About the Blog

One of my favorite local species, the Carolina or green anole (Anolis carolinensis). This one was found in an ash bucket during the heat of the day.
Hello, all. I am a lover of dogs and have been for years.

It's not just dogs, however. I am, in fact, a lover of all animals, no matter how big or small, plain or strange they may be. I am also a lover of plants, and indeed every living thing on this planet. That is what led me to become a Biologist.

Life is a beautiful thing, spouting forth anew from old life in a never-ending cycle of birth and death. We walk this planet and often never think of such things, and yet we are part of the intricate biosphere that is Earth. We live our lives, loving and losing those we love. It's the simple joys that make life beautiful. When you own a dog, or indeed any other pet, those simple joys are ever more dear to us, since the life of that pet will, almost inevitably, be cut short long before our own.

I have had many pets in my life: Charlie (red and white Labrador mutt), Sam and Cooshee (brother and sister red mackerel tabby cats), Albus (red pointed mitted longhair tom), Ginny (dilute tortoiseshell female), Ebon (black Labrador Retriever from field stock), Madagascar hissing cockroaches, North American millipedes, and, most recently, fancy mice (Peppercorn, Poppy-seed, and Ginger-root). I have loved them all, and look forward to opening my heart to others in the future.

They say dogs are man's best friend, but to be politically correct that should be "dogs are human's best friend." We have a long history together, and today so many of us continue to share our homes with them. As I said, I am a lover of dogs, and am currently the owner of one: Ebon, the same mentioned before. In truth, I am partial to sighthounds, but Ebon is my shadow, my foot warmer, my drooling furry thing to love on when I'm sad.

That is what this blog is about: life, dogs, and a love of animals. I hope you enjoy it.

The current blog layout and labels are inspired by the muses of Greek mythology.

Feel free to comment! Thought I can sometimes be slow, I try to respond to every last comment. Also, the only comments that are ever removed are from obvious spammers. 

A few notes on the author:
I was born in 1988 and as such I am still young, so forgive me my occasional naivety.
I hold a Bachelors of Science in Biology and am working toward pursuing continued education.

19 comments:

  1. I'm glad I stumbled upon your blog! It's funny, your native green anoles were once a favourite pet of mine, and sighthounds are among my favourites as well.

    I look forward to continued reading.

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  2. Well, I'm glad you like it. :)

    Anoles are everywhere here. I've considered keeping one as a pet, but I'm just not really a reptile-as-pet person. I'd probably kill the poor thing through the improper use of a heat lamp or something, so no anoles for me!

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  3. This blog is awesome and I find pretty much all your entries fascinating. As a budding Biologists myself, I get all giddy when I read your entries. Anyways, thanks for posting regularly. And give Ebon a big snack tonight-will ya?

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    1. I'm glad you like the blog! I actually started it in part to try and keep my knowledge up after graduation.

      And don't worry, Ebon tends to be a spoiled fella. He gets nice treats just about every day. ;)

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  4. Dog bloggers find other dog bloggers. I found you. I like your blog.
    Jane

    docorbarkman.blogspot.com

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  5. I'm delighted to have found this blog! As another biologist in training and dog lover, I love the mixture of good biology and dog-focused posts. I'll be passing it along to at least one other person who has similar interests, too. :)

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    Replies
    1. Well, thanks Erin. I try to do a good balance. I hope your friend likes the blog as well.

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  6. Great blog! Just stumbled across in it my own color genetics research. I love making connections with other who have a passion for coat color genetics and dogs. WHOOP WHOOP!!!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Nesinton.

      I hope to start expanding my discussions of genetics in domestic animals to include other species, such as horses and cats.

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  7. I, too, stumbled on your blog. Not sure how I got here, but glad that I did! I am currently involved in color genetic testing for the Lacy Dog breed. I got into that because of the worry of colors over working ability and agree with you 100% on color not being nearly as important as health, etc. My breed is a working breed and if we exclude the dogs who dont meet color standards, then we so very much limit the gene pool. If a dog happens not to meet the color standards and doesn't have the drive to work, then we are really in a mess! It is important to me that a dog have the drive to work, as that's about all these dogs do- there's no show dogs in the breed. I could care less as to whether the color is polka dotted with stripes in between, as long as the breed is carried forth and not killed off because some people cant understand, or wont understand genetics, and particularly color genetics!

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    Replies
    1. I'm glad you enjoy the blog.

      I'm fond of the Lacy, though I doubt I will ever own one. I have a lot of respect for people who breed them, own them, and work them. It's hard to believe that some people in the breed would be very caught up in the breed's colors, since that's not really what the breed's all about! I wish you luck with your endeavors.

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  8. Hi, Stephanie. Just wanted to let you know that I have added your great blog to our blogroll over at Full Cry: A Hound Blog. This is correcting a longstanding omission--I'm sorry not to have added you earlier!

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  9. Have you finished your dog food trials for Ebon? What food do you like best? My 10 year old Labrador has problems with loose stools. I have tried different foods, but have yet to make a permanent selection. what food do you use?

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  10. Hi Stephanie,

    Healthline is interested in contributing a guest post to musingsofabiologistanddoglover.blogspot.com. We would be open to contributing any blog that would be of interest to your readers. Healthline bloggers have been featured on a variety of sites including:

    Washington Times: http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/tango-mind-and-emotion/2012/aug/10/how-healthy-choices-easy/
    Natural News: http://www.naturalnews.com/036515_diabetes_strawberries_prevention.html
    Patch.com: http://strongsville.patch.com/blog_posts/where-and-what-to-eat-in-cleveland-to-beat-the-winter-blues

    Please let me know if you have any questions. Thank you in advance for your consideration.

    Warm Regards,
    Tracy

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  11. Hi , I am in Tenn. and I looked up blue Pekingese...I found a picture of a great looking blue pek. The reason I contacted you was because of the dogs picture. I had 2 blue pek pups born 3 wks ago and they are sold already...1 is a Parti boy and one is a Blue & Tan female pup. This is the first time this color has ever happen in one of my litters. I just wondered if there are any more blue Pekingese out there? LKL lkloctober@hotmail.com My pups are on Youtube.com if you want to see them ( Look up lkloctober)

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  12. Hi Stephanie!!! I'm currently a BS Life Sciences student and I am a fellow animal lover just like you!!! I am thankful to have found your blog!!! I was reading about albinism in litters and I found your article about albino dobermans. My favorites are your case studies <3 Thanks so much for sharing your muses and everything in this blog!!! I'm so excited to read everything!!! I currently have just one dog. A West Highland Terrier named Chianti. If you have the time, please write an article about Westies!! Since you said that white is related to having health problems? I'd like to know more about that.

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  13. Hello! I just stumbled on your blog looking for a picture of a calico cat for a post I am writing that is similar to one you wrote in 2012. I'm also a youngish biologist and a dog lover, so I'm super excited to find your blog! I'm working on a PhD in Molecular Biology, and my dog's name is Rupert :D It's so cool to find a blog of someone with such similar interests!

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