Sometimes you’ve gotta just wonder what people are thinking. While I’m a firm believer that there are no stupid questions, in honor of Ask a Stupid Question Day, I asked my friends to share the dumb questions they’ve been asked about their dogs. Enjoy!

Deborah Mary – Doberman Pinschers – “Your dog ...

Today is Checkers Day. No, not the game, the Cocker Spaniel who saved a political career.

In 1952, when Richard Nixon was running for Vice President, he was accused of using donations intended as campaign funds for his own personal gain. Two weeks before election day, he delivered a half-hour telev...

You know I’m a dog person, right? This isn’t coming as a shock to anyone who knows me, or most of the people who just know OF me. I have two dogs now, (just in case you’re counting, they are dogs number 16 and 17) and since I got my first Siberian Husky, I’ve been enthralled by all things dog – dog ...

Today seems like a good day to recognize the weirdos among us. When you were growing up, did the other kids ever call you “weird” too, like they did me? Then let’s celebrate us, too!

We humans put a lot of stock in conformity, when in fact it’s our uniqueness that sets us apart and makes us special...

Welcome to September, the portal to the fastest four months of the year. It begins with or includes a three-day weekend celebrating workers and everything we contribute to the world. It’s the unofficial end of summer. September is the line of demarcation for wearing white and seersucker – as of yest...

Today, let’s imagine a world without dogs. What would be different, and how would humans be different?

1. Humans would be less physically fit. Dog owners enjoy more time outdoors, interacting with the environment, other people, and getting more exercise.
2. Those with disabilities would find their liv
...

Have you ever thought about innovation and how it’s shaped the world we live in? Today is Aviation Day, which is what got me started thinking about innovation. What is it and where does it come from and why does innovation and imagination seem to disappear in most people as we get older?

Let’s take...

You’ve seen them – those hard-working dogs in service to humans. Have you thought about the many different ways dogs are trained to help people? Since it’s Assistance Dog Week this newsletter is a celebration of service dogs, the people who they serve, and the people who breed and raise and train th...

Have you ever made a decision based on what you thought, not what you knew? Sure – most, if not all of us have at one time or another. I vividly remember watching tv with my parents when I was a kid, and Dolly Parton was singing. I came to the triple conclusions that she was glamorous, was a good si...

Have you ever thought about friendship and why it feels so good? Have you ever wondered if our pets can be considered friends, and whether they have friends, too?

OK, yes – I do let my brain-train glide down some odd tracks now and then, and today’s article is going down one of those.

First, what ...

Is there someone in your life who’s difficult to manage or difficult to be around? All isn’t lost, and while this article may seem off the topic of people, I promise you it isn’t.

Think about the Siberian Huskies you’ve seen on social media or known in real life. What are the words that come to m...

Today is National Pet Fire Safety Day, and I’ve made a dorky decision – that’s not today’s topic. Instead, I’ve decided to be a dork today in honor of Be a Dork Day.

C’mon, you know you want to be a dork too, right?

No? Where’s your sense of fun? Many people think that being a dork is a bad thing....

I get it. It’s brain science. Old habits die hard, and they die harder the older a person gets. People who’ve grown up associating a certain day with a certain type of celebration and who’ve participated in that type of celebration every year have a very hard time understanding why some people want ...

Here we are with half of the year behind us. First of all, how the heck did that happen? Time flies faster than Kacey the Siberian scarfs down her food, and she’s an epic eater!

Are you a person who sets goals with timelines attached to them, and if so, are you working on a goal right now? Goal-set...

Saturday was the first day of summer in the northern hemisphere and the first day of winter in the southern. That makes this a good time to think about change.

I’ve been thinking about change a lot lately, as I’ve been house-hunting and packing things in my current home. As the child of a career mi...

Have you ever watched dogs playing together? It’s so entertaining to watch them play – right up until it’s not. Maybe you’ve seen this – two dogs playing together and suddenly they’re squared up and threatening to fight. It’s tough to see what changed the dynamic unless you’re a dog body language ex...

Hi {{ first_name }},

Have you ever lost a pet? Can you remember the physicalness of the pain – the pain in your chest, the hollowness of your being, the emptiness in your home? What is that? Why is that?  

There’s a reason the phrase “suffer a loss” is used. It’s because it’s accurate. Research on...

