Fiona, Phoebe, Alejandro, Quincy, Caviar and Lola
The 1990 epic Dance with Wolves opens with two army surgeons preparing to amputate John Dunbar’s (Kevin Costner) leg rather than risk gangrene. It’s a nauseating look at the barbaric conditions of a Civil War field hospital, and even after dozens of busted paws, we’ve not reached the level of desensitized decision-making seen in the […]
2023 Kirkland Refresh
Last month Mama Su decided she wanted in on the 2023 Kirkland Refresh, and in line at the buffet at our annual Super Bowl party announced, “This fluffy is on a diet…starting tomorrow.” The following day, Su swore off wine and foods she liked, and as a show of solidarity, I agreed to eat anything […]
Spring Cleaning Projects
The Great Dryer Vent Purge of 2023 sparked a rash of spring-cleaning projects at House Kirkland including a long-overdue refresh of vacuums, air purifiers, HVAC filters and floor ducts. After seeing the shameful state of our Dysons, the vacuum repair guy treated me like I kept them on a chain in the backyard, and the […]
The Jee Yees
Cliff Notes: A DIY project at House Kirkland results in a new washer/dryer. In one of my failed entrepreneurial efforts early in my career, I invested in a laundromat in the San Fernando Valley. I’d spend my day in a finance job, hop on my Harley after work, weave through traffic from the Westside of […]
Kibble, Chloe and Tinkerbell
Earlier this month we announced that we’d received a generous PetSmart Charities grant to continue helping at-risk animals get off the streets and into loving homes. In 2022, we placed 569 cats and kittens through PetSmarts in Northern California, helped hundreds more with medical issues and spay/neuter/vaccines and provided our vehicles to others transporting other […]
Murray
After the Great Propane Freezeout of Christmas 2022, climate challenges are given serious consideration at House Kirkland. Leaks, flooding and toppled trees have proven common during past weather events, and the Bomb Cyclones of 2023 have had the crew scrambling to build makeshift flood defenses. Earlier this week, Murray, an old ginger with privileges, decided […]
Happy New Year
What a month! In between holiday parties, paperwork and pet piles, we’ve had a rush of activity that put the crew and our emotions to the test… Serena, the emaciated, congested, flea-infested diva from Stockton, has put on a pound, shaken her horrible URI and now sashays clear-eyed through the Main House. She’s still too […]
House Kirkland
Around 2:30p on Christmas Day, we paused the cleaning, feeding and treating treadmill to get ready to meet family for dinner, when I heard a shriek from the upstairs bathroom, “OMG!!! There’s no hot water!!!” To be honest, I thought the water in the laundry room was colder than usual but shrugged it off to […]
Sir Charles RIP
In February 2021, we posted a tribute to Mr. Hobbs, a wobbly old-timer who came to us with an ugly back wound, won the crew over with his nonchalance over treatment and moved us all with his passing. It wasn’t fun to write but it’s a favorite nonetheless, and from the comments and shares on […]
Bruce, Stevie, and Miss Diva
We’re thrilled to report that super-foster Stephanie Yeats Cymanski found forever homes for Kirkland alums Bruce, Stevie and Miss Diva this past weekend. Part PT Barnum, part Clara Barton, Mama Steph has the remarkable ability to welcome the broken ones into her circus tent, nurture them back to health and maintain the discipline to show […]