dawned on us that this senior was a whirl of activity and inquisitiveness who followed us around, wanting to know what we were doing, why we were doing it,…

The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday had an interesting essay favorably comparing, um, dogs to children. It's adapted from the authors' new book, The Genius of Dogs. (See blurb at end of essay for more info.) The title of the piece says it all: Why Pet Dogs Are As Good As Kids (Maybe A Little Better).…

For us, it doesn't get any better than this. Another dog who came to us blind as a bat … and now has his vision restored! Yes, Bentley the once-blind Yorkie is now Bentley the Yorkie who can see. And what a treat to watch him look at everything with wide-eyed wonder, taking it all…

Wilbur was one of the dogs I took to Burlington last week, and in his case he was there to see the ophthalmologist, Dr. Sarah Hoy, for a one-year check up after his lensectomy. During her exam Dr. Hoy noticed two blood spots in the retina, which can indicate high blood pressure. She checked his…