Checkers
When Qatar gave Donald Trump a jet, I started thinking about past gifts to politicians. Checkers came to mind. A Cocker Spaniel pup and a $400 million 747-8, and two…
Horse of Iron
I read Lawrence Scanlan’s Little Horse of Iron: A quest for the Canadian Horse after we’d been thinking of getting an elderly Canadian gelding. Knowing little about the breed, other…
Polo
Why isn’t polo in the Olympics? Word that Prince Harry is doing a Netfix series about the sport, combined with horse show season and the Paris Olympics made me wonder…
In Times of Trouble
This Thanksgiving, I am grateful for our neighbours. This summer and fall have been times of trouble for all of us in this farming area. Way too much rain to…
Saint John Harness Races
After 151 years, Saturday October 15th will see the last harness races at Exhibition Park in Saint John NB. The race track has to close. The barns have to empty…
Medina Spirit
Today, Derby Day, I’ll be thinking of Medina Spirit. He won the 2021 Kentucky Derby. Then, after testing positive for a substance banned on race days, he was disqualified in…
Horse Keeping
For Christmas, I got a manure fork. Yippee! It’s a good one for winter barnyard cleanup. Such a necessary tool is way too hard to find. This one came from…
9/11 Dogs
Twenty years after, the 9/11 dogs are gone. They searched, rescued, comforted. If you remember the day, you also remember the dogs. Bretagne, the last one, died in June 2016…
Prince Philip’s Horses
"If it doesn't fart or eat hay, she isn't interested." That, it is said, is how Prince Philip described his daughter Princess Anne. But if the amount of time he…
General Jack and Warrior
Warrior was called "the horse the Germans couldn't kill." He was a war horse. The 15.2 hand Thoroughbred gelding was General Jack Seely's charger. Gen. Seely was a British career…
Canadian Triple Crown
Mighty Heart has a chance today to be the 13th Canadian Triple Crown winner. The three-year-old colt won the Queen's Plate at Woodbine, the Prince of Wales Stakes at Fort…
Man o’ War
In 1920, the most promising 3 year old horse in the United States did not run in the Kentucky Derby. Later in May, that horse - Man o' War -…
Bosco’s New Year
From my St. Thomas Dog Blog, Jan. 31, 2011, about a dog named Bosco. I was in Beaver Creek Animal Hospital about a week ago. A beautiful young black Lab…
Jerry and Oscar
Two new horses, two new horse pedigrees to explore. Jerry was easy. He is registered with the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) as Mea Classico Duster. His full pedigree, therefore,…
Roxie Spencer
Without Roxie, the city of St. Thomas likely wouldn't have a dog park. At least not in 2010 when the first one was built. Because, a couple of years earlier,…
Missouri Puppy Mills
Last week, the US Humane Society released its 7th annual list of the 100 worst puppy mills in the USA. For the 7th year, Missouri took first place. From April…
Kennel Club Show
The 143rd Westminster Dog Show is on television today through Tuesday. So from Jan. 13, 2011 here is my St. Thomas Dog Blog post about that year's Elgin County Kennel…
Sled Dogs
It was sled dogs that kept the Inuit alive by giving them the mobility to hunt across vast expanses of the Arctic. It was sled dogs that kept stranded hunters…
Half a ton of pet food
Day 27 of the US government shutdown. Food banks are helping feed furloughed federal employees. Animal shelters are helping feed their pets. This is short-term desperate need. These are people…
Pet Food Bank
Eight years ago today, the St. Thomas Dog Owners Association started a pet food bank. Here is my St. Thomas Dog Blog, Dec. 31, 2010 post about it. I've removed…
St. Thomas Happy Endings
From my St. Thomas Dog Blog, Dec. 11, 2010 It’s been a good week in St. Thomas for happy endings to harrowing animal tales. First was a stranded Canada Goose…
Animal Testing
Cover Girl, one of the biggest cosmetic lines, has stopped all animal testing of their products. This is such good news. There are still some caveats to think about, but…
Dog Park Groupies
From my St. Thomas Dog Blog, Sept. 24, 2010 When I began going to the Hamilton Road dog park in London several years ago, I never thought about how it…
They shouldn’t have pets
You may hear people say “people who need help from food banks shouldn’t have pets.” If you can’t afford to feed your animal/your kids/yourself you can’t afford a pet. Easy…
Can’t keep your pet?
