So despite having managed to come down with a nasty unseasonable cold/flu and being stuck home from work and on the couch, my weekend was really great. My partner and I decided to celebrate our two year lease renewal (in our wonderful rent stabilized apartment) by doing a massing spring cleaning- think hands and knees scrubbing of floors other people would have found clean to start with!

Because we live in NYC there are five of us (two cats, the princess dog, and my partner and myslef) living in a 625 square foot two bedroom apartment (this is huge for manhattan) so as you can imagine if you are not on top of it (and even if you are) the excess fur and dust bunnies can quickly get out of control. not surprising then as we moved all the furniture we did happen to come across some fur possibly enough to make an entire new cat! During this time one of the last things in the bedroom to clean was Mercury's kennel, which shockingly was completely devoid of dust!

Now for most dogs this might not be that big of an issue, however he's our little allergic puppy who is allergic to pretty much the entire world, chicken, beef, corn, pork, wheat, grass, pollen the list goes on and on and on and one of his biggest allergy triggers....you guessed it, DUST. This can only mean that the little guy is seriously licking his kennel clean of dust, other than that or there is a magic force field around it, it's been a while since I took science courses but i'm going to place my money on the chi-chi tongue.

it's also important to note that the dust buster which has always lived on top of his kennel mysteriously ceased to work this weekend----our minds have begun thinking that it was a ploy to sabotage the competition....

Well I don't think I can deny it any longer, spring has arrived in NYC. As much as I happen to hate the summer, especially the sweltering heat and humidity that I know will settle over the city, we have been having some lovely weather and Mercury has been LOVING it!

Alas my free time has consisted of trying to meet deadlines for both my books which will be released from their publisher in the next year, but we have managed to squeeze in a few lovely walks around the neighborhood. A couple of weeks ago I received the Central Park dog park newsletter in the mail, and I'm very eager for the weather to match up with my schedule in a way that lets us go enjoy spring in the park!

What are your favorite spring time activities to share with your pups?

This is an interesting study i came across today, we all know that dogs have been scientifically shown to improve health, and quality of life, and most of us know on a personal level how much better we feel when we have been around our pups, however a new study by the Saint Louis University found that people experienced the same responses from interactions with a robotic dog!!! I know that i'll be sticking with living dogs, but from a geeky cyborg perspective I'm interested!

Check out the article here:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080227/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_robot_dog_1

Last weekend sitting outside a coffee shop in the east village, I watched dozens, and dozens of dogs walk past with their families. It's funny the way that dogs alter our perceptions of the world, the way that by their very existence they breathe life into what could otherwise be a very drab world. I can't imagine a life without dogs in it, and I love to watch the ways in which people interact with dogs.

Two weeks ago my partner and I sat on a train heading downtown, across from us was a very large tough looking man, the sort of man that I wouldn't approach if I could help it, and the sort of individual I wouldn't otherwise choose to sit near on a relatively empty train. However the man was accompanied by a beautiful pitty in a little jacket, and he spent the majority of the train ride fondling over the dog. "Whose daddy's good girl" was heard repeatedly as the dog pulled it's front half onto the man's lap and licked his face. In a moment any concerns I had about sitting near this man were eliminated and I sat completely amused by the adorable interaction happening before my eyes.

I believe without a doubt that dogs make us better people; they fill our lives with love, joy, and companionship. Dogs hold no prejudices, they don't judge people, and instead they come to you tales wagging. We could all learn a lesson from the little heartbeats at our feet. I know that some of the most important things i have learned in life about love, companionship, trust, forgiveness, and loyalty have come from dogs. without the dogs of my past i would not be the person that i am today. What lessons have dogs taught you?

Today we woke up to inches and inches of snow! Let me tell you Mercury was less than pleased, I however was practically jumping up and down watching it fall from the sky. We've had a pathetic winter thus far in terms of snow here in NYC so really Mercury can't complain too much.

When we moved from Oregon last spring, I'm sure he was hopeful that we would land someplace warm and dry, his hopes were confirmed when we found ourselves in the midst of an east coast summer complete with heat and humidity. He however has been less than thrilled with the onset of winter. That said, he LOVES to get dressed, coats, sweaters, leg warmers you name it!

Alas, I just took him out for the night, and much of it has been walked way, the downside of Manhattan I suppose, I know that despite his protests I'm hopeful that tomorrow will bring more snow!

wow, I don't know what it is but I seem to keep finding really idiotic postings online from people who should NEVER under any circumstances be responsible for the life of a canine. Today a saw a post from a person who is thinking of giving away their dog because, the dog barks occasionally! They don't like the sound of the barking, and unless someone can offer an immediate solution to the problem (i.e. something other than actually spending time with the dog, or training the dog) they are going to give it away, because they like their apartment a lot (they also mention $ ). It sickens me the ways in which people view animals as disposable, and that liking an apartment could rate higher than the life of the canine that they are supposed to love, protect, and cherish. It's no wonder our shelters are overrun with dogs who need loving homes, people need to realize that dogs are not accessories, nor are they a piece of furniture to be ignored. I'm off to go hug Mercury who is comfortably lounging on the couch of our apartment that i adore (but not as much as i love my dog).

