a bird's eye view 2014 |
a bird's eye view 2013 and 2012 |
a bird's eye view 2011 and 2010 |
a bird's eye view 2009 |
a sense of place 2010 and 2009 |
elfin forest 2014 |
elfin forest 2013 and 2012 |
elfin forest 2011 and 2010 |
elfin forest 2009 |
eye on the estuary 2011 and 2010 |
healthy creeks 2012 |
marine sanctuaries 2014 |
marine sanctuaries 2013 and 2012 |
marine sanctuaries 2011 and 2010 |
ocean creatures 2011, 2010 and 2009 |
pacific wildlife care 2014 |
sweet springs reflections 2012 |
sweet springs reflections 2011 |
whale watch adventures 2014 and 2013 |
environment |
exploring outdoors |
food and cooking |
health and well being |
native american culture |
people |
personal reflections |
pets |
sports and fitness |
travel and entertainment |
go green |
one cool earth |
go green 2013 and 2012 |
go green 2011 and 2010 |
go green 2009 |
one cool earth 2013 and 2012 |
a roe adventure |
exploring the coast |
take a hike |
wilderness mind |
a roe adventure 2014 |
a roe adventure 2013 |
exploring the coast 2013 and 2012 |
exploring the coast 2011 and 2010 |
exploring the coast 2009 |
wilderness mind 2010 |
slo coast cooking |
grow learn eat |
fausto and julia's food for thought |
slo coast cooking 2013, 2012 and 2011 |
grow learn eat 2011 and 2010 |
food for thought 2010 and 2009 |
ask the doc |
body mind and spirit |
feel better forever |
medical myth busting |
ask the doc 2014 |
ask the doc 2013 and 2012 |
ask the doc 2011 and 2010 |
body mind spirit 2011 and 2010 |
body mind spirit 2009 |
feel better forever 2014 |
feel better forever 2013 and 2012 |
feel better forever2011 and 2010 |
medical myth busting 2012 |
medical myth busting 2011, 2010 and 2009 |
northern chumash |
northern chumash tribal council 2014 |
northern chumash 2013 and 2012 |
coast seniorwatch |
joanne heaney los osos treasure |
meet the neighbors |
memorial to Joe Giannini |
coast senior watch 2012 and 2011 |
meet the neighbors 2010 |
beyond the badge |
coastland contemplations |
observations of a country squire |
dear abe |
double vision |
far horizons |
morro musings |
surfing through life |
the human condition |
under the tongue |
whooo knew |
beyond the badge 2014 |
beyond the badge 2013 and 2012 |
beyond the badge 2011 and 2010 |
coastland contemplations 2014 |
coastland contemplations2013 and 2012 |
coastland contemplations2011 and 2010 |
observations of a country squire 2014 |
observations of a country squire 2014 |
observations of a country squire 2011 and 2010 |
dear abe2013 and 2012 |
double vision 2014 |
double vision 2013 and 2012 |
double vision 2011 and 2010 |
far horizons 2011 and 2010 |
morro musings 2010 and 2009 |
surfing thourgh life 2 2013 |
the human condition 2014 |
the human condition 2013 2012 and 2011 |
under the tongue 2012 |
under the tongue 2011 and 2010 |
whooo knew |
best friends |
critter care |
best friends 2014 |
best friends 2013 and 2012 |
best friends 2011 and 2010 |
best friends 2009 |
critter care 2010 and 2009 |
adventures in fitness |
sports spot |
surfing out of the box |
view from the lineup |
adventures in fitness 2010 and 2009 |
sports spot 2009 |
surfing out of the box 2013 |
surfing out of the box 2011 and 2010 |
view from the lineup 2009 and 2010 |
a peru adventure |
free live music |
journey to maui |
free live music 2011 and 2010 |
astrology |
decorative arts |
fine arts |
music |
non-fiction |
photography |
poetry and prose |
elements of life |
elements of life 2014 |
elements of life 2013 |
ikebana |
turning weapons into art |
art talk |
seasons come seasons go |
art talk 2011, 2010 and 2009 |
a bird of many songs |
mostly music |
musical notes |
opera slo |
san luis obispo wind orchestra |
the groff midi pedalboard |
mostly music 2013 |
opera slo 2014 |
opera slo 2013 and 2012 |
