Dogs in the House: The Boling Hotel for Dogs

28/08/2025

Directors use our canine friends to convey connection even as we’ve grown more disconnected from the animal world.

09/06/2024

20/05/2024

I hear it's National Dog Rescue Day. Here are our two babies. Both rescued and now known as "The Twins."

18/11/2023

This is concerning. Does not seem to be in Louisiana (yet). Please share any info you hear.

Cases have been reported in Oregon, Colorado, Indiana, Illinois, Washington, Idaho, California, the Northeast and more.

25/01/2023

💯. Retractable leashes can be very dangerous. I do not recommend them. When dogs come to stay with us and they have one, we'll use our own leashes.

Retractable leashes can be dangerous for both you and your dog. To find out why and what to use instead, we turn to the experts.

02/12/2022

Thanksgiving week was a big week for Marshall. We didn't think he was ready to be left with anyone, so for our trip to the mountains we arranged to stay in a pet-friendly cabin.

Things didn't start off great. Marshall saw us packing up the car and was Anxious (with that capital A). He did NOT want to get in that car and had to be carried into it.

Once we got rolling, he did better and about half way there he finally settled in and laid down. Good thing: it was about a 10 hour drive. He did okay at rest stops, too, but we've learned that regular collars and harnesses don't work as well as a pinch collar.

At the cabin, you could tell he was wondering why we were there. We had a loft bedroom and set up a private lair for him, but he decided the stairway landing was where he wanted to be. Halfway between up and down.

He loved going out for walks around the cabin. So many unusual smells. When we left the cabin, he was a good boy. We crated his brother Jasper (who was of course up for all of this). We also rearranged the furniture which meet with Marshall's approval because it gave him a direct path from the stairwell to a couch. He settled in.

Dogs aren't allowed on most National Park trails, so the dogs mainly hung around the cabin until the last day when we took them both for a short walk in downtown Gatlinburg. It was in a less-traveled part of the town, and Marshall was still a bit anxious, but overall did well. He was on a alert, but followed our lead and while he kept watch all around him, I was super proud.

Since we've been back, Marshall has been Mr. Sociability. Much more social than normal. I think he might realize that since we went away and came back, this is his forever home. He's much more relaxed. So much so that he's eaten a book and a pillow. But you take the good with the bad, and I'm just happy he is more relaxed. Small but meaningful steps. It's easier to see the everyday dog in him. 🐶🐕‍🦺💕

30/09/2022

It’s been a minute. A busy minute. Lots of dog guests, plus Jasper, plus Marshall.

I’m happy to report that Marshall is doing GREAT! We’ve continued with the holistic treatments and we’ve also had a consultation with a trainer who gave us some homework - a few basic commands to work with. And Marshall is doing great - learning with flying colors.

One bonus to all this has been Jasper. At first, Marshall did not like Jasper because Jasper was constantly trying to hump him. Thankfully, Jasper got past that and Marshall decided to give him another chance. And now they are best buds - bigtime play buddies. Jasper seems to be drawing Marshall way out of his shell, and it’s a beautiful thing to see. Marshall is more relaxed, more eager to play and socialize, less bothered by all the things that bother him.

We see the trainer in person mid-October, and I’m looking forward to showing Marshall off!

30/09/2022

I find so much about this disgusting. Now, I have clients with purebred dogs and although it would not be my choice, I guess I'm okay with someone getting a purebred dog if they really have their heart set on a particular breed or they possibly want to show their dog. But there is so much to dislike about the breeding industry. I think there should be very strict guidelines for who can breed dogs and even what costs should be involved. We have a pet overpopulation problem. Period. No one should be paying almost $5,000 for a dog when there are so many dogs looking for homes. Add to that fact that people are taking out LOANS to get dogs and those loans are predatory and deceptive, and it is just a bad story all around. No one wins. If you have to take out a loan to get a dog, go to your local shelter. Dogs can require expensive medical care. If you have to take out a loan to buy a dog, save your money and pay for preventative care and good dog food.

Some states are cracking down on pet store loans that can balloon by tens of thousands of dollars.