The heart of a dog's veterinary experience

 

She slammed the door and stalked into the living room, where both her brother and his dog were sprawled out like the dead.

"I need to talk to you, Casanova."

"Don't yell." Flynn remained on the sofa. On the floor beside him Moe whimpered. "Moe needed his shots. We've both been traumatized. Go away. Come back tomorrow."

 

Key of Light

______________

U.S. Air Force photo by SrA Veronica Pierce, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Heart rate responses in dogs vary across a standard physical examination

The results suggest that undergoing a simulated physical examination, even in a mock veterinary setting, can be a stressful experience for dogs.

Science Direct

______________

“You know,” Fiona panted, using her own body to hold Newman’s down, “this dog would walk through fire for me. Through fire over broken glass while meteors rained out of the sky. But I can’t get him to just hold the hell still for a routine exam. And he knew. The minute I called them to get in the car, he knew. How many times do I put them in the car for work, for play, for whatever? How does he know? I had to get the others in first -  they’re more easily fooled. Then drag him. It’s humiliating,” she said to Newman. “For both of us.”

The Search

Words Dogs Love to Hear the Most

 

"Hey, Moe!" Dana shouted. "Cookie!"

That did the trick.

Key of Light

___________________

MichaelMcPhee, CC BY 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Hint: you already say them all the time.

 

Oh, the things dog parents do to elicit a tail wag!  

Southern Living

📖 New Book 🔑

 

Dear husband is starting a new book today; series in fact - The Key Trilogy.

And we've just shared a laugh when I told him (again 😉) that it is one of my favorite. It is. And I know it will be his too.

Holding a grudge can be surprisingly healthy

"Will I have tea?"

She slanted him a look, and a smile. "I suppose."

"There, I told you." He gave her hand a little squeeze. 

"You don't know how to hold a grudge."

"I just need practice," she said and made him laugh.

Enchanted

_______________________

By Graham Crumb/Imagicity.com, CC BY-SA 3.0, 

https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=25283824

Self-reflection is just one of 4 ways it can be good for you.

You hear a lot of talk about how to let go of grudges — how to forgive and forget using a psychological technique or a spiritual process.

And I get it; I've been actively working on letting go of those frustrations in life that are ultimately unimportant or out of my control.

But sometimes holding on is healthy, too.

mother nature network

_______________________

Sensing movement in the doorway behind her, she stiffened. 

"And unlike some, I keep my promises."

"And hold a grudge with equal fervor," 

Jordan commented.

Key of Light

How To Decorate With Your S.O. & Not Go Insane

So they would enjoy each other, and the meal she'd prepared in the awkward, homely kitchen with fresh flowers arranged in a plastic pitcher.

As beginnings went, this one had elements of both of them. Wasn't it interesting how one managed to complement the other?

"You know, if you made me a list of stuff I should have in here, I could pick it up."

She arched her brows, took the wine he offered, then pulled a little notepad out of her apron pocket.

"This is already half full. I was planning to wait until you were lulled into complacency by meat and potatoes."

He flipped through the notebook and noted that items were listed under specific headings. Foodstuffs, Cleaning Supplies—with subheadings Kitchen, Bathroom, Laundry—Household Necessities. Jesus, the woman was irresistible.

"Am I going to need to take out a loan?"

“Think of it as an investment." Taking the notebook from him, she tucked it into his shirt pocket, then concentrated on the potatoes. "Oh, by the way, I really like the art in your office upstairs."

"Art?" It took him a minute. "Oh, my girls. Really?"

"Clever, nostalgic, sexy, stylish. It's a great room altogether, which I admit was something of a relief to me, considering the rest of the house."

Key of Light

_____________________

By Daniel G. Wells III - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, 

https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=46112112

Moving in together is a big step — decorating should not be taken lightly. 

Deciding to move in with your S.O. is a big step. But, not just for the reasons you may think. 

What we really care about is how to seamlessly decorate with your S.O. Do you throw out your stuff in lieu of all new décor? Do you deal with his or her penchant for dusty collectables? 

Well, we tapped Oakland-based jewelry designer Marisa Mason and husband and furniture designer Dave Bell of Jacob May Design to get the scoop

LONNY

_____________________

" It's a kitchen. An actual kitchen."

He was getting it now, and the charge of watching her revel. She'd switched from the rhumba to... he wasn't sure 'what. But she looked really cute. "What was it before?"

"There is no name for what it was before. I'm so happy. I'm so grateful. You're the most wonderful man in the world." She caught his face in her hands and kissed him. "And I'm a terrible person."

"Why? Not the 'I'm wonderful' part, because, hey. But why are you a terrible person?"

"Because I wouldn't move in with you before you did this. I made the kitchen a kind of exchange. Remodel the kitchen and I'll live with you. It was selfish. It worked," she added, raining kisses over his face. "But it was selfish. You're doing this for me. I know I said I wouldn't move in until it was finished, and I even made snarky comments about the lamps up in the bedroom."