opera slo 2011 and 2010 |
stories from my heart |
the joy of sexus |
eye on the coast |
great shots |
our world underwater |
photo talk |
shutterbugs |
eye on the coast 2012 |
great shots 2014 |
great shots 2013 and 2012 |
great shots 2011 and 2010 |
great shots 2009 |
photo talk 2009 |
shutterbugs 2014 |
shutterbugs 2013 and 2012 |
shutterbugs 2011 |
atascadero writers group |
dappled things |
frustrated local writer |
genies pocket |
great fiction |
in other words |
one poets perspective |
practicing poetic justice |
wildheart |
atascadero writers group 2016 |
atascadero writers group 2015 and 2014 |
atascadero writers group 2013 and 2012 |
atascadero writers January 2016 |
atascadero writers November 2015 |
frustrated local writer 2014 |
frustrated local writer 2013 |
genies pocket 2014 |
genies pocket 2013 and 2012 |
genies pocket 2011 and 2010 |
genies pocket 2009 |
great fiction 2014 |
in other words 2009 |
one poets perspective 2014 |
one poets perspective 2013 and 2012 |
one poets perspective 2011 and 2010 |
practicing poetic justice 2014 |
practicing poetic justice 2013 and 2012 |
wildheart 2011 and 2010 |
2011 and 2010 Columns
December, 2011 Mind Reader in Your Home
Among sentient friends, most of us would include our dogs. What dog owner hasn't experienced their dog reading their mind, emotions, beliefs, or intentions? In fact, dogs are scientifically acknowledged as experts in reading us! In behavioral and cognitive studies, the ability of domestic dogs to respond to human social cues has been extensively documented.
November, 2011 Where Did I Go Wrong?
Earlier this year, Virbac Animal Health asked veterinarians to submit "The funniest question you've ever been asked by a client." Below are some of the replies from long suffering veterinarians:
October, 2011 How to Elicit a Dog Bite -
A 2009 study by The Coalition for Living Safely with Dogs reviewed over 2,000 incidents in which dogs had bitten people. It made for some interesting reading and conclusions. Some of the key findings and informed speculations from that report are listed here.
September, 2011 Tapeworms — Tiny Evil Snakes? . . . or just Easy Riders?
Often topping the list of suspected evil villains are intestinal parasites -
August, 2011 "Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea."
"Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea."
This quote by Robert A. Heinlein, and the two dozen quotes below, reflect how so many of us—in fascination and intrigue—have gazed upon felinity or pondered upon the ocean of feelings between humans and dogs. I have never grown weary of observing our pets, working with them, or of being a participant in the human/animal bond.
July, 2011 The Effect of Music on Dogs: Entrainment
Have you ever wondered which music dogs would like, or if they are affected by the
music we play? Perhaps dogs would gravitate toward country music? The nature of dogs
seems to fall right in with Nashville's straight-
June, 2011 The Invisible Graffiti of the Feline Universe Note: duplicate of June, 2014 article
Peer into the mysterious world of our domestic cats: the invisible ink of their scent graffiti marks our walls and furniture right beneath our noses. When your cats rub against you, they are not just demonstrating affection (or soliciting food), they are also, in fact, tagging you.
May, 2011 Kitten Tsunami Alert!
Well here they come. Waves of kittens are headed our way.
April, 2011 A Check-
Would you call yourself a "dog person" or a "cat person?" Maybe you would say both . . . or neither? In any case, most of us harbor a suspicion that an exclusive preference for dogs or cats reflects some underlying personality difference in the people who would emphatically declare themselves to be either a dog person or a cat person.
