I came across this looking for something to post for PAPS, and this made me ugly cry. I miss my Octavian. He was the guardian of the children and took his job seriously. I miss those soulful eyes and soft fur. His sidekick German Shepherd, whom we love too, looked for his big brother for a while. He has his own GS ways. He is watchful, has the breed traits, but he is bonded most to my son, who is still home. He sleeps with him and is happiest when he's around. We love them so hard don't we? Letting them go is never easy. 

 

Dogs are proof that evolution occasionally takes pity on us. Wolves looked at humans fumbling with fire and said, “Fine, we’ll handle loyalty and enthusiasm. You just try not to burn the world down.” The result is the modern dog: part babysitter, part comedian, part therapist with boundary issues. They understand about three human words, ignore two of them, and still manage to run entire households by sheer force of personality. A dog will greet you like a returning war hero for coming back from the mailbox. A dog will eat your shoe and then look at you like you are the one who should apologize. A dog will sit on your chest, breathe directly in your face, and convince you that this is affection, not a power move. So yes, it’s Sunday. The floor is open. Show us the canines who own your furniture, run your schedules, and give you better eye contact than most men.

Caturday came and went, smug as always, with the cats preening like they own the joint (and to be fair, they probably do). But now the dogs have stormed the gates, demanding their turn. They insist Sunday belongs to them, and frankly, have you ever tried arguing with a Labrador who thinks democracy means “fetch until collapse”? So here we are: Sunday, split down the middle. Cats glaring from the back of the sofa like minor royals forced to mingle with the peasants, while dogs skid across hardwood floors, ears flapping like busted parachutes. Every household is currently a Cold War between the aloof and the overeager. This is your chance to document the madness: cats who plot from the shadows, dogs who weaponize drool, or any creature who believes the couch is a throne and you are but their valet. Extra credit if you catch the rare détente—cat and dog curled up together, pretending they’re not sworn enemies until breakfast. Post your tyrants, loafers, divas, and bed-hogs. The stage is y...

  It’s Sunday, which means we are honoring the tail-wagging therapists, the four-legged philosophers, the drool-covered dreamboats who keep us tethered to this earth: the dogs. Today is for the grumpy gremlins, the butterball seniors with eyes like melted root beer, the snorty little weirdos, and the terrifyingly chic greyhounds who look like they exclusively date French architects. It’s for the dogs who got you through breakups, breakdowns, breakouts and demonic family Zoom calls.     If you’ve got: a pug with a face like a crumpled old man’s knee a lab who thinks he's the CEO of your life a rescued mutt who’s more emotionally intelligent than half your coworkers a dog who photo bombs your selfies like it’s a side hustle a Dandie Dinmont who needs a new home... POST THEM.
 Post them with reckless abandon. No stories too small. No snout too slobbery. And for god’s sake, someone post a pit bull in a tutu—we are low on serotonin and the world is on fire. Don’t have a dog? 
...

I love silent films, especially the ones with animals in them. I wanted to share one with this fantastic star dog, Shep. 

I cannot gush enough about Border Collies. The breed is fantastic, intelligent, loyal, and plain wonderful. We have them on the farm for herding, and they double as the farm manager's much-beloved pet children. I thought I was a pup spoiler. Not in comparison, I am not. His wife makes their food, and every balanced meal is fresh from scratch, as if she were making meals for her and their family. If you ask her about commercial dog food, she will look at you like you lost your damn mind. I can't even argue because I make my dog food, too, but not daily, not every meal, and not as extravagant, and that is saying something.  This 60 Minutes clip discusses canine intelligence, measuring it, and the new findings they are making about dogs and their previously unknown abilities. Those of us who love our pups already know all these things. My support dog gets things for me, follows commands, initiates tasks, and picks up on moods and signs of my feelings that not even those closest to...

  This dog is hilarious. I couldn't help but laugh because our dogs had different reactions to when a baby was born in the family. No thieves, but some pouting did commence.  Does your pup do funny things? Do you have a story to share?

  Betty Marion White Ludden, born on January 17, 1922, in Oak Park, Illinois, was not just a trailblazing entertainer and ardent animal advocate but a beacon of resilience and determination. Her career, which spanned over eight decades, was a testament to her unwavering spirit. She pioneered early television, becoming one of the first women to have creative control in front of and behind the camera, a feat that was not easy in those times. White's family's relocation to Los Angeles during the Great Depression, when she was just a toddler, marked the beginning of her journey. Her love for wildlife, nurtured during family vacations in Sierra Nevada, initially led her to dream of becoming a forest ranger. However, societal norms of the time barred women from such roles. Undeterred, she turned her attention to writing and performing, setting the stage for her future in entertainment. White's foray into the entertainment industry began in radio, where she honed her skills by rea...