What do service clubs, civic clubs, and dog clubs have in common? Two major things, it turns out.

Are you in a club, or maybe more than one? It could be Rotary, Toastmaster, PTA, or your local kennel club – do you belong? If so, maybe you’ve noticed a couple of things – the club is smaller than it ...

This week’s newsletter might make you smile. This week’s newsletter might make you angry. This week's newsletter might do both and it also might just surprise you with information you didn’t know.

Today is National Rescue Dog Day. It’s a day that highlights the many dogs in animal shelters, awaitin...

I love writing this newsletter – it’s an excuse to learn things for me and a way to spread good and potentially useful information to you.

I learned today about an observance I’ve never heard of, and maybe you haven’t, either. Tomorrow is Donate a Day’s Wages to Charity Day. It’s been around since ...

Once upon a time, in living rooms, backyards, and sunlit windowsills, a team of tiny, furry (and sometimes feathered or finny) guardians set out on a mission: to keep their humans healthy and happy.

They came in every shape and size: bold dogs with wagging tails, cool kitties with slow blinks, hams...

If you knew it could be granted, what would you wish for? Would your wish change if you knew you were approaching the end of your life here on Earth?

The most common wishes are for health, happiness, love, and success. That’s what most adults would wish for. How about children facing a life-threate...

The earth is getting colder and it’s a dire emergency. Wait – maybe the earth is getting warmer and it’s a dire emergency. In the past 50 years, climate change has been front and center, with strident voices trumpeting many different points of view. How can we know what’s right or what changes truly...

Do you work in an office? Is it a ghost town today? Welcome to IRS Appreciation Day.

OK, so I made that holiday up. We might as well appreciate them – we’ve been stuck with them for our entire lives and probably will be for the rest of our lives.

Maybe the holiday should be National Procrastinator...

When was the last time you were in your local library? That lovely sanctuary filled with silence, books, knowledgeable people, and the educational resources of the world at your fingertips remains one of the best-kept secrets paid for by tax dollars. 

Since you’re paying for it anyway, why not chec...

A million years ago, I read a book. It changed the way I thought about making money. It changed the way I thought about a lot of things. 

The book is “Do What You Love and the Money Will Follow” by Marsha Sinetar. It was reasonably revolutionary in 1989, when it came out. Two generations who had be...

A million years ago, I read a book. It changed the way I thought about making money. It changed the way I thought about a lot of things. 

The book is “Do What You Love and the Money Will Follow” by Marsha Sinetar. It was reasonably revolutionary in 1989, when it came out. Two generations who had be...

Today let’s play with imagination. Pretend you’re five years old, have unlimited resources, and no one to tell you that you can’t do whatever it is you’re thinking of doing.

Power, right? Fun, right? What will you create?

If that question stumped you, you’re not alone. Many people freeze when aske...

Quick – what did you have for breakfast? What will you have for lunch or dinner? Snacks? When you think about your pantry, do you have some food in there? How about your refrigerator and freezer – food of any kind, even if it’s just a slightly moldy lemon, some ketchup, and a half-full quart of ice ...

As I sit here eating yet another Samoa, I remember my single-digit days when I’d don my green uniform, carefully arrange my badge-encrusted sash, and head out to knock on neighbors’ doors, Girl Scout cookie order sheet in hand. There was an iceberg in my stomach and my knees knocked as I pressed the...

Have you ever thought about harnessing up 16 sled dogs, putting them in front of a sled loaded with dog food, survival gear, and a few protein bars for you, and heading out for a week or two into arctic weather, 1128 miles of rugged trail conditions, and wildlife that might want to hurt you?

Yeah, ...

Do you remember a decade ago when ice bucket challenge videos were all the rage? Lost in the “I wanna do that too” frenzy of Insta-copy cats was a very poignant story: the story of a man with ALS, his dear friend Yvette, and their desire to live as happily as possible for as long as possible by foll...

There are people celebrating across America and around the world today. It’s both Global and National Drink Wine Day, and it’s a great reason to look at whatever it is you love from a different vantage point.

We’ll start with wine: people who love wine so much that they’ve made a hobby or a busines...

Have you ever trained a puppy? You got this squirmy, silly, sweet ball of fluff and suddenly you either had to teach the puppy rules and manners, or else you had to live with the random chewing and smelly little mistakes that happen without training.

