Relaxed & Forward Blog

Culture Wars in the Barn

There is a recent article in the NYT about the culture wars going on in dog training that's worth reading....
Read More about Culture Wars in the Barn

Thanksgiving: Our First Horse Was a Dog

Meet my dogs, Preacher Man, Mister, and Jack. They're in the doorway to my writing studio. It's Thanksgiving night, which...
Read More about Thanksgiving: Our First Horse Was a Dog

Undomesticated Women. Anecdotal Evidence from the Road

30 states, 2 oceans, 14,000 miles, 8 months Welcome to our year of living compactly. My dog, Mister, and I...
Read More about Undomesticated Women. Anecdotal Evidence from the Road

Do You Need to Keep Your Horse Calm?

I can't be the only woman of a certain age whose parents thought she needed to be muffled indefinitely. They...
Read More about Do You Need to Keep Your Horse Calm?

Thanksgiving is for the Dogs.

Here are two of my dogs, Preacher Man and Mister, guarding the back door. You'll notice they are facing the...
Read More about Thanksgiving is for the Dogs.

A Book Report and What We Know Now.

A bit of explanation: I grew up on a farm without a bookshelf. We were not readers. Once we finally...
Read More about A Book Report and What We Know Now.

Learning to Herd: How Dogs Become Family

I was raised by people who didn’t let dogs in the house. The common opinion was that dogs should live...
Read More about Learning to Herd: How Dogs Become Family

Poetry Out Loud: Walking the Dog

Walking the Dog There was a message on my phone. My dog...
Read More about Poetry Out Loud: Walking the Dog

Requiem for an Old Truck

req·ui·em/ˈrekwēəm/noun 1.(especially in the Roman Catholic Church) a Mass for the repose of the souls of the dead. There is...
Read More about Requiem for an Old Truck

Things My Dogs Don’t Care About.

I'm the kind of person who has big dogs. I always have been, not that my dogs care. I have...
Read More about Things My Dogs Don’t Care About.

Calming Signals: Sleeping with a Reactive Dog

    I don't mind bragging; I've slept with some very fine dogs in the course of my long and...
Read More about Calming Signals: Sleeping with a Reactive Dog

Calming Signals and Preacher Man: Still “Reactive” After All These Years

Bear with me, please. I miss my dogs, one in particular. I'm in Dunedin, and he's 12,620 km away. It...
Read More about Calming Signals and Preacher Man: Still “Reactive” After All These Years

Photo & Poem: Corgi Moon

The prairie rings with strange voices, this Wolf Moon is owned by coyotes, less visible by day in dry winter...
Read More about Photo & Poem: Corgi Moon

Jack the Dog: Calming Signals and Anthropomorphism

Maybe there's a rule that if you have dogs long enough, you eventually end up with a terrier even if...
Read More about Jack the Dog: Calming Signals and Anthropomorphism

Photo & Poem: Calendar

Tufting the Corgi Do I need a sweater? The evening air has cooled thinner, the time on the clock doesn’t...
Read More about Photo & Poem: Calendar

Photo Challenge and Poem: (Her) Favorite Place

  There was a message on my phone. My dog was ready to come home, they said. It was just...
Read More about Photo Challenge and Poem: (Her) Favorite Place

Photo Challenge & Poem: (bitter)Sweet

Volcanic walls hedge the black-silver sand all the way to the sea's edge. Waves clap the shore, misty clouds rising...
Read More about Photo Challenge & Poem: (bitter)Sweet

Sleeping With The Wrong Dog

Warning: This is not an upbeat rescue story. It's a sad story with a sad ending.  Proceed with caution. Or...
Read More about Sleeping With The Wrong Dog

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your name and email to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.