Knowing your Dog
Boathouse Camp Unleashed
Over Labor Day weekend I gave a presentation on “Living With Dogs” based on my recently published book “There’s a Dog in the House” at Camp Unleashed in Becket, Massachusetts. It was my fourth Camp Unleashed. I attended the inaugural CU in 2004 with Teddy, both Teddy and Lena in 2005 and then once again with Lena in 2007. This time our Sheltie Quinn accompanied me. Continue reading
A Conversation with Amy McCawley
Two of Amy's Dogs on her Sofa
The Livable Home Store
Where can you find wonderful home furnishings selected specifically for your dog friendly home? The Livable Home Store. It’s an online home furnishings store conceived by interior designer Amy McCawley of Denver, Colorado. Amy’s goal was to come up with a more cohesive lifestyle with her pets. She was tired of trying to keep her home stylish AND able to withstand her 4 dogs and cat. Amy currently has 2 Bassett Hounds, Jessie, a Dalmatian/Lab mix and Oliver a Maine Coon cat. She is currently fostering another Bassett. To find the right items she did a lot of research and conducted her own tests. Her home, and pets, became a living laboratory. From there, The Livable Home collection was born. Continue reading
Haiku Swimming 1980
What the Dobermans taught me about design……
My first Doberman was a Christmas gift from a boyfriend. She was the best gift I have ever received. Everything about that puppy went against all the dog experts’ advice: never give a puppy for Christmas, a Doberman is not a good first dog (where do you start then?), I was still in college and lived with my parents in summer and rented during the school year. I named her Haiku, she turned out to be a wonderful dog and lived to be 14 years old (1976-1990). Since then there was Willa (1993-2002) and we now have Lena who is 8 years old. I am very passionate about Dobermans even though I have had other types of dogs over the past 30+ years. One thing I do agree with the experts, they are not for everyone. I could go on all day about their virtues, but that’s not what this post is about. Continue reading
What Teddy taught me about design (Part 1)….
Teddy’s Great Escape
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Teddy
Teddy and Nancy 2004 Camp Unleashed ©2009 Trix Rosen Photography
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It was a beautiful day in September 2004 when Teddy and I arrived at the inaugural Camp Unleashed at a boys’ camp on the shore of the Stockbridge Bowl in Lenox, Massachusetts. Since there were only 10 “campers” that year we all stayed at an inn in nearby New York State. The inn was a renovated mill, in a pretty valley next to a stream. Dogs were allowed in camper rooms and some of the public spaces at the inn, but NOT in the dining room. So breakfast and dinner were sans dogs. One evening we were all seated around the dinner table getting to know each other better, discussing our day at camp and our dogs. I knew that my room was directly above the dining room and suddenly we all heard a loud banging sound coming from above. I was a bit embarrassed but explained that I thought it might be Teddy “humping” the pillows on the bed and everyone laughed. The sound stopped and shortly after Teddy appeared at my feet. We were all stunned. To this day I have no idea how he got there, but I assume he came through the ceiling. When I went back to my room, I found the door locked and the windows were closed and locked too. I did find a rather large hole in the wall under the sink that he certainly could have fit through. There was a suspended ceiling in a room adjacent to the dining room that would have been easy for him to push through. Continue reading
Teddy 2010 (photo by Natalie Sinisgalli)
1994? – 2011
Teddy, the adorable little dog on both the front and back cover of “There’s a Dog in the House,” died last week from the affects of advanced kidney disease and congestive heart failure. We estimate that he was between 16 and 17 years old. Continue reading
Selecting the right professional
Before commencing any design project, whether it is building a new home or renovating an existing one, you must find appropriate professional advisors. The primary professionals are architects, interior designers and building contractors. One project may require an architect, an interior designer and a contractor, while another requires only a good contractor. This depends upon the size of your project, legalities, your skill level, and the amount of time you have to oversee the job. New construction generally requires an architect and a building contractor. Renovation project requirements vary depending upon location. Some states or municipalities set a limit based on the square footage and/or a dollar amount to determine whether the drawings for a renovation project must be prepared by a licensed architect. It is the homeowner’s responsibility to know these regulations before beginning the project. Continue reading
Post-Surgical Home Preparation
(Watch a short video of Lena’s Recovery)
In April 2009, our Doberman Lena had a dorsal laminectomy to reduce a severe spinal compression* in her neck. The surgery was done at Cornell University. The vets were surprised at the severity of the compression since Lena was able to walk and move fairly well prior to the surgery. With her condition they would have expected her to be paralyzed. The diagnosis process had lasted two years and was complicated by the fact that her symptoms were subtle; one blood test had shown exposure to Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and treatment made her temporarily better. In addition there wasn’t an adequate MRI machine within 5 hours of where we live. The diagnosis came shortly after an MRI facility came to our area.
Lena post surgery at Thera Vet Acres
The vets had warned us that Lena would most likely be completely, but temporarily, paralyzed after the surgery. And she was, in all four limbs. Lena’s paralysis lasted 52 days, a significantly long time. While most dogs recover in less time, there are plenty of dogs who take longer to recover. Case studies can be found online. Continue reading
Don't you hear that?
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Maddie and Spangle Relaxed
Not long ago my friend Andrea was awakened at 1 a.m. by a prodding nose. Maddie, herPortuguese Water Dog was clearly agitated by something. After a trip outdoors Maddie was still distressed and Andrea stroked her for a while hoping to calm her down. Maddie continued her prodding on and off throughout the early morning and eventually settled down. Continue reading
Be sure to check out the Dog of the Week page. Every week I will add an antique photograph of a dog. Some images include the photographer’s name and/or the name of the dog. More often than not both are anonymous. What they do show are beautiful dogs that were loved by someone. All of the photographs were created between 1840 and 1920. Enjoy!
What’s all the fuss about VOCs?
(Portions adapted from “There’s A Dog in the House: A practical guide for creating today’s dog-friendly home”)
Indoor air quality is a major concern because the average human spends 90% of a typical day indoors. Our dogs often spend more time inside our homes than we do which means that indoor air quality in homes is a concern for them as well. While many things can contribute to poor indoor air quality one primary culprit is VOCs. Continue reading
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