For most of the last century, dog training was b...

Today I’m putting on my dog show judge hat while we talk about perfectionism. Unexpected, I know – this weekend, accomplished dog sports enthusiasts are converging on Madison Square Garden and the Jacob K. Javitz Center in New York City for the Westminster Kennel Club dog show. The best of the best ...

Have you ever heard the phrase “delicious anticipation?” This is one of those times when two words make magic when they get together, because they so perfectly describe something wonderful.

Delicious anticipation – what is it, why do you want it, and how do you get it?

Delicious anticipation was t...

Today, let’s talk about hugs. Are you a hugger? I am. Whenever I feel a connection to someone my default is to want to hug them. Not everyone’s a hugger, though, so occasionally the hug impulse has to be squelched.

Why do humans hug? Have you ever wondered about that? Turns out, hugging is addictiv...

‘Tis the season that those of us in the northern hemisphere bundle up. And those of us with dogs, especially the small and relatively hairless ones, bundle their dogs up, too. If that’s you today, you have unwittingly celebrated today’s fun holiday – it’s Dress Up Your Pet Day.

I’m not ashamed to a...

Last week a dear friend asked me a question, and I’m going to ask you the same one: do you make New Year’s resolutions?

My answer is no. I’ve been on this planet long enough to have experienced my pattern of good intentions and so-so results when trying to make life changes in the middle of winter,...

Oh, we human beings cherish endings and beginnings. From baby showers to funerals, housewarmings to homecomings, and of course to the hoopla around the changing of the year, the celebrations for the milestones in our lives show us just how important these events are.

But why?

Many of the tradition...

Oh, the lovely traditions of the holidays. For some, this time of year is all about festive traditions, and for some, it’s more about their religious affiliation. No matter what or why you celebrate, not every aspect of your holidays is made of wildflowers and unicorns. For a lot of people, there ar...

Think back to your childhood, and what you remember from Decembers past. Chances are, at least a few of your memories include sweets. Maybe your mom was like mine, and she made holiday cookies, candies, and pies. What did she make, and what was your favorite? Do you make it now, and if so, how do yo...

If there’s a high-water mark for brains, Alfred Nobel probably etched it. In his last will, signed in Paris on November 27^th, 1895, he left the bulk of his fortune to a special prize fund. He passed away just over a year later, and his legacy lives on today with the awarding of this year’s Nobel Pri...

Are you stuffed full of holidays like I am? In the span of six days, we’ve celebrated Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Cyber Monday and now Giving Tuesday. It’s been an expensive, exhausting six days for a lot of people!

As the calendar rolls around to the end of another year, this time between Thanksgi...

Day after tomorrow is Thanksgiving, traditionally the eating-est holiday in America. Attendance at family gatherings is expected, and woe be unto the newly married couple with parents, step-parents, grandparents and step-grandparents who all expect them to show up hungry to multiple, separate, famil...

Maybe the Grinch had something to do with it. Or maybe it was the late Joan Rivers, a comedienne famous for her “Can we talk” question as she launched into pointed, comical griping about someone who was annoying her.

November 19^th – today – is Have a Bad Day Day. And the Voice of Wagaliciousness, t...

Are you a veteran? Thank you! Are you the parent or sibling or child or spouse/partner of a veteran? Thank you! And yes, Veterans Day was yesterday – there are not enough ways to thank those who choose to serve in ways that most of us wouldn’t. Veterans are vital to the survival of our country – tha...

(disclaimer – this post is about process, not any party or political candidate)

It’s OK if you feel proud today. It’s OK if you feel disgusted today. It’s OK if you feel anxious today. It’s Election Day in the United States, and we’re anything but united.

I worked in radio for nearly 4 decades. I ...

What are you passionate about? What do you do to share your passion? When you’re sharing your passion, do you feel like you’re in your sphere of genius? 

Today I’m at the Saint Bernard Club of America’s National Specialty, a huge annual show held this year in Loveland CO. Do I have a Saint Bernard?...

Do you have a friend who’s persnickety about the “ethnic correctness” of food? One of mine refuses to go to a very popular Italian restaurant owned by a Middle Eastern man, not because of the man’s ethnicity but because his dishes are fragranced with more than just garlic and basil. She believes tha...