The Rise of the Fur Baby
Fur babies: substitute child, family asset or living therapy doll? In this blog, we discuss some different views on the rise of the Fur Baby culture.
Our Family Happy Place
If you can, work towards creating a happy place for your family. Discuss ideas, then start planning and working towards it. Your family happy place could be a screen-free family meal together, a fun bicycle or scooter adventure, or a fancy picnic at your local park.
Single Dad to Super Dad
I have an affinity with single parents, especially since becoming one myself. My circumstances have created openings to meet some dads whose whole being is put into being a dad. Of course, there are a few dads who ought to lift their game; however, I tend only to mention the dads that do great things because, for me, they are a starting point for what I might achieve. I like to ...
Guide Dog Training & Raising Kids – Lesson 3: Two is Better Than One
Working together with your spouse in parenting and disciplining your children makes it all the more effective. Now to introduce our second pup. His name was Chance and he was a very handsome Black Labrador. Chance was a “by the rule book” pup and loved people’s company on his terms. Chance also had a stubborn streak that had him withdrawn from the program, so he became our pet. Lesson 3: Two ...
What Guide Dog Training Taught Me About Raising Kids
Prioritising your spouse, especially in the little daily routines, teaches your children how to respect and honour their mother. My wife and I were fortunate enough to be volunteers for the Guide Dogs for the Blind organisation in our local state after all our kids had grown up and left school. Over a period of seven years, we had the pleasure (and to be honest at times the displeasure) of raising ...
Listening is the Underdog of All Communication
The family dog has taught us a variety of life lessons, including how to communicate better as humans. Owning a pet has been a journey that has taken the better part of a decade. A year into owning a dog -- or rather being the caretaker of one -- I’m sold on the adage that dogs are “man’s best friend.” Fish were tried, but died. Cats? We’ve been there and done ...
A Black Day
I arrived home from school at about 4 pm one afternoon to find that my pigeons had been stolen, and one of the new chicks had been killed and was dead on the floor of the cage. I was 10 at the time. It was 1952 and we were living at 44 Canning Street, North Melbourne. I loved my pigeons. I had five excellent pairs and they all were good breeders. ...
