| Filed under Guide dogs pets and people Poem
| Filed under Guide dogs pets and people
Hello folks, happy 2026! 🍾
If you subscribe to my newsletter, Annie Shares News, I wrote about the year in review. Now I am writing and painting, doodling with mixed media and materials. I am happy to say my first series of pieces are three labyrinth-inspired canvases, a small grouping of minis, a 4×4 and two 4×7. . I hope to post photos of their progress here since I haven’t been posting much.
I made a gallery page on annchiappetta.com called Whispering Vines Studio, where people can visit, check out my work and maybe purchase a piece. 😉
Poetry and other story ideas are ongoing and I hope 2026 is the year wherein I will make progress on my second memoir and a chapbook of dog-themed poetry.
| Filed under blindness blogging Guide dogs pets and people
Visiting my Sister, Laundry Balls and Iowa the New Guide Dog
I flew from Pittsburgh to Cape Cod, South Yarmouth, in fact, and spent five days with my sister and her wife in their sweet place. Their house is beautiful and the love and care they both extent to it shows. A plethora of hydrangea, lush grass and friendly neighbors are proof the location is a gem.
The day before I returned home Cheryll did my laundry and while folding, I found a ball, what I first thought was a tennis ball, wedged in the sleeve of a shirt.
Cheryll told me it was a wool laundry ball, using a bunch of them in a load of wash or drying helps the machines work better and one does not need to dose one’s laundry with so much fabric softener or dryer sheets. This appealed to being better for my allergies and the environment and I could not wait to get home and try them for myself.
When I got back home, I ordered a bunch, sold in sets of six, and I must say, I am impressed. It cuts the drying time and keeps sheets, towels and blankets from twisting and not drying.
As it happened, my new guide dog, a black lab named Iowa, came into our lives upon my return, a week later. Little did I know if I dropped one, he would run off with it. The balls are a bit bigger than the size of a tennis ball, made of lightweight wool, and make no sound when dropped on the floor. I can only imagine what might be going through Iowa’s mind; the ball isn’t for me? Humans are weird.
Guide and service dogs are still dogs, and will have personalities, propensities and behaviors that while are not entirely what we expect, lend to their individuality. My second guide dog, Bailey, would greet me every morning with my slipper in his mouth. It wasn’t a surprise, then, when Iowa just could not help himself and took the ball.
thanks to Iowa’s sneaky ways I am more careful now and I count my balls with each wash and dry.😜
😉
No
| Filed under blindness Guide dogs pets and people writing
This post is for guide dog handlers or pet dog owners. If you don’t like the thick, sticky consistency or the prices of commercial brand dog toothpastes and want a natural alternative, this post is for you and those lovable fur faces in your family. Here is a doggie toothpaste recipe for you.
If you visit the Cooking Without Looking website, it would be great. It would be even better if you leave a comment on this blog as well as on the Cooking Without Looking site.
Happy brushing!
This is the Cooking Without Looking Recipe of the Day at
www.cookingwithoutlookingtv.wordpress.com .
A huge thanks to Ren’ee Rentmiester for posting these recipes. I am reposting them here for your convenience.
While you should always consult with your veterinarian before using homemade dog toothpaste, here are some popular recipes using safe and readily available ingredients:
• Basic Coconut Oil & Baking Soda Toothpaste: This recipe involves mixing equal parts melted coconut oil and baking soda to form a paste.
• Minty Fresh Toothpaste: This variation includes melted coconut oil and baking soda, with the addition of dried parsley, dried mint, and ground cinnamon for flavor.
• Simple Baking Soda & Broth Toothpaste: This recipe uses equal parts baking soda and water or broth to create a paste.
Important Notes:
• Ingredients like baking soda are generally safe in small amounts but some vets advise caution as large quantities can be harmful. Coconut oil has antibacterial properties. Adding broth or other dog-safe flavorings can make brushing easier.
• Store homemade toothpaste in an airtight container, and refrigeration may be necessary depending on ingredients.
• Always supervise your dog during brushing to prevent ingestion of large amounts of toothpaste.
• Brush gently with a dog toothbrush, focusing on the outer surfaces and gum line.
Note: some other types of application strategies are using a finger brush or an untreated 3-inch gauze square. Make sure the gauze is not coated with nonstick ingredients. Open the gauze and wrap it around the tip of your finger and rub the teeth and guns as you would with a toothbrush.
• Consult your veterinarian before using any homemade toothpaste to ensure it’s suitable for your dog.
Remember, brushing your dog’s teeth is an essential part of their oral hygiene routine.
—
Ren’ee A. Rentmeester
Creator/Executive Producer
The Cooking Without Looking TV Show
The ONLY TV Show Featuring People Who are Blind/Visually Impaired
Changing the Way We See Blindness!
Founder/President
Vision World Foundation
305.200.9104
www.cookingwithoutlookingtv.wordpress.com
FB- The Cooking Without Looking TV Show
| Filed under assistive technology blogging nonfiction novel writing pets and people Poem reviews writing
The 2024 Creativity Check-In
“Rejected pieces aren’t failures; unwritten pieces are.”
