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This month my dear friend Lori took a birthday vacation to the Holy Land. One day while she was there, I received a Facebook message from her. "I went to the Western Wall today." I thought of pictures I'd seen of the Western Wall, also known by some as the Wailing Wall, a 1601-foot long limestone wall in Old City of Jerusalem. "It's a custom to stick notes in the cracks between the stones to ask God to grant requests," she continued. "I wrote a special one for Ernest." So tiny!  Ernest was just diagnosed with cancer. "There is very little space in that wall, and it's difficult to stuff the notes in the cracks, so that's why the paper is so small!" Over a million notes are placed in the Western Wall each year! I was so touched that my friend brought such a special request across so many miles to a place so far away. Here is the note tucked in the stones: Ernest's note. Thank you Lori for praying for Ernest, and for bringing thi...

Petting your dog may save his life. Ernest is a good boy.  A few weeks ago Ernest was at his therapy dog prep class. In between exercises my husband was petting him, stroking his fur like we both do numerous times a day. I'm sure you do with your dog, too. But this time he felt something different. A small bump near Ernest's shoulder. Later that night he showed me. It looked like a mosquito bite. I didn't think anything of it at all. Mike shows me the lump. It's barely the size of a mosquito bite.  A few days later we were at a vet appointment for our puppy. Ernest was with us. Mike happened to mention the bump to the vet. She looked, taking more interest in it than I thought, which surprised me. "I'll aspirate it and take a look," she said, inserting a small needle into the area. To be honest, my only thought at the time was, here goes our bill up, up, up! The next night we received a phone call about 9pm. The vet.  "It's not benign," she s...

Hi there, Petey here. Wednesday I told you that I was going to school. Well, every good dog who goes to school knows that means one thing:  TREATS!!  And where does Mom get my treats? Can you guess? I spelled it out for you on Mom's refrigerator. Mom and I and Ernest are Chewy Influencers. Chewy sent us this awesome bag of Natural Balance mini rewards treats. Whenever I do something good, Mom gives me one. They're mini size, so I don't have to worry about my figure--less than 5 calories each. They're made with high quality proteins. The first ingredient is duck, and they also contain sweet potatoes. Other flavors available are chicken and lamb. Can I just say that learning is delicious?! Check out these and other yummy treats on Chewy. What flavor treats do you like when you are learning new things? Hot dogs? Cheese? Bacon? Full Disclosure: Chewy sent us one 4oz bag mini rewards in exchange for our honest review. Opinions expressed here are 100% my own.

The first day of school is here for Petey. He's ready to start his training to eventually become a therapy dog. Here he is  at 12 weeks old and ready to learn. He's enrolled in puppy kindergarten with trainer Teri. I like Teri because she emphasizes a positive learning environment. No pushing and tugging and jerking. She has lots of lessons for little puppies. Here Pete's learning "sit." There is even recess! The pups get to zoom around and play together. If one gets to be a bit bossy or possessive with a toy, Teri intervenes, scoops the puppy up and gently holds him for a little time out. This way Petey will learn about positive interactions with other dogs. Here he's playing with Luna. And yes, Petey got a time out too. We had a fun obstacle course too. Pete went through a tunnel and hula hoop. Pete loves school! I hope he graduates!  What tips do you have for Pete as he goes through puppy kindergarten?

I love books about dogs--partly because I write books about dogs and the human-animal bond. But I also love reading books about dogs, and I read a lot of them. In addition, I love reading books about dogs to my granddaughters. And personalized books about my own dogs? What's not to love?!  Look! Here are some adorable books about Ernest and Petey. I See Me! Books released a series of illustrated, personalized rhyming storybooks narrated from YOUR dog's perspective. If My Dog Could Talk . They offered me a chance to review the books, and sent me one for Petey, Ernest, and even one as a memorial for our spaniel Kelly. My name, other family members' names and my dog's names were incorporated into the artwork. We enjoyed seeing Petey's name on his dog bed, Ernest's name on a dog bowl, and my name on a picture on the wall. The cute little rhyme expressed our dogs' devotion to their family and the book ended with a loving message. The books are bright and fun, ...

One of the most important things we can do with a new puppy, I learned, is to socialize him. And I nearly broke into a cold sweat when I read that the age a pup needs to be socialized is from about 3 weeks until 16 weeks, and after that the window is shut, permanently. Oh my gosh!  What if I blow it. Am I doing enough? Am I doing it right? I'm cute, right? Why do I need anything else? If we expose our puppies during this time to a wide variety of sights, sounds, smells, people and other dogs, we can help them learn not to be fearful or anxious when faced with something new. Well-socialized dogs are less likely to react with fear or aggression. I must admit I think often about what Petey's temperament will be like when he's older. Sure, he's adorable now, and funny and sweet and playful. But what about when he is a puppy adolescent? And adult? I feel a huge responsibility to do everything I can to help ensure Petey is a friendly and happy and well behaved dog, and one wh...

Have you ever wanted to take better pictures with your dog? But your dog gets distracted and is looking everywhere but the camera? Have you ever thought you could get a good picture, if only you could stick your dog's favorite toy on top of the phone? Well, that's the theory behind the Pooch Selfie! Smile!   Chewy.com sent us a Pooch Selfie smartphone attachment so we could try for ourselves. Basically, it's a clip that snaps onto your smartphone or phone case, and easily holds a tennis ball. (retail $12.99). You can insert your own tennis ball if this one gets demolished! I don't know what they did to this tennis ball, but Ernest went crazy! All he wanted to do was to EAT TENNIS BALL NOW! He is generally a mellow dog, so his excitement surprised me. Tastes good to me, Mom. You wanted a picture of my canines, didn't you? Petey didn't even seem to notice the ball at first, but when he did, he took a nibble. With his miniscule puppy attention span, nothing keeps ...