Pets

  • Training Sam to be a Killer

    Sam, a photo by Big Blue Mess on Flickr. So, yesterday we had to have another frank talk with Sam. As you may recall, we recently had to educate her on her kind’s not so proud history of hunting rabbits and foxes in packs. We tried to explain that it’s not exactly fair when you…

  • Sam Update: The Mighty Huntress

    Yard Snacks, a photo by Big Blue Mess on Flickr. Well, Sam got a bird yesterday. (Jay couldn’t get to it before she did.) I can’t decide if I’m full of pride that our gimpy little beagle managed to live out some feral dream or feel bad for the poor creature whose last moments left…

  • Sam Update: Sometimes You Wanna Go

    Sam vs. A Sad Little Pigeon, a photo by Big Blue Mess on Flickr. To catch everyone up on Sam – what we learned from the vet a couple of weeks ago is that Sam has degenerative joint disease in both her hips and stifles and the vet noticed arthritic changes in her hips. The excruciating pain…

  • Sam Update: Back to the Orthopedic Specialist

    Not too long ago I proclaimed that Sam had gone a full year without a major medical event.  When I made that hesitantly bold (not an oxymoron) statement I then asked that everyone knock on wood in an attempt to not anger the fates that clearly have it in for beagles.  Well, it looks like…

  • Sam Update: Commands

    You’ve been without a Sam update in a while and I feel like I can cautiously report that Sam has gone a full year without a major medical event. I feel hesitant proclaiming this, because it seems a bit like asking the evil powers that be to come up with something new and more exciting.…

  • Sam vs. Cow

    Sam is not exactly full of surprises, unless you count the number of visits with various vet specialists over the past few years. In fact, Sam is fairly simple, she likes to eat (no really, she’s a hound – this borders on crazy like a starving refugee left alone at a buffet – in fact,…

  • Sam: Routines

    Originally uploaded by Big Blue Mess For months after we first got Sam from the hound rescue folks she had a difficult time coping with separation. Sam would shake uncontrollably to the point that I thought she was having a mild seizure and wail by the door (and this was with someone staying with her).…

  • Sam’s Week: I’m Insane(er)

    Sam Originally uploaded by Big Blue Mess It finally happened, Sam’s knee went out again and my stomach landed around my ankles. I called the surgeon’s office, had Jay drop her off the next day and then waited and waited to find out what happened. My work day ended with no news so I ended…

  • Sam’s Week: The Vet, No Wine & The Incident at the Waterbowl

    This past week, my first truly free weekend in a long while, involved Sam going back to the vet.  Fortunately, it was just for a nail trim and tush squeeze.  Yes, I know that’s not particularly delicate, but one of the joys with Sam is that she can’t express certain glands like other dogs and…

  • Sam’s Week: Toy Turf

    The cats have never taken a real shine to Sam, because when Sam entered our lives, out went all of the digestible cat toys (aka the fun ones). Where they used to bat toy mice under the door for hours or throw them up in the air and chase them around the house, they now…