— Greg Daugherty.
It felt like a year of rejections. I’d increased submitting my work in 2023, mostly poems. The ‘R’ dominated the accepted/rejected submissions column on my spreadsheet.
It was a pivotal point in my writing life. I admit I pouted, my husband remarked I sounded cranky. I asked a few of my trusted friends what they thought of my poems. In general, they said my poems were understandable, made them feel something and the imagery and metaphor wasn’t confusing or trite. A good response. But I wanted my poems to be better. I wanted to learn how to craft poetry with memorable themes, with a message, once read, would not be easy to forget. Based on the number of rejections from editors I was not reaching those goals, at least not yet. I did not want my work to be “nice”, I wanted my work to be “Wow”.
I was recovering from a string of serious grief provoking circumstances. The loss of my job in 2019 and the death of my first guide dog in 2020 during the height of the pandemic. Add the emotional toll my husband and I bore resulting from the death of my second guide dog in early 2023 and being estranged from our first-born child for the last five years. It is understandable I sought an avenue of expression which also proved cathartic but did not achieve the accolades I craved.
The spark of creativity fueled by the last four years of my personal journey was rich in potential themes. How to plumb those depths became my focus. I trolled the interwebs, found poets and writers who felt equally as stuck. It wasn’t writer’s block, it felt like I’d taken a wrong turn and couldn’t exit the traffic circle.
Thankfully asking others what they might do if faced with a similar creative conundrum, through personal conversations and the interwebs, I formed a plan.
Theoretically I could submit to as many publishing calls as I fancied but I first had to write the quality poems editors and journals sought. The next thing was to find poetry writing workshops and focused critique groups with good mentorship and instruction. A few weren’t the right fit. One instructor, however, offered a structured critique group and it checked all my boxes. The groups did not exceed six poets, it was conducted over Zoom, including written commentary and suggestions for each poem submitted and the sessions were recorded.
During the first session of a series of workshops in 2023 I shared I felt lost creatively and I wanted to unplug the emotions using poetry. The kind and caring attitude of not only the facilitator, john, but also the other poets, lent me the confidence to focus on capturing the emotions and crafting the imagery and metaphoric language. Being open to constructive and kind feedback from the other poets and providing my own feedback to their poems encouraged me to become more confident and adjust my assumptions regarding the messages poets mean to convey in their quest of expression within their work. What became clear to me was I could address my grief and the losses I bore using poetic devices I’d previously did not feel practiced enough to employ. Releasing emotions, experimenting with and validating and recording them on a document healed me from within.
By the end of 2023 I’d completed a few workshops and my writing friends commented positively regarding the shift in style and power of the messages expressed in my work. A second opportunity developed for a second more intimate critique group. Two other poets and I began meeting weekly for a generative fellowship. I loved reading their work. Thanks to their mentorship, I practiced how to offer kind and concise constructive feedback. A spark of hopefulness morphed into energetic motivation. I began crafting , improving and sculpting poems evident by the feedback received by both my critique group and those outside it. I was finally getting somewhere.
It’s the end of 2024 and I am happy to share the acceptance rate of my poetry submissions is much improved. The quality of my poems has also improved and my friends and colleagues have noticed. The best part of my development is I feel more in control of my creative effort and it is conveyed in my work with a confidence and flair I willingly share with both poets and those who love reading and benefitting from reading poetry. I discovered other people cared about me and my creative efforts.
John Sibley Williams: John Sibley Williams
Behind Our Eyes Writers with Disabilities: www.behindoureyes.org
Find me on bluesky: @anniecauthor.bsky.social — Bluesky
| Filed under nonfiction pets and people
The Way of the Cat
How to assemble an end table.
Person one places box on bed.
Person one must push cat off box to open it.
Person one calls person two, the husband, to begin assembling table consisting of a few wood pieces and a few metal upright pieces.
Cat begins chewing plastic bag, person one gathers bags and shoves them inside the shipping box.
Cat begins rubbing, purring and stepping on instructions.
Person two, the husband, tells cat to “Go away,”.
Cat ignores person two and rubs on person one, who is watching person two try to figure out the instructions seemingly written by an alien humanoid species not from this planet.
Cat continues rubbing and being adorable.
Person two, the husband, is becoming frustrated, time for person one to exit the room
Person one entices the cat into office whereupon person one fills kitty crunchies and calls for cat.
Cat appears and begins eating.
Person two, the husband is now fully committed to the table assembly.
Person one is shaking her head, petting the cat who is eating from the dish on the desk, mumbling to herself, saying “I am such a slave,”.
| Filed under blogging pets and people
During a hot span of days a few weeks ago Jerry found a large black snake sunning itself on a rock on the side of our house. At the time, he couldn’t get a good photo but based on his description I figured it was a black snake or some kind of rat snake, very common around here. He reassured himself it wasn’t venomous by identifying it with an app on his phone and it kept to itself. We didn’t want to disturb it knowing it would keep down the rodent population and it was denning in a place where there wasn’t foot traffic, separated from us by the back fence, so the dog was not going to harass it, either.
