dogs


Like all animals, dogs have innate needs. These needs are both physical and emotional  – and there’s a blurry line between the two. Beyond simple sustenance for food, water and shelter, dogs need social connections, to feel safe in their environment and to be able to explore their world (in […]

Let Little Dogs Be Dogs


Lately, I’ve been thinking about dogs and dog training. I love my ancient little Scooter, but I miss interacting with an active dog. About 2 months ago I saw a piece in the local paper about how Guiding Eyes for the Blind (GEB) was looking for volunteer puppy raisers here […]

Dog Training!


I used to have a dog named Lily. She took her job of being vigilant about what went on around Little Pond Farm very seriously. She was not an easy dog to live with. I decided that she needed a side-kick. A Robin to her Batman. I found this puppy. […]

Scooter is 14!



Are you having difficulty “sheltering in place?” Stressed out trying to homeschool or work from home? Not sure what to do with yourself? Scooter can show you how to cope with these trying times. Here is his day. Follow along. When your person wakes up, squeeze your eyes shut and […]

Scooter Shows You How


The weather has turned. I’m wearing long sleeves and a vest. Someone is giving me a clear message that he is not a barn dog. At least not when the temperature drops.   That’s okay. You don’t force an animal to be what they’re not. All you can do is to […]

Not A Barn Dog


For ten years, Good Dog Lily was Scooter’s guiding light. Wherever she was, so was he. Granted, she was the active one, keeping deer away, hawks out of the sky, and snakes out of the pond, while he, well… he sprawled out in the sun. With Lily gone, Scooter is […]

Scooter’s Barn Dog Training



I was sitting in my screened porch in my peaceful backyard when a house sparrow landed on a large sunflower growing in a pot by the steps. That wasn’t unusual, this bird often uses the plant as a vantage point. What caught my attention was that he started chirping in […]

Missing The Farm Dog


At some point during the fifteen years that Lily lived with me, I started calling her Good Dog Lily. I did that, not because she was, in the typical sense, a good dog. She was alarmist, hyper-aware, reactive to movement, a barker, an early-riser, an observer, not a cuddler. In […]

Good Dog Lily


I’ve had requests for an update on the animals that live with me. For ten years I wrote about the goings-on with my hens and other creatures that I’ve shared my home with. (You can find that blog here and the bios of critters here.) Everyone is showing signs of aging, […]

Little Pond Farm Faces