Aaahhhhh!

I must say that my pug Lili, has the life! I often think about how wonderful it must be to live life moment to moment. No worries about tomorrow, or money or????.....every moment of life being loved and taken care of!

Patience, Patience, Patience!!

One thing I know is that when it comes to animals you need to have patience! When my yearling was delivered she was in a big stock trailer with several other horses that had been purchased and were on the way to their new homes.

It was a big trailer...the horses were not tied to anything...they were free to move around. This would have been a simple delivery for my new baby, named Cheyenne... if only the man who was in charge would have had a little patience.

All that he would have had to do was put her halter on her and lead her out...small step down and she would have been aware of everything in front of her. But for some reason he decided that he needed to back her out (which of course is the way most horses would be taken out of trailer, a horse trailer that is).

Well, backing out of something that she had just ridden in for the first time and not being able to see what the heck was happening, she freaked. She stumbled, caught her rear leg under the trailer and cut it up pretty bad. In fact, so bad that our vet had to come out that day and bandage her up. That wasn't the only time this was done...I had to change bandages, apply ointment, etc. for several weeks. (she always had that scar)

Remember, this was a 1 year old baby who had been frightened and hurt. No wonder the hardest thing that she ever learned was to get into a trailer. You think elephants have a long memory!!

This was one of the most important lessons I have ever learned. It is filed in the 'knowledge of horses' part of my mind....not soon to be forgotten.

Knowing What Is Right, But Doing The Wrong Thing?!

From the time I was a little girl, every birthday as I blew out the candles on my cake, I wished for a horse. This wasn't a realistic wish, of course, as I lived in the suburbs. When I grew up and got married, I finally moved to a place with acreage. One of the first things I did was to start looking to purchase a horse. I had read book after book on the subject but other than the times I rode as a child, I had no hands on experience.

Then one day I saw a beautiful sorrel paint yearling for sale. One look at her and I was hooked. It made no difference to me what the books had said or what any one told me....I was full of information and I knew that it was not the wisest choice I could make; but I followed my heart!

It was a long road full of more books, some wise trainers and lots of love, but Cheyenne turned out to be a wonderful horse. She was worth all the blood, sweat and tears (literally) that I shed over her!

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Which Is The Right Way?

When my pug Lili was about 6 months old we went to Puppy Class. It was more of a 'socialization' event than actual training, but the main idea was to reward with 'treats'.
Lili was the smartest pup in her class. No lie!
Then, when she was about 2 years old we went to a Dog Obedience Class where the main idea was to reward with 'praise'.
Lili finished dead last in her class!
These 2 events left both of us feeling confused and not any more educated in which way was the right way to train your dog!

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A Not So Smart ...Pet Owner

As far back as I can remember humans have referred to other humans by calling them; book smart, street smart, very smart and not so smart...you get the picture?!

Well, I for one want to become petsmart!

Over the years I have loved and cared for many pets: dogs, cats, bunnies, pygmy goats, goldfish, parakeets, guinea pigs, a bearded dragon and horses. I have read books and magazines; watched The Dog Whisperer and Horse Whisperer; shopped the mainstream pet stores like Petsmart and Petco searching for answers. I have become a reservoir of knowledge, but am I petsmart? I think not..... not yet.