"Something about not being fit to light a cave inhabited by bats and blind spiders."

"Yes, that was one of them. Anyway, forgive me?"

"Okay."

"I know it's not quite finished. There's still the counters and the backsplash and, oh, a few more things, but I don't want to wait anymore. I'll move in tomorrow, and we can start, officially, living together."

Key of Knowledge

Activity That Instantly Relieves Stress

But the paintings, large and abstract, were explosions of bold and

restless color. Violent works, Kelsey thought, sated with passion and anger. And signed, she saw with a jolt, with a blood red N C.

Naomi’s work? she wondered. No one had mentioned that her mother painted. No amateurish works these, Kelsey decided, but skilled and capable and disturbing.

They should have unbalanced the steady dignity of the room, she thought as she turned away. Yet they humanized it.

True Betrayals

___________________

By Pedro Ribeiro Simões from Lisboa, Portugal [CC BY 2.0 

(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Have you ever watched in pure wonder at artists in full creative mode? It's as though they're channeling another force through their physical body. Their eyes, while fixated on the canvas in front of them, are merely vessels for translating the energy from within into a creative format we can all digest and enjoy. It's a beautiful thing to witness and, according to science, something we should all be doing too.

MY DOMAINE

___________________

She walked to the canvas waiting on an easel, picked up her palette, and began to mix her paints.

Sun streamed through her windows. Several were open for the practical purpose of cross-ventilation, and for the simple pleasure of feeling the breeze. Music pumped passionately out of the stereo. What she intended to paint today required passion.

She could already see it in her mind, feel the power of it gathering in her like a storm.

She raised her brush, swirled it in color for the first stroke.

Her heart lifted. The magnitude of the joy was almost unbearable. She might burst from it if she didn't transfer it onto canvas.

The image was burned in her mind, like a scene etched on glass. With stroke after stroke, color blended on color, she began to bring it to life.

"You know this was always my deepest dream." She spoke conversationally as she worked. "For as long as I can remember I wanted to paint. To have the talent, the vision, the skill to be an important artist."

"Now you have it."

She switched brushes, glancing at Kane before she faced the canvas again. "Yes, I do."

Key of Light

Better Way To Play With Your Dog

"Uh-huh. This is a great dog, mister."
"The dog's Moe, I'm Flynn. Zoe, can Simon take Moe back out so they can run around like maniacs for a while?"
"Sure. Twenty minutes, Simon, then you hit the books."
"Sweet!"
"Straight out the back," Flynn told him. "There's a ball out there with tooth marks and drool all over it. He likes you to chase it and fetch it back to him."
"You're funny," Simon decided. "Let's go, Moe!"



Key of Light

_________________________

By Takashi Hososhima from Tokyo, Japan (It's happy running time!) [CC BY-SA 2.0

 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

The researchers found that dog owners who touched their dogs more, stayed close and moved around a lot appeared to have more fun while playing with their dogs.

“In other words,” the researchers explain in the study, “people smiled more in play when they were active and moving around, and when there was a lot of physical contact between them and their dogs.” 

HUFFINGTON POST

_________________________

Maybe, in some convoluted way, his mother had been right to foist a dog on him. It forced him to get outside—which was a big part of the purpose of relocating. Gave him a chance to look around, relax, get in tune with what moved around him.


The Search

What Your Dog Says About You

The dog tried to nose in but was elbowed back.

"You lie down, you big sloppy idiot. Not you," he added with a quick, charming grin as he brushed Malory's hair back from her face. "I'm sorry. He's harmless, just clumsy and stupid."
"What… what is it?"
"Moe's a dog, or that's the rumor. We think he's a cross between a cocker spaniel and a woolly mammoth. I'm really sorry. My fault. I wasn't paying enough attention, and he got away from me."

She slid her gaze to the right, where the dog, if it was a dog, was hunkered down, thumping a tail as thick
as her arm and looking as innocent as anything that homely could manage.

Key of Light

______________

If you are single and own a dog, your dog’s breed just may give you a boost in the dating department, according to a survey by the pet social network Klooff.

Klooff surveyed 1,000 people to find out the top 5 breeds that make single men and women more desirable to date. Read on to find out which breeds can help (and hurt) you on the dating scene.

BOSTON

___________________________

“Where’s the dog?”
“In the truck.”
She looked past him, cocked her head. She saw the pup through the window now. A Lab-retriever mix, she judged—and currently very busy.
“Your dog’s eating your truck.”
“What?” He spun around. “Fuck!”
As he made the dash, Fiona signaled her newly alerted dogs to stay and sauntered after him. The best way to get a gauge on the man, the dog and their current dynamic was to watch how he handled the situation.

The Search