It’s the day after Christmas, 2017. I haven’t updated this blog in months. Not because A.J. didn’t do anything noteworthy – he’s still a constant source of entertainment for everyone who sees him. Instead it's because I spend my days at work writing, and when I get home I don’t often have the energy to …
Author: ajthespringer
A.J. is my dog. One of the things I did while on an extended break from my career as a technical writer and editor was adopt this totally crazy and adorable dog. He's provided me with an incredible amount of frustration and entertainment. And as you can see, he's also provided me with a large amount of writing material. I'm back at work now, but plan to keep the stories coming - maybe just not as often.
The Chase
When we get home from walks A.J. likes to go into the backyard and make sure no squirrels or cats or other creatures have invaded the yard while he was gone. So when we returned from our walk this morning, as usual A.J. went to the back door and I let him out. He ran …
Staples
Well, he did it again. My little daredevil got himself into something and wound up in the vet’s office. A few days ago we were eating dinner and I notice A.J. twisting himself all up trying to get at something on his back. I assumed he just had an itch or a little bug or …
Walk This Way
Everyone familiar with dogs knows that they’re creatures of habit. They know when it’s time to be fed, they know when it’s bedtime, and they know every turn on their daily walk. If you try to stray from this routine, they will happily remind you of your mistake. When it comes to feeding time and …
Eye Drops
Three weeks into the new year and we found ourselves in the vet’s office once again. After a beautiful week of snow, it was finally starting to melt. The off-leash park where A.J. likes to run had turned into a lake as rain came down and a foot of snow started to melt. What little …
Snow Day!
Today was a snow day. It snowed all night last night, and partway into the day today. By mid-day we had a full foot of snow. Depending on where you live this may not sound like a lot of snow, but in Portland, Oregon, this is very unusual and more than enough to shut down …
An Icy Day
I awoke early this morning to the sound of howling winds. I knew it was very cold outside, and, being Saturday, I decided to go back to sleep. A couple of hours later I again awoke. My husband was by my side, my dog at my feet – and the wind was still howling. But it …
Christmas IV
Another holiday season has come and gone. Let’s take a look back at our previous holidays with A.J.: There was the first year together where A.J. wound up at the emergency vet. The second year he avoided the vet but still got into a bit of mischief. The third year was very quiet, A.J. was …
Bedtime
We found a new place to board A.J. It’s a kennel without kennels. They call it "cage-free boarding." It's a place where dozens of dogs who get to spend all day and all night together. At night the dogs go into a big room lined with beds that they all share. Due to our …
Self-Exercising
There are several parks within easy walking distance of our house that have off-leash dog areas. This being Portland, that means the entire parks are off-leash. This is very lucky for us, because the official off-leash area is a big empty space where you’re supposed to throw a ball for your dog to chase and …
AJ the Springer 