Life is Just a Bowl of Kibble

Some of you may remember that I developed knee problems last year. The cause of the injury only became clear to me after surgery when I started taking walks with Nemo, the family beagle. If you’ve raised one of these critters you know that beagles are mostly nose, and that nose leads them into all…

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Sniffing Out A Story (Again)

In the spirit of recycling, something I’m getting quite adept at as I get ready to move, today I’m recycling a blog from September 2010 about my silly beagle Nemo.  I’m pleased to tell you that Nemo is, of course, still with us and every bit as neurotic as I paint him in the following…

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Unexpected Gifts

Nemo, our rescue beagle, loves everybody, but some people are particularly special to him.  The son and daughter-in-law who found him in the woods as a puppy and nursed him back to health and into our home.  Other family members.  My cleaning lady and my assistant, both of whom have provided pet care in the past.  …

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Sniffing Out A Story, One Piece of Evidence At A Time

I’m still not quite sure how this happened.  One moment I volunteered to dog-sit for the pathetic puppy that my son and daughter-in-law had  rescued from the path of a bush hog and nursed back to health.  The next I was on the telephone with my husband, who was out of town at a conference. …

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The Dog Who Came to Stay

We celebrated Labor Day in Virginia’s Piedmont, surrounded by rolling hills and mountains.  One night we sat in a screened-in pond house at sunset with wine and cheese and family, waiting for the night noises to begin. It’s not unusual to have all manner of animals tiptoe down to the pond for their own nightly…

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Finding Your Voice

Never having owned a beagle, when people asked if puppy Nemo had found his voice, I found the question odd.  Yes, Nemo growled, and barked–or something that passed for one.  And sometimes, Nemo even howled.  This last was charming, a serenade similar to the one our Australian Shepherd used to warble when he sang along at birthday parties. Then…

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On the Scent

Nemo and I take a morning walk almost every day.  Nemo’s particularly fond of snow and ice, and Emilie is not.  Despite this, we find ways to cope.  A regional park not far from my house offers trails through the forest, as well as a wide road that’s plowed at the first sign of snow.  On snowy…

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Christmas. . . and beagles

Nemo came to live with us two summers ago.  We had always had dogs, but after finally losing two old friends, we decided to take a break.  As much as we missed Kiwi and Dingo, there was something nice about just locking the door and walking away when we wanted to visit children or travel. …

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