Suzy Ryan Knotz ⭐️ Author & Artist

Big Black Dog Studio presents: Dog Cove Chronicles!

"Don't care who the sperm donor was, an' you don't need to either... You gotta lotta people care about you here. People who love you. That's what family is. Genetics ain't got nothing to do with it." ❤️ I hope you enjoy my writing and its uplifting focus on no matter what path you traveled to get you to today, you get a say in creating the next chapter of your own life's fairy tale. ❤️ After 4 decades as a creative program director, professional volunteer manager, animal Reiki practitioner, and loss & grief counsellor, I have worked with children through the elderly and have been blessed to watch many real-life transformations around me. ❤️ I've led mostly volunteer workforces and have learned more about human nature, emotion, and healing than was ever taught to me in an academic program. ❤️ Whether you found my stories of love and resilience first in the Dog Cove Chronicles series, my silly Middle School humor books, my stories and articles from decades past, or even my pet "pawtraits" on social media under my art studio persona, I'm very happy you're here right now. ❤️ My gifting is first and foremost as an encourager and empowerer of others. I try to put that into every story and article I write, and I also hope it comes through in everything that I do. ❤️ Suzy xoxox

Happy November Supermoon from Dog Cove, Florida! ❤️

Happy Full Moon from Dog Cove, Florida! Hello from the Crazy DogCatChicken Lady who hasn't sent a newsletter out since, I dunno. July, I think? Nemo's birthday, I believe. One of the little spots I used to take my 140 lbs dog child was to a very shallow section of the cove near me where he had a grand time splashing at low tide when the water in this section was maybe a foot or so deep. He'd play for over an hour chasing the little fishes around, and just having a blast. Nemo playing in the...

about 1 month ago • 4 min read

How Do You Honor the Memory of Your Most Beloved Dog Child on His Birthday?

Simple: Channel your mourning into a creative project which honors not only their memory, but uplifts others with its positive vibe! Happy Birthday to Nemo July 5, 2010 - August 10, 2018 How has it been six years since Eenie Meenie MyNemo passed away? It's been a blur, especially coming on the heels of me thinking I had gotten past the trauma of chemo and surgery, but the body holds that stuff in way too long unless you do some serious effort to purge it. Sure, drawing pet portraits has...

6 months ago • 2 min read

What Happens When You Give Yourself Permission To Do a Thing? This! ⤵️

Getting chemo for the Big 5-0 birthday kind of knocked the wind out of me. Took a good long while, and I'm sure a few existential crises to finally sit myself down and ask what did I always want to do before I hit the Big 6-0 or a Stage 4 surprise creeps up ever again and takes options away from me altogether? Then the next question that was the loudest it's ever been shouted at me demanding an answer: So what "thing" on my dreams & bucket list was I actually going to say damn the torpedoes...

6 months ago • 3 min read