I took this from Facebook and shortened it some. Be warned: it is a chilling story. If you haven’t got time or money for a pet, don’t get one. But…
Angel in a Foxhole
Writer Dave Tabar wants to make a movie called Angel in a Foxhole - about Smoky, the Yorkshire Terrier war dog. Until July 4th, Blackpool Records will match all contributions.…
Royal Corgis
A week ago, the death of an elderly dog made headlines. A pet's death is always momentous for his or her loved ones. But it's usually not world news. Willow,…
Best in Show
From my St. Thomas Dog Blog, January 23, 2011. The 2018 Elgin County Kennel Club dog show will be in October. Lots of other dog, and cat, shows too. To…
Acts of kindness
From my St. Thomas Dog Blog, Feb. 3, 2012. Reposted in honour of Rebecca Schofield's acts of kindness renown. Ms. Schofield, of Riverview NB, passed away Feb. 17, 2018. She…
Druggie Pets
First posted on my St. Thomas Dog Blog, 3 Nov. 2010. Filmmaker Patrick Reed was on CBC Radio’s Q, talking about his new film, Pet Pharm. (It is no longer…
Getting Chicks
Our elderly hens will soon shuffle off this mortal coil. Time to get some chicks, we decided. For five summers, our hens have gone broody. Weeks of sitting on eggs…
So this is Christmas
From the St. Thomas Dog Blog, December 2011, this is my summary of STDOA events and animals of the year. Christmas - and what have you done. Looking back at…
Cat Show
Tomorrow, Oct. 22, is the London Cat Show at Western Fairgrounds (Canada Building 9-4:30). I went to it in 2011 and wrote the following in my St. Thomas Dog Blog.…
Redemption: Shelter Plan B
My impression after reading about Nathan Winograd is that it’s animal shelters that need redemption. He is Director of the No Kill Advocacy Center in the US and is giving…
Diseases of Friend and Foe
(From Aug. 5, 2011 on my St. Thomas Dog Blog) When Waterworks Wally got his shots last week, his vet tested him for diseases I’d rarely heard of in cats.…
Wilma the Cat
In honour of Wilma, cat colony princess, who died yesterday in St. Thomas ON. Reposted from St. Thomas Dog Blog, March 29, 2012. Wilma was a homeless cat who was…
Homeless Companions
From St. Thomas Dog Blog, Sept. 4, 2013. Reposted in honour of US Memorial Day and Harold Palmquist, a US veteran who is biking across the country with his dog…
Training at the Dog Park
This week in 2010, we in the St. Thomas Dog Owners Association were doing a final spit and polish on our new Lions Club Dog Park. I posted this May…
Cedric and Jamie
This day, in 1997, I laid my cat and dog in their final resting place. Cedric, the cat, had cancer of the jaw. Jamie, the dog, had arthritis so bad…
Blue Blue Merle
While watching the 2012 Westminster dog show, this dog was the one I wanted. What a beauty! Then a Collie-knowledgeable friend commented that he should never have won Best of…
Pet Heirs
Preparing a will isn’t what most people consider a fun thing to do. And even for those who do, it still takes a lot of time and thought to get…
Happy Meals
In Memoriam: In honour of our Phoenix hen Grayneck. On Dec. 23, 2016, Grayneck died of natural causes, aged 4 1/2 years. She is survived by her four sisters. The…
Poodle Clip
Leo was filthy. His hair was long and matted. He smelled. But cold weather and his arthritis made me reluctant to take him to his groomer. “What about we try…
Puppy Mill
I supported a puppy mill. Not directly, but I contributed to the financial well-being of one. My Standard Poodle Leo had spent five years in a US puppy mill as…
Arthritic Dogs
One week ago today at 7:15 pm AT, my dearly beloved Standard Poodle Leo died. He was about 14 years old. He's been with us for eight years and six…
The Dog Park
Went to the dog park yesterday with the boys. It was a mauzy day, light rain and cool. I figured nobody would be there, and I was right. It was…
Burdock Dog
This is Leo after he walked for just a second into a patch of burdock. The burs didn’t just stick to his hair, they burrowed right in his face, chest…
Missouri Puppy Mills & Prop B
On November 2, 2010, Americans voted in mid-term elections. One of the things voted on in Missouri was Proposition B, proposed legislation that would regulate dog-breeding kennels. It was passed…
Pawlooza Dog Party
Pawlooza happens this coming Saturday, August 20th from 10 to 6, at Steve Plunkett’s Fleetwood Farm on Elviage Road, near Westdel Bourne in west London. It is a huge dog party organized…
The Boxer, Copper
When I was 13, our next door neighbour got a dog. In itself, that’s not extraordinary. However, this dog acquisition caused quite a stir. She was an elderly widow and…
Pittie Myths
I don’t often agree with Peter Worthington, but I did with what he wrote (March 14, 2012) about Pit Bulls and Ontario’s Breed Specific Legislation. He calls BSL a “Ku Klux…
Super Superdogs!
