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My English Setters

Winston and Ivy Jane

September 16, 2019September 16, 2019

“Are You Bringing the Dogs?”

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October 27, 2018November 1, 2018

Petsmart Advanced Training Class Review

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October 2, 2018April 3, 2019

Get to Know Our Friends

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September 1, 2018

Is an English Setter for You?

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August 10, 2018

Petsmart Intermediate Class Training Review

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August 4, 2018August 9, 2018

7 Ways You Can Help Save a Life Today

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July 27, 2018November 22, 2018

Must-Have Gifts for Dog Lovers

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July 6, 2018July 7, 2018

Ivy’s Story

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July 4, 2018July 10, 2018

BarkBox: Is it Really Worth it?

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I stared at pawprints in black ink carefully printed on a piece of paper hanging on the wall. ⁣ ⁣ The prints belonged to dogs who had been euthanized. They were collected as a memorial for owners.⁣ ⁣ I felt my mind jumping to Winston and Ivy - to having their paw prints handed to me one day. The things I would feel. I pushed those feelings deep. It wasn’t the time to explore those. I was doing a shadowing visit with my Big Brothers Big Sisters Little and @rachel_dunaway_dvm, a veterinarian who graciously volunteered her time on her day off to help give this 10-year-old a glimpse at her dream job of being a veterinarian. ⁣ ⁣ We both danced around the subject as my Little listened intently. It’s not just about loving on puppies and kittens. There are hard days, tough decisions, nights she spends her time asking, did she do enough?⁣ ⁣ And while I stared at the paw prints on the wall, I thought about how I would feel. But I didn’t think about how my vet would feel. How Dr. Dunaway feels about those pawprints hanging on the wall. ⁣ ⁣ And because of this, it’s a profession that is facing an epidemic of disproportionately high suicide rates. Female veterinarians are 3.5 times, males 2 times, more likely to kill themselves than members of the general population. ⁣ ⁣ Their patients can’t speak or tell them what’s wrong. It’s a riddle they must solve daily. And then there’s the healthy patients they must euthanize because of overcrowding or the owner can’t cover the bill for the solution. Then there’s the school debt, the cyber bullying, and the pressure to offer free services. ⁣ ⁣ I know the day will come, hopefully many years from now, when I’m standing in a vet’s office grieving the pawprints on the wall. But it won’t be in my grief alone. I will share in the grief with my vet who has suffered a loss just as I have. ⁣ ⁣ It’s not just about loving on puppies and kittens. There are hard days, tough decisions, nights she spends her time asking, did she do enough?⁣ ⁣ The next time you’re in a vet’s office, thank them. Hug them. #notonemorevet⁣
Trying to get up for work, and then someone mentions 🥓
Do you ever stumble into the Instagram spiral – you know the kind. First you’re looking at a cute dog, then the suspension of disbelief lets go, and you realize the dog didn’t actually write this caption but some human stranger did that you don’t know. Then that turns into this quest to learn their name, who they are, what they do. Yeah, yeah, don’t lie, you know you do it, too.⁣ ⁣ Well if you’ve ever got this urge with this account, sometimes my last name can be hard to find. Maybe your sleuthing has deduced we often call Winston - “Winnie the Bish” after the @newgirlonfox character Winston Bishop. Cool. She’s Emily Bishop.⁣ ⁣ Well, no. I’m actually not Emily Bishop. I chose to not change my last name after marriage.⁣ ⁣ Every few months out of the blue someone will notice on Facebook, and point at me in awe like a fresh exhibit at the zoo. It seems to be this riddle confusing coworkers, nurses and doctors, acquaintances, long-lost friends, and family.⁣ ⁣ I’ve been scolded by women for my choice, and heard men say they’d never allow their wife to have made such a decision.⁣ ⁣ I’ve also heard: but it’s tradition. My response: just because we’ve done something for a really long time doesn’t make it always right?⁣ ⁣Bottom line – I don’t believe it’s fair to ask someone to change this piece of their identity because they are a female while not expecting the same sacrifice from the male counterpart.⁣ ⁣ I’ve also created a paper trail professionally of my name that I’d like to keep. I don’t love my husband any less because I kept my maiden name. In fact, I love him more because he values and respects my equality by supporting this decision.⁣ ⁣ Let’s hear what you think about this topic! Did you change yours? Why or why not?
It was a Friday evening after a hard week of work. Nathan and I would have happily retreated to the couch at 5:30 but setters don’t allow that. We packed them up, drove to our state park, made sure we had a fave spot to ourselves, and let them run. ⁣ ⁣ Within .02 seconds Ivy had turned black, and Winston followed suit. They came barreling back to us shaking the smells of rotting fish all over us as an illustration of how much our little photo shoot mattered to them. Because really, it doesn’t matter to them. They don’t care about followers, likes, engagement rates. They just want to be with their people outside exploring. ⁣ ⁣ Over the new coming days, weeks, months, I’ll begin sharing images from this evening by @thehumblelion_. It’s a series of photos not only visually beautiful but meaningful as well. It shows we aren’t perfectly manufactured like Instagram likes us to believe. We aren’t posed smiling on plaid picnic blanket I don’t own with a rustic truck I’ve never seen before for us to lean against. Because that’s not what our life looks like. In ours you get ready to go to the park on a Friday night instead of out to eat. Our life is messy, muddy, sweaty, dressed down, and sometimes with the strong aroma of dead animal on our clothes and hands 🤷🏽‍♀️ ⁣ I can’t thank Kassie enough for capturing the essence of our setter fam. I’m so excited to take you on this journey of sharing her photography, paired with my personal stories. I hope you all enjoy following along. ⁣#realstagram
Do you feed your dogs separately? Ivy can be a food hog so our poor Winnie could miss every meal if not. ⁣ ⁣⁣ Lacking any skills with handling a baby gate, I was so pumped to discover @thedoorbuddy. It’s so incredibly easy and convenient to set up and keeps the doggos separated while allowing the cats to pass safely through. Ivy’s “room” is also where the cat litter box is housed. We also love the door stopper to prevent stuck kitty coos! ⁣ ⁣⁣ If you would like to try your own, use code SPACE4CATS to get 20% off!
Bringing the dogs along on our weekend getaway removed all pet owner guilt and saved us a hefty boarding bill. We’d love to do this more often! ⁣ ⁣ Today, I blogged about tips for traveling with dogs. Check it out using the link in my bio!⁣ ⁣ What are some tips or products you’ve learned are super helpful when traveling with doggos? Tell me about it below ⬇️
We’re heading back to Kentucky now after a great quick trip to Columbus, Ohio, for the @oesrsetterrescue annual picnic yesterday!⁣ ⁣ It’s been such a joy to travel with the dogs this weekend. We threw at lot at them (and us) with three in tow, but they did great at the dog park, dining out, exploring, and in the hotel! Maybe we can take more dog centric trips? I’ll write a blog about the trip!
Talk about English Setter heaven 💕 thrilled we could make the trip to Columbus, Ohio, for the @oesrsetterrescue picnic!

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