This past week was Theo’s final class for puppy training. As per usual, as soon as I pulled him out of his car seat and he realized where he was, he couldn’t wait to jump out of my arms and…

For the first year of a puppy’s life, there will be many firsts. Here are a few our little Theo experienced within the past week or so. 

FIRST SNOW 

We had a dusting of snow earlier this October;…

Those who know me well—or who have been paying attention—know that I have really struggled since we brought our little Theo home. There are so many things that have gone south and every week I feel like I am at…

One week shy of Theo’s five-month birthday, we decided that it was high time that he got a haircut. With this fall’s dewy mornings and unusually wet weather, it was becoming quite tedious to dry him after each walk;…

This was definitely a tough week here in Puppyland. 

Theo woke up Tuesday morning as usual, gobbled up his breakfast (as usual), then suddenly got very agitated, pawing the gate to get out of the kitchen. I thought he…

This week, Theo attended his very first puppy-training class! The instructor is the same young lady who gave us one-on-one training for Theo back in late August. 

My friend suggested I buy a puppy backpack and take the first-day-of-school…

I started this past week feeling drained. With two books launching over the space of a couple of months, I haven’t been able to take weekends off because I have so little time during the week to actually get work…

This past week our focus was on socialization and new adventures for our little Theo. We heard from both the vet and the trainer that it is very important to introduce puppies to as many people and situations as possible…

There has been so much going on in my life that I am a week behind in my posts, but because of the significance of Week 7, I felt it was important not to skip sharing the breakthroughs we had…

When I tell people that I am finding owning a puppy really exhausting, there are basically two different responses: 1) (head nods in understanding and agreement); and 2) “Why?” 

Most people agree that having a new puppy in the…

I am not going to lie—until I had my own puppy, I never quite understood about the appeal of pets. Don’t get me wrong—I value all living creatures. I even wrote a book about animals (click here). But as…

Before we picked Theo up to bring him home, we asked the breeder what Theo’s personality was like. She told us that he tended to sit back and observe what his siblings were doing rather than jump right in. Hmmm,…

As we move on to week 2 of our new adventure, I must say that things haven’t gotten any easier! The sheer volume of daily decisions as new dog owners is overwhelming and non-stop. Plus, of course, there is more…

It’s been less than 24 hours since we brought our new 2.1-kg bundle of joy into our home. And I am bone tired! 

I’m not sure whether my exhaustion is from travelling over 1000 km by car for a…

As I raise awareness about my new book When Sleeping Birds Fly: 365 Amazing Facts About The Animal Kingdom, the same questions have been coming up from various individuals and organizations. I thought it would be helpful to…

I am delighted to share that my story “A Blessed Christmas,” published in the anthology Christmas with Hot Apple Cider has won a 2018 Word Award, category Short Fiction. This was especially meaningful as it was my fifth…

Six years ago, I was relatively new to Facebook. I got an idea to share a miracle-a-day for a full year to inspire and encourage my friends even before I had something published. I called the initiative 365 Days of…

This is my mother, Joan. 

I have always had a close relationship with my mother, and she has been hugely influential in my life. In fact, as I pored over photos of her for this blog, I…

I have had the opportunity over the last five years to visit the East Coast of Canada three times. Our very first visit was to Cape Breton Island of Nova Scotia and this was undoubtedly the most memorable one for…

Since spring remains elusive on the Saskatchewan Prairies (and other places across Canada, for that matter!) I needed to boost my spirits by reviewing photos of some of the most beautiful gardens I have had the pleasure of visiting over…

It's been a long since I had been to African Lion Safari: since my kids were little and we were living in Ontario. But when a business trip took me back to the province in 2014 close to its…

The moment I saw this master class--sponsored by our provincial music association (SaskMusic)--advertised, I knew I had to attend. The opportunity to learn from a world-class vocal coach from NBC’s top-rated show, The Voice,…

The Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park & Zoo has had some amazing animals on exhibit, both past and present. But did you know that there is a plethora of wildlife that can be found on the zoo grounds as well? Here…

Our family has been visiting the Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park & Zoo for as long as we’ve been living in this city—almost 25 years! 

Over the years, the zoo has worked hard to keep the exhibits fresh and exciting.…

I have been to Canada’s east coast several times, flying into New Brunswick’s biggest city, Moncton each time. A must-see on our list (of course) was the Magnetic Hill Zoo, touted as being the fourth best zoo in Canada.