Sitting here on the couch with our beautiful baby boy, I'm left thinking about how there are few things that make me angrier than people who view dogs as something that can be discarded when they fail to act like stuffed animals, and become "too much work." Just this morning I saw a post in an online community about a woman who was annoyed because her six-month-old puppy was….wait for it….acting like a puppy! * shock *

The woman was annoyed that the puppy still occasionally mouthed while playing, and that she couldn't be trusted with random objects lying about on the floor. The woman's annoyance was further caused by the fact that she was going to have a baby in a month, and that the situation "had to be taken care of by then." Why anyone would want a human baby is beyond me in the first place, but even if they did why they would choose to bring a puppy into their life knowing that they were soon going to have an infant boggles the mind. She expressed that it would be unacceptable for the puppy to touch the baby toys on the floor once the baby arrived, because it would be the baby's, and that the dog wouldn't be able to bark as she played because it would wake the baby etc. etc. etc.

It never ceases to amaze me the number of people who get a dog, and especially a puppy thinking that sharing their lives with this furry kiddo will be simple, easy. People do a great disservice to dogs as they assume that they will lie quietly by the fireplace, never play, never make noise or do any of the wonderful canine things which are the reason so many of us adore dogs in the first place. I worry for that poor puppy who is soon to be overshadowed by a screaming infant, she seems like she is in a loosing situation where she will never be what these people want, and for her sake part of me hopes that they actively work to find her a new and better home with people who will love her for the dog that she is, and tire of her when a baby comes into the picture.

On Sunday despite being new yorkers my partner and I spent the day at the brooklyn art museum. we first went to see the feminist art exhibit (which if you are ever in the city you should attend) but i then found myself drawn to a beautiful sculpture of a woman and an irish wolfhound. I began to think about the huge impact dogs have had on the artistic world, and for so many (myself included) they serve as a powerful inspiration for our creative works.

i know that my own life and art have been greatly enriched through my love of dogs (some of my dog art which has been displayed in several galleries can be found here: http://pomofreakshow.com/sassmain/?page_id=6 ) and i know i am not alone in this, and that art comes in many forms from those who write, or draw, or photograph, to people who creatively express themselves through cooking. so my question to all of you is how have dogs inspired you to live artfully?

I think all of us who care about animals stared on in horror last summer as news continued to break about Michael Vick's horrendous abuse of dogs in his care, and the dog fighting ring which he participated in and which existed on his property. It was a topic that I personally was very interested in both personally and then professionally because I was working on an article for a pet news site Pet Style: http://www.petstyle.com/news_ent_article.aspx?id=5454

As such it was with great excitement this week when I caught news of the fact that Bad Rap had the dogs up for adoption! Bad Rap is the fantastic organization, which was allowed to come in, and temperament test the dogs seized from Vick's property and rehabilitate those, which were found to be of sound temperament. These dogs are true success stories, there is even a video available to be watched on the Bad Rap site which shows the progress the dogs have made: http://www.badrap.org/rescue/vick/now.html

I'll admit that when I first saw the news that the dogs were being adopted out and that videos of them were being published on the web I had some concerns for their safety. Living in an area were dog fighting is not uncommon I worried that these dogs would become a target because of their fame. At the same time, I think that there are many lessons to be learned from these sweet innocent dogs that have lived through so much. An avid lover of pits I believe fully that there is nothing innately vicious or dangerous about these sweet dogs, and that the way their bodies and lives have been sensationalized in the news and in our culture is nothing short of criminal. They are no different than any other dog, and they should be treated as such, and yet alas, these poor dogs face discrimination nearly everywhere they go because of the absurd prejudices of others.

For these dogs rescued from the Vick property, and all other fighting dogs who have been rehabilitated, I wish them nothing but the best and nothing short of a caring and loving parent(s), a soft warm home, filled with toys, and love, after all it's what all dogs deserve.

I'm one of those people who has taken to heart the old saying "love me, love my dog." With that in mind, I knew that my partner and I were destined to be together when upon our first meeting, I called my place to leave a message on the answering machine for the dogs because I had been out later than usually was. If not turning and running away from the crazy dog person isn't love, I don't know what is ; )

It's funny the way that dogs and cats for that matter creep into our lives, I can't imagine our little family without the pitter patter of little feet (which isn't always so quiet when the cats decide to run marathons around the apartment at 3am), scooping the litter box before bed, or watching my partner pick out just the right outfit for Mercury to accommodate his hatred of rain, snow, and cold.

I feel sorry for people who don't share their lives with furry kids, I can only imagine that their lives are far less interesting, and probably a tad bit lonely. Most of our friends are huge animal lovers (regardless of weather or not they personally live with animals) fawning all over our furry family whenever they enter the apartment, Mercury for sure is a huge crowd pleaser situating himself next to friendly visitors, lavishing in their praise and cuddles and simultaneously nuzzling his way into their hearts. The few people we know who aren't especially fond of animals tend to not pay much attention to the kids, and I'm sure think that we're a bit crazy as we talk about their likes and dislikes, and other various aspects of their personalities. But no matter how strange they might find us, I'm sure that I find them even stranger, because I can't imagine what it would be like to walk this world without furry companions at my side.

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