by Carole Duff | Dec 5, 2012 | Dogs & Other Creatures, Faith |
“Freya, Heathcliff, are you ready?” Keith and I ask our dogs, praising them when they sit. “Wait. Look at me,” we say with words, hand signals and further praise while putting food dishes on the floor in front of them. “Ok, have some.” During dinner, Heathcliff and...
by Carole Duff | Oct 29, 2012 | Dogs & Other Creatures, Faith |
Both of our dogs can be stubborn in their own ways. Even when afraid, Heathcliff tends to obey our commands and loves to go for walks. But sometimes when he sees other dogs, he growls, fusses, whines, pulls on his leash and breaks training in his excitement. Off leash...
by Carole Duff | Feb 13, 2012 | Dogs & Other Creatures, Writing and Reading |
There’s an old saying among dog trainers: Lead or be led. When Keith and I adopted a shelter dog a few years ago, I questioned my ability to lead Heathcliff, who weighs almost as much as I do. Even with some good basic training, thanks to the shelter’s Charm School...
by Carole Duff | Jul 21, 2011 | Dogs & Other Creatures |
For years, I was a cat lady, but that changed when I married a man with cat allergies and we adopted My First Dog. No fluffy, cat-sized critter for me, I chose the biggest guy at the shelter, a sweet-tempered 8-month old black lab mix, 75 pounds, all tongue and tail....
by Carole Duff | Jul 19, 2011 | Dogs & Other Creatures, Family |
When I was ten, Beauty died. “It’s time,” my parents told us three girls. Mother shuttled my younger sister Leslie and my older sister Jane into the old purple Studebaker and drove off leaving my father and me to take care of Jane’s first dog. Looking like a...