Came home smelling of strange dogs tonight. I'd been to see the PC Superdogs at London's John Labatt Centre [now Budweiser Gardens]. My dogs are now sitting either side of…
I’ll Have Another
This was first posted on my St. Thomas Dog Blog, May 10, 2012. This Saturday, May 7th 2016, it's Derby Day again. It feels different this year - it's the…
The Miracle of Birth
A while ago, I met a man, his son and their two dogs. I was making a fuss over the dogs, and the boy said “she’s going to have babies”.…
Titanic: No greater love
Among the bodies found after Titanic sank was that of a woman, clinging to the body of a Great Dane. Ann Elizabeth Isham had a seat in a lifeboat but…
Bear
"A sad Goodbye to Bear, the dog who you may remember that was abandoned at Dalewood, that became a ABCR rescue dog. Bear was adopted by a young man who…
Westminster Dogs
“Crategate” exploded in Mitt Romney’s campaign for the US Republican leadership, just as his Irish Setter Seamus’ bowels did when he was strapped in a crate on the roof of…
Farm Dog
Being a farm dog is the diplomatic posting of the canine career spectrum. They have to be friend, greeter and protector. They have to be independent but know their place,…
Heaven
When my dog Jack died, I believed in heaven. After his burial, my mother-in-law gave me a card with a little story in it. It’s about a man and his dog…
Watch Dog
Bing was a small German Shepherd or Alsatian as Mom called her. She was a watch dog. My dad got her from another service station when he opened his. She…
Home for the Holidays
Don’t give a dog as a Christmas present. At least not as a spur of the moment gift. But if you are planning to get a dog anyway, why not?…
Visits to the Grandparents
“Minnie and Charlie’s daughter must be visiting. I saw that strange girl of hers, and the dog’s gone.” Now, over forty years later, that’s what I imagine people on Pine…
Santa Dogs
The Christmas season, for me, officially begins with the Santa Claus parade. But you have to start feeling festive a bit earlier if you're going to be in the parade.…
Dog Hallowe’en
This Saturday is Howl-O-Een at the STDOA Kettle Creek Dog Park. Party at the park from 2 to 4 pm. Treats, prizes and no charge to come. But donations for…
Movin’ dogs: An underground railway
Who can resist this little face! Small, friendly terrier mix desperately needs a home. House-trained, healthy 1 year old male. That might have been the ad for Charlie placed by…
Who’s Kitten Who?
In the mood for a fluffy book, I wondered if Cynthia Baxter's Who's Kitten Who? might be a bit too fluffy based on the cover and title. Still, give it a…
Spot the Fire Muster dog
I decided to do a little creative grooming for the Fire Muster. White Poodle plus Fire Muster Dog Show equals Dalmatian Look-alike contender! So I checked with my groomer, a…
Fire Muster
The Fire Muster is this coming weekend - Labour Day Saturday and Sunday - in Pinafore Park, St. Thomas. A chance to see fire fighters, fire trucks old and new,…
Bathing Jamie
Jamie hated baths, indeed Jamie hated water. He was a Collie mixed with something, clearly not a water dog. He had long Collie hair with a thick undercoat. On his…
Backyard Birds
My knowledge of birds is minimal. There’s brown ones, speckled ones, starlings, other big black birds, robins, doves, cardinals and jays. We have all of these in our backyard and…
Water for Elephants
(from 2011*) In the past week, I’ve been sent two Facebook requests to boycott the film Water for Elephants. ADI (Animal Defenders International) says that Have Trunk Will Travel, trainers…
Cat Ladies: The movie
Finally saw the 2009 documentary Cat Ladies and it's well worth watching. What struck me was the ambivalence that all four women felt about what they were doing. They love…
Dallas, a Shepherd
Dallas was on the All Breed Canine Rescue website under “Mature Dogs." I had been looking through rescue sites, hoping no dog would ‘speak’ to me. This gray-muzzled, sharp-faced, squat-bodied…
Rodeo Kings
From St. Thomas Dog Blog July 8, 2011. Sadly in this year's Stampede, 2 horses died in chuckwagon race crashes. William and Kate opened the Calgary Stampede and attended the…
Hot Cars, Hot Dogs
My brother and I conducted an experiment recently on heat build-up in cars. We didn’t plan to, but what happened while he was waiting for me in a parking lot…
Dog Gone