We live near the wooded area attached to parkland and deer walk down our street, rabbits chase one another to and from the yards, and songbirds are all over, which is sweet and much better than being awakened by sirens, yelling and semis blasting air horns from the highway at three a.m.
Back to the snake: The next couple of weeks it was cooler and rainy and we didn’t see it again …until today. It not only slithered to the other side of the yard near the tool shed but it also left us shedding. We estimate it is between five and seven feet long and not quite two inches around. The description and photos are below.
Maybe having the snake will keep the rabbits from the garden. 🤞
The image shows a person holding a long, shed snake skin on a glass patio table.
The setting appears to be a sunny day with shadows cast on the ground.
The next image is a black snake in the grass in the middle ground of the photo.
| Filed under blindness Guide dogs pets and people writing
Bailey, my second Guiding Eyes dog guide, has hung up the harness. He is now the senior adopted dog of house Chiappetta and for him, at least the change is good. It’s a push and pull of relief and regret for the humans, though. But hey, he’s almost eleven, has bounced back from lung cancer and enjoys napping in the sun in his new back yard.
Yellow lab bailey posed with blue skies and clouds in the background.
We met in 2015 and during the second week of class I returned home with a serious case of RSV. A month later, when we reunited, he flew into my lap and nibbled my cheek as if to say, “Finally, we’re together again!”
Our first year was exciting and focused. His energy and love of working became infectious. He approached it all with curiosity and confidence. This is his best trait. The most difficult one to control is his scavenging and I hope his successor is not as intense in this category.
He is a great swimmer, doesn’t play fetch, drools profusely waiting for his meals and tolerates our cats with quiet dignity. He loves learning new tricks and learned to roll over, spin and balance a treat on his nose.
Amusing quirks:
The most significant saves while working were clearing us from a dangling wire hanging from the ceiling in an office building and a utility wire laying on a sidewalk. Avoiding e-scooters more than once while crossing a street. Plus numerous traffic checks on the block leading to my former office building .
Ann and Bailey on bench: Both looking straight on
Doggone Good
By Ann Chiappetta
Good dog
Guide dog
Love what you do
Cool dog
Goofy boy
So much respect for you
Yellow dog
Poochie-poo
with a big brown nose
Steps out,
Nostrils flared
Catching
Air-scented code.
Guide dog
Good dog
There’s so much we do
In you
There is acceptance
loyalty
My moods don’t have you fooled
Big dog
Bigger heart
Grateful to be a pair
Stepping out
I want to shout
I trust in your care.
Good Dog
Guide dog
My heart is full
Love you
To the moon and back.
Glad to be matched with you.
As with the retirement of my first dog, Verona, I am posting my call for a new canine partner. My needs have changed over the past ten years yet the drive to be independent has become stronger as I age. I am cognizant the next dog will most likely be the last guide dog for me. Here’s to the next potential partnership and adventure.
Situation Wanted
A sixty-something white female who just happens to be blind is seeking a highly motivated working dog. If you are a Labrador retriever and are willing to work with me, please read the job requirements. Only serious applicants need apply.
Males preferred but will consider a female if all other character and personality traits are met.
If you have read these requirements and feel that you have the right combination of breed, personality, manners, strength, adaptability, affection, drive, and possess intelligent disobedience skills, and wish to work with a human who will trust and love you the best she can, please send your contact information to Ann Chiappetta, Care of: Guiding Eyes for the Blind 611 Granite springs Road, Yorktown Heights, N.Y.
| Filed under blindness blogging Guide dogs pets and people
For National Dog Day 2023
Dog Two
By Ann Chiappetta
He is a sweet yellow fellow
Toasted darker
On ears and tail tip
Gives a nibble and a lick
Golden eyes Better than cash
He comes with a snow nose And personality to match
He’s tall and silly
Works, wags, and licks
So far no one’s gotten ticked
When he sneaks a kiss.
Guiding me around
Alert and looking for sights and scents
On the bus and on the street
Freedom with four feet.
Dedicated to Guiding Eyes Bailey
| Filed under Guide dogs pets and people
After two days in the hospital, Bailey is home and resting. It has been a stressful two weeks. Once we got the diagnosis and scheduled the surgery for a carcinoma in his lung, Jerry and I were in a kind of shell shock. Hoping for the best, ignoring the worst-case scenario.
The medical staff at Animal Medical Center in NYC is phenomenal. We are still waiting for a full prognosis because the pathology takes at least a week but it is looking like pulmonary carcinoma. One entire lobe was removed, so the guy has only half a lung on one side. He went into all this in good shape despite the tumor and this has everything to do with a good recovery and getting back to work. Not sure working again will be in his future but time and rest will help the healing and no matter what happens, there is relief for what was ailing him for so long. His quality of life has been given back to him and for this we are grateful.
If you want to donate to the medical center and help support them in treating animals and educating future generations of veterinary physicians and treatments for diseases like cancer , and caring for guide and service dogs, we would appreciate it. There was no cost to us because Bailey is a working guide dog.
He is resting in the kennel on his squish mellow and seems comfortable. The first thing he wanted to do once we got home was eat. What a good boy!
