Blossom Valley Kennel: Parson Russell Terriers, Russell Terriers, Labradors

08/25/2026

How long will your dog likely live? Check this chart.

Interactive dog lifespan chart comparing 50+ breeds. Sort by breed, size, or lifespan with visual comparison bars. Science-backed veterinary data.

08/25/2026

When I was a kid in the 50s in Kentucky, my dad bred Labs and Weimies. Dogs lived about 17 years then. Now the average is down to 12 years. What went wrong?

New research shows that certain breeds tend to live longer than others, and this could help potential owners decide which companion is best for them.

08/11/2026

The life and soul of every creature is in God's hands:

Job 12:7-10 KJV
[7] But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; And the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee:
[8] Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee: And the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee.
[9] Who knoweth not in all these That the hand of the LORD hath wrought this?
[10] In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, And the breath of all mankind.

08/11/2026

The problem of taking a pet to a vet and it not coming home to die is that your other pets don't see the deceased friend so they don't know they died.

I first learned this in 1994 when I had to take my GSD Kashmir to the vet because she couldn't get up. A thief had kicked her and she had internal bleeding, so at 12ish, she was euthanized.

When I got home my younger dog (can't believe that I ever just had 2) Champ drug me around the sidewalks of our cul-de-sac looking for her, and when he gave up, he laid down on our driveway and cried. He had tears. He became depressed and passed away within a year at around 6yo.

He never saw her body so he couldn't process what happened. It created stress that he couldn't handle.

Likewise, Shadow wasn't able to see Jackie's body and doesn't know she's dead. He's probably very unsettled with the mystery.

Now, I always let my other animals see that a deceased has died, before I take them to the crematorium. Then they know and can get on with life.

08/11/2026

😭 😭 😭 🦅 💔
For beloved Jackie:
I hope God welcomes Bald Eagles, Dogs, Cats and other beloved animals in heaven, as well as humans, or it will not be the happiest place to spend eternity. JMHO!

"High Flight" written in 1941
by FCAF aviator John Gillespie Magee Jr. [2 modifications in bracks]

"​Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth

"And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;

"Sunward I’ve climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth

"Of sun-split clouds, — and done a hundred things

"You have not dreamed of — wheeled and soared and swung

"High in the sunlit silence. Hov’ring there,

"I’ve chased the shouting wind along, and flung

"My eager [wings] through footless halls of air...

"​Up, up the long, delirious burning blue

"I’ve topped the windswept heights with easy grace

"Where never lark, or [other] eagle flew

"And, while with silent, lifting mind I’ve trod

"The high untrespassed sanctity of space,

"Put out my [talon], and touched the face of God."
😭😭😭💔🦅

08/02/2026

How do y'all like my new logo generated by Gemini?

29 years and still lovin' dogs and other critters (except snakes)!

08/01/2026

One of my many lizards hangs around the house and, in the mornings, he does his pushups! 🤭🦎

08/01/2026

A picture of a picture of Loretta taken by Lorraine.

08/01/2026

Blossom Valley Moonstruck ("Loretta": Napoleao x Hailee) likes to find cool corners where the rug doesn't cover the wood floor so she can escape the 90+ heat wave.

08/01/2026

Those black plastic bins for mixing concrete are great when it's hot for dogs to cool down from the August scorchers! My Tali loves them.