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June 21, 2017 The iPhone in my pocket vibrated and startled me. The notification read: 1 missed call and voicemail. Oh, it was Lynn. Maybe she needs us to take Tux for a few days. Meet AKC Champion Mystic Oz’s Formal Affair (Tux, for short.)   Lynn’s voice was choppy and filled with despair. “Peter, please give me a call as soon as you can. We are at the vet with Tux right now.” I called

The other day, a bald eagle soared into my life and landed gracefully in a nearby tree. I could not see it very well while it rested on a high limb that still clings to its rust-colored leaves of Autumn. I watched in awe as the biggest of all birds capable of flight flew away with ease and grace. Why did I just see you? What do you have to teach me? Where are you going? Whose spirit are you carrying? With curiosity a

I announced to my fellow landscaper, “I’ve never seen a praying mantis fly before. That was pretty cool!” I took a few moments to snap some photos on my iPhone and went back to work. The following day, I was trimming bushes again at the same apartment complex, but in a different location. What did I see? You guessed it. A praying mantis which looked INCREDIBLY similar to the one I saw the day before

The poaching of Cecil, the lion, has sparked public outrage and not just in the animal-loving community. It saddened me to learn that the world lost a beautiful animal because of the greed of a few humans. I don’t understand the greed that lives inside of the American dentist. He has repeatedly felt the need to assert his false supremacy over exotic animals by killing them. The hunt leaders, who willing accepte

In my post, The Journey Of  A Thousand Miles,  I wrote, “I believe we should live fully, be awake and aware, while traveling on our journeys and not be so concerned about the destination.” This evening, while sitting by our fire pit, with our pack of dogs, my muse delivered this post to me, so here it goes. I’m becoming well skilled in the art of rolling with the changes, because I’ve learned

Having not yet fully recovered from the loss of our own Allie Boo, I learned today that the world lost another friend. And so I am meeting with my therapist again, this blog. Meet Kiya, a soft-hearted husky mix. She belonged to a good friend of Cathy and me. Although she was cautious and careful, there weren’t many dogs, kitties, or people she didn’t like. She was everybody’s friend. She was that ki

In the distance, and above the noise of the air conditioner, I hear a faint voice. “Harow… Harow…” It’s my alarm clock talking to me. Her name is Scarlett. Yes, my alarm clock has a name. I try to hit the snooze button, knowing that this feature hasn’t worked in years. “Not yet, Scarlett.” I slowly open one eye to scope out the landscape. The digital clock on my nightst

“Practice makes perfect.” No it doesn’t. “It gets easier with time.” No it doesn’t. “Time heals all wounds.” No it doesn’t. I’ve tried this “exercise” six times before and I still wake up sore as hell. I’m not getting any better at this. In fact, I think I’m actually getting worse. And I’m certainly not looking forward to doing

The Bronx ain’t a good place to be, especially if you don’t know how to survive on the streets. Everything about the streets scared me: the noises, the smells, and the people. Yet, there I was – homeless, hungry, and in a constant state of terror. An Animal Control officer cornered me. His body language screamed, “Don’t trust me.” I trusted no one! I sent him all the calming signal

Meet Rooney. She is a female Great Dane, who lacks confidence.  Her insecurity has led to frequent panic attacks and frightening episodes of aggression around her family. A large dog with high anxiety is like mixing oil and water. It’s messy! I am not a dog “whisperer.” I don’t have a television show, and I don’t have a syndicated column that I write. I have never spoken to thousands of adoring fans on a nationwide t