Maine Pets

My Best Friends

I spend a lot of my free time with my two dogs. These blogs are as much theirs as mine as I hope to show you life in Maine through their eyes and what’s out there for you and your favorite friend(s).

Toby is an 8 year old Lab/Springer Spaniel. He and I have been through so much together. He’ll always be THAT dog to me. You know, the one that gets you teary eyed with just one thought of not having him in your life. I look into his big brown eyes and travel so deeply into them that I feel close to reaching his soul. We always joke about how in tune he is with human emotions that we swear in his previous life he was a really incredible human being and thus was rewarded by being brought back as a dog.

Toby’s sidekick and my shadow is Roxie, a 6 year old Rottweiler/Beagle mix. You can’t help but love her for her incessant badgering for attention. Her nickname is “The Love Bandit”, and if you give her an inch, she’ll undoubtedly try and steal a lifetime of your love. She’ll adore you to no end for a quick pat, a small nod, or an invitation to nuzzle right up under your chin for as long as you can handle her there. (She's below with my cat, Meg.)

These dogs lead a rough life. They go to work with me on most days and when lunch time nears, they know I’d never choose an actual meal over a chance to get outside for a romp with my pals. On my off days, they are my first priority. If I have errands, they help. If I don’t, that means more time for a hike, a trip to the beach or a full day of snowshoeing to who knows where.

Where do we go? That depends on the day, the weather, and the time available. Stay tuned for a few of our favorite places. Hopefully you’ll either have been there, or it’ll give you a new place to check out next time your dogs are demanding a little quality time.

A Day in the Menagerie

Ruksznis (pronounced Ruck-shin-knees) is Lithuanian, and since I was six I decided I’d never give up my name because I liked the way it sounded with Dr. in front of it. (Yes, I’ve wanted to be a vet since just after I was told I could not be the Easter Bunny.) Because my name means so much to me, I’m overjoyed when anyone actually makes an effort to pronounce it rather than settle for less and call me Dr. Amy. Dr. Amy is endearing, but only when it is coming from a child.

I live in Freeport with a family composed of feathers, fins, and fur that I couldn’t possibly live without. The dynamics in my house are incredibly balanced considering the menagerie…I’m not sure if it is because my bird is truly a bird brain and doesn’t know the risks related to sitting on the couch with a cat, or if the cat is too busy trying to be like the dogs that raised her to realize that lunch just flew by. My days off from working as a veterinarian are spent making sure my two lovely dogs are doing something they enjoy. I’d like nothing better than to know that they have ran, swam, or chased something until their little legs could stand no more. I want to see their tongues dragging, with crooked smiles on their faces, so tired from a great day of playing that they almost fall asleep standing up. Dogs really know how to live life. They play hard, enjoy almost anything, and sleep until opportunity knocks again and then they are ready for more. I think we have a lot to learn from our animals. Part of this blog will be about what my pets are teaching me on any given day. Other blogs may be about what other people’s pets have taught me as I see them in our veterinary practice. There’s a lot to learn out there…fortunately Mainers have a lot of pets to do the teachin’.