  "Some of my best leading men have been dogs and horses."

Throughout history, many royals have found solace and companionship in the company of their furry friends. For instance, Henry III of France cherished his bichons and spaniels so much that he carried them in a little basket around his neck. Similarly, Queen Victoria created a pet cemetery with epitaphs to honor her beloved pets. German-born Elizabeth Charlotte, Duchess of Orleans, once wrote from the Palace of Versailles, "Dogs are the best people I have come across in France," highlighting the unique bond humans can share with their four-legged companions. Louis XlV loved dogs and had a beloved toy poodle who lived better than most people. I am a direct descendant of the little boy in the dress and leading streets, which means Versailles should be mine bitches! Alexander the Great is known for being an almost unstoppable conquerer. Legend has it that his beloved dog Peritas was a gift from a Greek King. Legend also states that Peritas had taken down a lion and an elephant. P...

The Hero Dog Awards is an annual nationwide competition organized by the American Humane Organization that recognizes heroic dogs in various categories, including law enforcement/arson, service, therapy, military, search and rescue, guide/hearing, and emerging heroes. The awards honor dogs that have performed brave and courageous deeds, such as comforting wounded soldiers, detecting explosives, and assisting in search and rescue missions.

My kids are on their school break, so I didn't have much time, but these videos are hilarious.  Enjoy posting your babies and funny memes and thoughts. Next weekend I will have more time. 

 Now that I have a support dog that is half collie, I am watching and scooping up Collie breed information. I wasn't around when this show was on, but I would have loved it. Do you have a favorite movie or show about dogs?

In the canine universe, Dalmatians are the equivalent of a classic black-and-white film—timeless, charming, and full of personality and character. With their distinctive white coats accessorized with distinctive black spots, these pups are born to stand out like superstars, full of charisma, the kind of dogs that don't just have an interesting nature; they have a presence . The origins of the Dalmatian are shrouded in mystery. They're named after Dalmatia, a region that was once part of Austria, but their true origins are elusive and hard to pinpoint. These striking dogs have had more careers than Barbie: coach dog, war sentinel, circus performer, and the favorite firehouse mascot. In the past, they ran alongside horse-drawn fire engines, acting as the original siren and equine therapists all in one because they kept the horses calm and focused.  Dalmations are the Olympic marathon runners of the dog world, with enough stamina to multi-task and run their owners into the ground ...

Well, it turns out that the canine world has its own version of the fountain of youth, and it's all about the nose! Recent research has shown that small, long-nosed pooches, known as the dolichocephalic doggy elite, tend to outlive their snub-nosed counterparts. That's right, the Whippets, Miniature Dachshunds (I think Dachshunds and I think pushy broad. I do), and Shetland Sheepdogs of the world are strutting their stuff well into their frisky teens, with median lifespans of about 13.3 years. The Lancashire Heeler, in particular, is practically a canine Methuselah with an ancient median age of 15.4 years. If you're wondering about the purebred versus crossbreed debate, the purebreds are wagging their tails a little longer, with a median life expectancy of 12.7 years, compared to 12.0 years for the mixed breeds. As for the battle of the sexes, female dogs are winning by a whisker, with a median life expectancy of 12.7 years, compared to 12.4 years for males. If you're i...

On May 4, 1929, in the charming city of Ixelles, Brussels, Belgium, Audrey Kathleen Ruston, known to the world as Audrey Hepburn, was born. She was the cherished daughter of the Dutch baroness Ella Van Heemstra and Joseph Victor Anthony Ruston. Her father embraced the more aristocratic surname Hepburn-Ruston, adding a touch of nobility to their family name. Audrey's childhood was a tapestry of experiences woven with the threads of different cultures as she spent time in Belgium, England, and the Netherlands, following her father's work assignments. There doesn't seem to be much indication that her very early life was troubled, but that would soon change. In the early 1940s,  the dark shadows of World War II fell upon Audrey and her family as they endured the hardships of life in Nazi-occupied Holland. In an instinctual protective gesture, her mother temporarily changed Audrey’s name to Edda Van Heemstra, to shield her British heritage from the Nazis. Yet, amidst the turmoil...