tater

We're all familiar with the sign along Interstate 82, which, as motorists pass by it, it is welcoming them to Yakima and identifying it as 'The Palm Springs of Washington'. Well, did you know, that Palm Springs is the Yakima of California?

My dog, Tater, is a Golden Retriever who will celebrate his 2nd birthday at the end of next month. It's hard to believe that he joined our family almost two years ago when he was just 7 weeks old. We couldn't be more in love with this goofy, hole-digging, hair-shedding, pond-jumping, sock-eating, snuggly animal.

In The Yakima Valley, we love our pets. Dogs, cats, ferrets, chickens, rabbits, snails, goldfish, snakes, the list goes on and on. I'm not certain there is data to back this up, but I'll bet that our relationships with our family pets have grown stronger and have become more important to us during the pandemic.

It's pretty universal that pets, whether dog or cat or ferret or pot-bellied pig, love to eat. What seems to be a favorite, in general, among these often furry friends of ours, is that they frequently express a preference for eating whatever it is that we're eating.

Are you familiar with the old saying, 'Let Sleeping Dogs Lie'? It's very likely an old proverb from the 13th Century. I've found that it's still quite true 600 years later.

Have you been to the Randall Dog Park? It's located just south of Randall Park in Yakima and take it from Tater, my Golden Retriever, your dog is going to love it!

How do your pets fare during the holidays? With all of the decorations, hustle and bustle, visits by family and friends, loud Christmas music, and more than usual good smells coming from the kitchen -- do your pets embrace it? Do they get nervous...