November 15, 2016

A Dog-Less Road Trip - But Not Totally

Remember I posted recently about Rita's car anxiety and the triple-whammy I was going to try to use on her for our upcoming road trip? Well, I didn't have to triple-whammy her, because at the last minute things worked out for her to stay and play with Reg. (Yay! She loves Reg and hadn't seen him in a while!)
Reg & Rita - Reunited!

November 8, 2016

Running Negative Splits With the Dog

If you don't run or swim competitively, you might not know what negative splits are. (No, they're not banana splits minus the banana.) A negative split is when you try to complete the second half of your workout/race in less time than it took to do the first half.

Normally, you're nice and fresh for the first half, so that's your faster half - but not if you run with Rita. Rita always seems to want to run a negative split.
My adorable running partner. (Note the sandy nose.)

November 1, 2016

Is There a Dog-Lover Gene?

I think there must be a dog-lover gene. I have no scientific evidence, but I do have photographic evidence!

I give you... me with our pup Bailey* (many moons ago)...

October 25, 2016

When Car Rides Turn Scary - Pups with Anxiety

Rita is great about riding in the car - at least when we're just running errands. She hops in the back seat, raring to go, and never tries to come up front. In fact, I've left an open bag of treats in the front seat when I run into the store for something quick, and she's still just sitting quietly in the back when I return.

But lately, when we go on road trips, she gets worse and worse anxiety each time. Here she is hiding under the bed we put in the backseat to keep her comfy:
"The evil things won't find me under here!"

October 18, 2016

Furry Ninja: Is My Pet Trying To Kill Me?

This seemingly innocent fuzzy-faced pup tried to kill me a couple of weeks ago.
So cute. So innocent looking. But a silent killer lurks within....

October 11, 2016

Q&A with Author Barbara Techel - "Wisdom Found in the Pause"

Some of you may already know my guest today, or you might remember her previous visit to Pooch Smooches (especially since it was a very memorable post called "Poop Happens"). Please welcome author and all-around lovely person, Barbara Techel!

Barbara has a new book out called "Wisdom Found in the Pause: Joie's Gift." It's available on Amazon as an e-book or paperback.

Today I'm interviewing Barbara, and you can find my review at the end of the post!
Barbara & her special-needs pup, Joie

October 4, 2016

You Can't Beat a Beach Vaca With Your Furry Buddy!

As you guys know, we took a week off from the blog a couple of weeks ago to celebrate our 20th anniversary. To celebrate, we traveled up the coast with Rita to Los Olivos and Cambria in central California.

Rita is still getting really stressed in the car (probably a subject for another post) so she was exhausted after our drive to Los Olivos. She collapsed on top of her squeaky chipmunk.