Tag Archives: barking

When a Dog Goes Blind

My next door neighbor’s dog, Simba, has had a rough road lately. First he was diagnosed with diabetes and Cushing’s syndrome, then shortly after that (not even a week later) he went blind. How They Knew Simba Was Blind When I was little, our family dog Mike went blind. I don’t remember exactly when it happened or how we knew. I’m fairly sure my dad was the first to notice it. I got to thinking about that because I asked my neighbors how they figured out Simba was blind. It’s not like he can just shout all of a sudden, … Continue reading →

Dachshund to the Rescue (Right in my Backyard!)

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I heard it on the radio this morning: a heroic little dachshund named Annie brought help to her elderly owner. And it happened just a few miles from the Portland, Oregon suburb where I live. It was around one o’clock in the morning this past Tuesday. Residents in the Lake Grove neighborhood of Lake Oswego, Oregon called police to complain about a barking dog. The head of the Lake Oswego police canine unit responded to the calls, expecting to find a huge, menacing dog on the loose. Instead, Sergeant John Brent found a nine and a half pound dachshund. The … Continue reading →

Why the Dogs and I Hate Tuesdays

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Over the last year, Tuesday has become my least favorite day of the week. You can try to guess why, but I don’t think you’ll get it. It’s not because of what’s on TV or what my schedule is like. It’s because Tuesday is landscaping day at the apartment complex where I live. Tuesdays are a day off from the cats only boarding facility, but I have to get up early anyway on Tuesday. I have to take Moose and Lally out for a nice long walk before the lawnmowers and weedwackers start up at 8:30. Then it’s a barkathon … Continue reading →

Decoding Different Barks

Researchers at Eotvos Lorand University in Hungary are using computers to help decode and translate different dog barks. The study began with recording the barks from fourteen different Hungarian sheepdogs. Barking was recorded in six different situations: When a stranger approached the house when the owner was away and the dog was home alone. When a trainer encouraged the dog to bite on protective gear and bark aggressively (think of police dog training). When an owner was preparing to take the dog for a walk. When an owner was holding a ball in front of the dog. When an owner … Continue reading →

More Library Tricks

In the previous article I talked about some tricks that you can use to save even more when you use your local public library. Among the tips were ways to save on late fees and on gas. Here is one more tip on late fees: ask the library to wave the fee! If you don’t make a habit of it, then they probably will be happy to remove the fee for you. That is a neat little secret, huh? Here are some more frugal library tips. Secret stuff Did you know that many libraries have all sort of secret stuff … Continue reading →

Feedback Changes at EBay Worry Sellers

The user feedback system at EBay will be changing, and it has a lot of sellers worried. Will you be affected by the changes? In an earlier article, I wrote about some of the listing fee changes that EBay was instituting in an effort to get more sellers online and listing their goods. (If you missed that earlier article, you can click here to read it. EBay Slashes Fees!) Now on February 20th, there will be additional changes, this time having to do with leaving feedback. The feedback system, allowing buyers and sellers to rate each other, has been in … Continue reading →

Overdraft Protection

We all make mistakes, so it is important to have protection. When it comes to your bank account, you can easily protect yourself from your mistakes through overdraft protection. Whether it is that quick stop for cash you forgot to write in your checkbook, or the “one” you forgot to carry over on your mortgage check deposit, mistakes happen. Often you don’t discover them until you are in deep water at your bank. Granted your bank isn’t too concerned, they actually profit from your mistakes. Bounced check and overdraft fees can be HUGE and they charge them for each transaction. … Continue reading →

Auction Sites Might Not Be a Frugal Choice

Online auction sites have become the latest rage over the past few years. I can remember when I first laid eyes on some of the top ones, and that was a long time ago. They are growing and leaps and bounds with thousands of visitors everyday bidding on all types of things. The problem with auction sites is that they are not always a frugal source. Many people think that listing their extra items to get rid of them and making a little extra cash in the long run seems pretty frugal. And it does at first glance. However, you … Continue reading →

Our New Neighbor

I hope you had a very happy holiday — whichever holiday you celebrate — and that you had a wonderful time with friends and family. One of my neighbors found a new family member under the Christmas tree yesterday. Yesterday afternoon, I heard a new dog barking. I’ll admit that I was indulging in an afternoon nap when I woke to the sound of yapping. At the time, I wasn’t sure if the dog was a visitor or a new resident. But it’s around the same time today, and the poor pup is barking again! For the most part, Moose … Continue reading →

Sliding-Scale Fees and Prices

There are different ways to organize and deal with pricing in your home business and one of those ways is to consider offering fees or prices on a “sliding-scale” basis. This means that you set the price range, and depending on the individual’s resources and ability to pay, they may pay the low-end price or, potentially, the high-end one. There seem to be some businesses and industries that are better-suited for sliding-scale fees than others. I have noticed that some therapists and counselors use this type of payment structure and I recently signed up for dance classes with a dance … Continue reading →