Category: Animals

Why, yes, I would save my dog first in case of a fire.
Animals, Daryn's Blog, Dogs, Parenting, Pets

Why, Yes, I Would Save My Dog First In Case Of A Fire. Wouldn’t You?

It’s one of the earliest memories of my horrifying my kids.      Earliest.      Not the last.      I am, after all,      A mother.      A conversation about fire safety started this particular episode.      We started with something like, “How would you get out of the house in an emergency?”      Once I was satisfied with their proposed plans, I shifted to the philosophical. “What is the one thing you would want to save?” I asked. The girls made me go first.      Which was easy, because

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Animals, Daryn's Blog, Dogs, Marriage, Pets

Why I Finally Drew The Line On My Husband’s Love Affair

I drew the line at Chex Mix.      I had to.      Draw it somewhere.      Had you been here to see what’s been going on in this home, you would’ve expected me to do something.      Anything.      A lot sooner.      How many wives could standby calmly      And bear witness to their husband’s love affair?      It started innocently enough.      Taking a walk with her.      Private conversations.      Snuggling on the couch.      Wrestling games.      Husband

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The question every true dog lover must answer.
Animals, Daryn's Blog, Dogs, Love Stories, Marriage, Pets

The Question Every True Dog Lover Must Answer

Panic set in this week. During a phone call home while I was out of town. A last minute trip I’ll tell you about sometime. For now, this panic was about our “newish” puppy. Because of the last second nature of this trip, I left all the animals in care of my husband. There was a time when this would’ve seemed impossible. This man who didn’t want any pets. This man who has come so far. Early on, he learned

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About that time my puppy almost flunked out of obedience school.
Animals, Daryn's Blog, Dogs, Dogs, Pets

About That Time My Puppy Threatened To Flunk Obedience School

It’s that performance anxiety dream. The one where you’re in class and you haven’t done all the work. You’re not going to graduate. You’ll be the laughing stock of the class. You’ve had that dream, Dear Reader? The good part is when you wake up realizing this was just a dream. Everything is fine. Oh, were it so. That was no dream. That was my real life. My real puppy. The real final exam at puppy obedience school. I apologize

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Raising teenagers got you down? Have they made you feel like a terrible person? The miracle cure--get a puppy!
Animals, Daryn's Blog, Family, Kids, Overcoming Obstacles, Parenting, Pets

Your Miracle Cure When Raising Teenagers Gets You Down

I’m still shaking my head. At this miracle treatment. The syndrome for which I was told there was no cure. That only time would heal this common malady. The affliction of living with teenagers. Perhaps you know the symptoms, Dear Reader. The rejection of your very being. To be told, That you are a dumb adult, Totally no fun to be around, A colossal bore. With an 16-year-old and an 18-year-old at home, we are in the thick of it.

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The puppy you prescribed for my broken heart.
Animals, Daryn's Blog, Pets, Uplifting Stories

The Puppy You Prescribed For My Broken Doggie Heart

You did this. I’ve said that many times these last few days. You, Dear Reader. You, who took the time to reach out after my beloved Darla Dog passed. You, who encouraged me to get another dog. You, who told me to not wait too long. You, who said the ache would ease. You, who said it wouldn’t, but to take the dive anyway. And so well, Saturday. The day my daughter saw a crack of opportunity in my husband’s

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Baby Koala clings to his mother as she undergoes life-saving surgery.
Animals, Family, Good News, Uplifting Stories

Koala Baby Clings To His Mother While She Has Life-Saving Surgery

Leave it to a baby koala named, “Phantom,” to be the best smile therapy you will find today. He certainly was the magic potion for his mum who had to undergo surgery at the Australia Zoo. The Courier Mail newspaper reports the mother and her 6-month-old baby were hit by a car along an Australian highway.  Baby Phantom was okay, but mother Lizzie had significant injuries including a collapsed lung. Veterinarians knew that mama would need surgery. They figured it would

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An alligator living in the Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia is part of a final test making our marriage legal.
Animals, Daryn's Blog, Marriage, Travel

The Alligator And Canoe It Took To Finally Legalize Our Marriage

It’s possible our marriage wasn’t even legal. It’s not like my husband and I were in a crazy hurry to get married. We dated for two years. Carefully read and answered a book with 276 pre-marital questions. And yet, somehow we got hitched without what Husband said he would never do. “We can’t get married without going on a canoe trip,” he declared sometime during dating. We would have to see how we would do paddling a canoe. Together. Do

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How losing love and my beloved DarlaDog has sent me into crazyland.
Animals, Daryn's Blog, Pets, The Hard Stuff

How Losing Love Has Sent Me Into Crazy Land

I’ve become that lady. The crazy one. You probably figured this was coming, Dear Reader. Checking in each week to see if I’ve become her yet. Indeed, I have. The crazy lady who misses her dog. Beyond misses. Most days, I ache. It’s been about two months since DarlaDog passed. I still swear I can hear her collar jingling in the other room. Still catch my breath when I see a few scraps from dinner and have to remind myself,

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Oh, how I will miss these conversations with my dog.
Animals, Daryn's Blog, Pets, The Hard Stuff

The Lies My Dog And I Told Each Other

What can I say? I lied to my dog. Each day for almost 17 years I declared, “You are the smartest! The prettiest! The most clever! Best dog ever.” Well, the day she ate the stuffing out of my neighbor’s antique chair, I might’ve had a few other choice words. Still, I bet that day, Any day, really, She heard me. Smartest. Prettiest. Best. Was it a lie? Indeed, it was. Darla would never win Westminster. She never earned a

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