March, 2011 Indestructible Myths
While a fraction of truth might be contained within this myth, both dogs and cats
have a variety of reasons for eating grass -
February, 2011 Profile of a Person Who Poisons Pets Note: duplicate of a March, 2013 article
Statistics overwhelmingly reveal that the person who poisons pets is most often a person in the pet's home—the owner or another household member! Despite the best of intentions, it comes down to a lack of awareness. The pets' suffering, owner expense, and the cruel guilt of poisoning one's own pet is common yet avoidable.
January, 2011 Dogs—They Know Note: duplicate of a June, 2013 article
Many of the incredible, fascinating attributes and qualities of man's best friend are traced back in evolution as inherited from the ancestor of the domesticated dog, the gray wolf
December, 2010 'Till Death They Do Shed Note: duplicate of a November, 2013 article
There is no dog, or breed of dog, that does not shed. You may have a Chinese Crested or a Mexican Hairless Chihuahua, but what little hair they all do have still goes through the universal hair cycle. Each hair has a phase of growing out to a certain length, a phase of remaining in place but no longer growing, and then finally each hair is shed from the skin
November, 2010 Pet Medical Insurance
Often heard in veterinary clinics -
October, 2010 No Round Pets!
The United States has the fattest pets in the world. This continues to emerge as
the leading cause of preventable disease and death in dogs and cats. Yet to even
breathe to a pet owner that their pet is overweight, you will hit a wall of disbelief
and denial, and -
September, 2010 Nepeta Cataria
Can your cat get Nepeta cataria from you? Yes—and the main symptom is you laughing at your cat.
August, 2010 The Dogs of Our Lives Note: duplicate of a January, 2014 article
"If you can look at a dog and not feel vicarious excitement and affection, you must be a cat."
The above quote by an unknown author. Those collected below look at the ocean of feelings between humans and dogs. I have never grown weary of seeing it, being around it, or of being a participant.
July, 2010 Returning the Feline Gaze Note: duplicate of a December, 2013 article
Returning the Feline Gaze -
June, 2010 The War on Fleas: Intel / Strategies / Myths
This enemy can replenish itself with new, ever larger generations every three weeks
during the war's warmer months. This enemy does not retreat in winter; their life
style is to retrench and subsist. Their reproductive cycle (eggs to pupae to larvae
to new adults) in cooler weather may slow to every three months. Therefore, year-
May, 2010 "Let's Get the Kitty Declawed" -
Many requests to declaw a cat will fall by the wayside simply with the mention that declawing is not something that we as veterinarians do automatically or even routinely.
April, 2010 Tumor Hounds Note: duplicate of an April, 2014 article
In 1989 The Lancet medical journal published the findings of dermatologists that
showed dogs could be trained to recognize malignant melanomas and basal cell carcinomas
on the skin of human patients -
March, 2010 Microchip Identification for Pets
The goal of having your dog or cat microchipped is most commonly to identify them as belonging to you should they get lost or stolen. Of course, wearing a collar all the time and keeping the information on the tags current is still the obvious first line of protection. But those collars can come off, especially if your pet gets out on adventure. The use of microchip ID for pets has led to many happy success stories that simply were not previously possible. Let's go thru an example of the whole process as a way to understand how it all works.
February, 2010 Myths, Beliefs and Assumptions of Pet Owners: Oral Traditions?
I have come to believe that the closely held beliefs of pet owners must be passed down by word of mouth from one generation to next without written form. Oral traditions? Whatever; these myths, beliefs, and assumptions are so well entrenched and widespread that veterinarians grapple with them, if not hourly, then daily, before lunch. Let's look at a few
January, 2010 Killer On The Roam: Canine and Feline Mouth Worms
Your dogs and cats -
Back to Best Friends 2013 and 2012 Go to Best Friends 2009