The holidays are here! By the time you read this, presents are wrapped (hopefully), trees are up, menorahs are lit, cookies are made. So much to do! I’ve been using the dog park as a refuge, an…

I’m sitting at my kitchen table. It’s pouring outside. Isabelle taps the back door to go out. I let her out. The linoleum is freckled with muddy paw prints documenting her forays to and from the…

Pets and babies. Both are adorable. They compel us to whip out our phones – or an actual camera – and capture that cuteness for all eternity. But darn it! They move! And fast. I have countless…

“Dushka!” A puppy zips past me. It skitters into a turn, commences a full body wriggle and jigs back for a quick hello sniff. I give its chocolaty brown head a pat – or try to. It’s squirming so…

The Park Planning Committee met this week. They were presented with five potential plans for the park. They narrowed the selection to two. Both include the dog park, but it may be in a new location or configuration. These preliminary plans will be…

Massage… Just hearing the word makes my whole body relax, brings a smile to my lips and compels me to take deep cleansing breaths. Ahhhh. Although viewed as an indulgence, massage has myriad health…

Last week, a local dog owner told me about his first dog park experience: “It was awful! Two dogs started fighting. There was blood, the owners had to pull them apart, my dog freaked out… It was…

The sultry dog days of summer – or in our case, September – are gone. October toyed with us masquerading as summer until its final days. November is making its entrance with howling winds,…

At the beginning of October, as Isabelle and I returned to the car, I noticed a letter-sized piece of paper stapled to the bulletin board standing at the junction of the parking lot and the path to the off-leash area. It wasn’t particularly…

I have a crush.  His name is Whelan. He’s got a satiny, chocolate brown coat, soulful eyes that sparkle when he plays and irresistible droopy ears that hang practically to his knees. When he’s…

Isabelle has a little sister! Of sorts. My good friend Scott added Carla to his household last week. Carla and Isabelle have the same parents but are a year apart. The girls have yet to meet. Carla needs a few more shots before she can mingle safely…

You are short, you are squat and inherently stunted. Your poor nose smashed in, your jowls fleshy bunting. Your torso a triangle: wide chest, narrow flanks. Your gait slightly buoyant, bowed legs act…

They burst into the park, two black and white ping pong balls of fur, tails curled, ice blue eyes sparkling, bounding effortlessly over the ground delighting in the act of running. Siberian huskies….

Poop scooping is a frequent topic of dog park conversation. We’re standing in an open field. Why are we scooping? It’s biodegradable, right? Why are we tip-toeing through the grass hunting for poop…

Technically, everyday at the dog park is good. Why? Because your dog is outside, off-leash, happily sniffing and peeing everywhere. However, there are factors that enhance the experience. For instance…

It took me a while to figure out why cars were parking in the middle of a field south of Hewitt/20th Street. A Park-N-Ride? No, it’s not paved, there’s no signage, no Community Transit fanfare. A…

Last week the Lake Stevens Journal published an article submitted by Rebecca Hoch of Lake Stevens regarding safety when you are sharing the water ways with larger motorized watercraft.  During the…

It’s the end of summer but boating season is still in full swing on Lake Stevens – and not only for motor boats. Lake Stevens’ non-motorized boating community is growing. Kayakers, canoers, rowers, sail boats and the newly added stand-up paddle…