In Dog Gone, a 'Feather Duster Mystery' by Eileen Key, dogs are disappearing from a boarding kennel. Cleaning lady Belle wants to help her friend, the kennel owner, keep her…
My Dog’s Arthritis
My Standard Poodle Leo has arthritis in his spine and left hip. Joint degeneration. His running, jumping and dancing on hind legs must be curtailed. I am sad and furious.…
Living “Equipment”
Armed Forces Day in the US is the 3rd Saturday in May, honouring those who protect and defend. But what of Military Working Dogs, important contributors to any country’s defence?…
Lost and Found
Lost and Found: Dogs, Cats, and Everyday Heroes at a Country Animal Shelter (1998) is a wonderful book. Elizabeth Hess, a New York City arts journalist and author of Nim…
Track Royalty
This coming Saturday, May 2nd, is the Run for the Roses, the first leg of the Triple Crown. The 141st running of the Kentucky Derby. The young royals of mainly…
Raining Puppies
Four years ago, I wrote about emails I received about a litter of puppies, and a swamped rescue group. I doubt the situation has changed much. I just checked Kijiji…
Barn Cats
Frank Moore, a farmer north of Belmont who my parents knew, always had lots of barn cats. He said one year, years before, there had been an explosion of cats…
Australia honours Smoky
On July 20, 2012 in Brisbane Australia, Smoky the war dog was awarded posthumously the Australian Defence Force Tracker and War Dog Association medal for military service. At the Royal…
Yorkie Doodle Update
After I wrote a review of Yorkie Doodle Dandy (St. Thomas Dog Blog, April 2012), I got a lovely email from author Bill Wynne. Thank you so much for the wonderful…
Yorkie Doodle Dandy
I don’t know much about WWII, and even less about the American campaign in the South Pacific. I learned a lot, and felt it, reading about a Yorkshire Terrier. William…
Dog On It: Review
Dog On It is the first in a mystery series by Spencer Quinn, aka Peter Abrahams. The protagonists are Chet (dog) and Bernie (human). Set in the US Southwest, the…
The Tao of Horses
“If you knew a horse, you could depend on him and if he was going to do something bad, you could depend on him to do that too. I always…
‘Trifles’ of Creature Comfort
A 1916 play Trifles was written by American journalist Susan Glaspell. It is a murder mystery based on a real event in Iowa at the turn of the century. A…
Iditarod Murder: Review
A 1991 mystery novel by Sue Henry, the first in her Alaska Mystery series. Murder on the Iditarod Trail is good (title for Amazon). Several murders. At first I thought…
Giving shelter
Years ago, I went to the London Humane Society with a friend. While she looked for a cat, I stayed at the front desk. I was horrified – justifiably or…
The Wrong Dog
In the library last week, I found a new-to-me dog mystery writer. Carol Lea Benjamin writes a series featuring private detective Rachel Alexander and her intrepid Pit Bull partner Dashiell…
Fur Babies
I’m reading Michael Schaffer’s very interesting book One Nation Under Dog. He talks about the term “pet parent.” When I first encountered this phrase, I saw it as, yes, a…
Death and Repose
From my St. Thomas Dog Blog, Apr. 13 2010 - in memory of Jack who died 7 years ago today Today is the 13th anniversary of the death of my…
The Wolf in the Parlor
It took me a few months to read The Wolf in the Parlor: How the dog came to share your brain by Jon Franklin. It was my ‘morning coffee’ book.…
Lab Mysteries
If you like dogs and mystery novels, or even just one or the other, have a look at J. F. Englert’s Bull Moose Dog Run series. There are three so…
Cat People
There are unsung heroes among us. Almost everyone knows one or two, or at least has encountered them. They’re usually not thought of as heroic or civic-minded. Instead they're a…
Cigar 1990-2014
The news from the Kentucky Horse Park that Cigar died Tuesday Oct. 7 made me look through photos I have of him. After retiring in 1999, he lived in the…
Dogs in War
A compendium of examples of dogs in war written by Jim Stewart and originally published on the STDOA website. (Tap highlighted book titles to see on Amazon.) Sergeant Gander The…
Northern Dancer
There are some athletes so well known that, fan or not, you can place the name without thinking. Gordie Howe, Muhammed Ali, Michael Jordan, Northern Dancer. 50 years ago, the…
The Princesses Louise
Is Princess Louise Park in Sussex NB named for a British Royal or a horse? I’ve heard both answers. The person was daughter of Queen Victoria and patron of the…