Me and Gracie in the white stuff

A couple times recently, there has been this white cold stuff that falls from the sky. It isn’t nasty like rain, it is nice and fluffy and fun. I have no idea what it is, but I really like it! It is the most awesome thing I’ve ever seen in my whole 3.5 years I’ve been alive! Gracie and I wish we could get some more of it somewhere…

Let me tell you why I like the white stuff.

1. You can dig in it really easily. Even Gracie can dig a hole!
2. You can eat it. Anything edible is OK in my book.
3. It makes everything quiet, like putting your head under a cushion. There aren’t as many cars rumbling by, or as many people out walking and yelling down the street.
4. I can see where I pee.
5. My moms stay home and play with us all day!
6. Did I mention you can eat it?

Here’s why I don’t like it:

1. My mom makes me wear the stupid red coat.

Mom and me and the stupid red coat

I know, I look cute in the coat. But I look cute in anything (or naked), and I’m really very tough, so there’s no reason to make me wear the coat. It makes me walk funny. Plus, Djembe and Seven laugh at me when no one is looking. This is what Seven looks like when he’s laughing at me:

It isn't funny.

So here’s what I would like, humans. We have only had this white stuff twice. That is unacceptable. I would like to have white stuff once a week, or at least twice per month at a minimum. It must remain for 36 hours. This will give me enough time to make intricate pee designs before it melts. Also, I don’t want to wear the red coat. I will consent to a masculine leather jacket, but no fleece or sweaters.

If you can provide this, humans, I promise to never beg at the table, keep my cold nose to myself first thing in the morning, and get off your lap when I’m feeling gassy. Is it a deal?

How true it is…

I’ve seen a lot of dogs getting yelled at by their humans this way. The human asks the dog to sit, and maybe the dog doesn’t hear, or is taking his time. So the human starts yelling, “I told you to sit, Spot! Why aren’t you sitting? Sit down! Sit! Move it!”

That’s a lot of words to just mean “sit.” In fact, there are three commands in there: sit, down, and move! Which one should Spot do? He doesn’t know! He just hears his human getting agitated. So he tries to placate this irrational human by doing all of them, which makes the human madder! Silly human…

All the human had to do was reiterate “sit.” If Spot was still confused, use a treat to lure him into a sitting position, or just tap his butt to remind him. Easy.

Dogs are just like humans. We have good days and bad days. Sometimes we forget what we’re supposed to be doing, or just don’t want to do it. If our humans just tell us and show us very clearly what they want, we’re usually happy to do it. If my mom wants me to “place” on something, she touches it and says “place!” I hop right up. If she just gestured toward it, and said, “Ok, place on it. Arthur, we’re doing place now, get on the place, go on. Arthur, get up there!” I would be so confused, I probably wouldn’t do anything other than look at her like she’s crazy (which she would be for talking like that!).

So just remember that your dog doesn’t understand English the way you do. We don’t know synonyms, or elaborations. Give us the word we know and some patience, especially if it is new! If we get confused, repeat the command, and maybe show us what you want. We’ll understand much faster that way, and everyone will have more fun!

This got me thinking about how to help other dogs (and cats too, if you must). The best thing to do would be to take a class, but there aren’t always classes available in our area.  So I went on YouTube and found some good videos.

Here’s one on doggy CPR:

This one is about helping pets that are choking. Check out the look on that cat’s face!

This guy tells you how to put together a good first aid kit for your dog, to take traveling or hiking. My cousin Zilli got hurt while hiking recently, so I know this is important.

I’m gonna have my mom make one of those cool kits for my backpack!

I've grown since this photo was taken, but I'm still handsome in my backpack!

If you wanna know anything else about how to keep your best friend healthy and happy, just call your dog trainer! Don’t have a dog trainer? You should! Call my mom!

Last Thursday, Gracie came to the house. She had been here before, so it was good to smell a familiar butt. We played and went on some walks together — good stuff.

But then she didn’t go away. Several days later, she was still here. My moms were using the word “sister.” At first I thought they were saying “visitor.” (They don’t enunciate very well, so its a reasonable mistake. ) Now, a week and a half later, Gracie is still here, so I guess she’s here to stay… I have a sister!

I didn’t think I’d like having a sister, and sometimes I still don’t. I don’t get all of my moms’ attention anymore, or all of the belly rubs. But they explained to me that Gracie is little and needs a home and some love, and that they still love me just as much as they always have, so that’s ok. Plus, Gracie may be small, but she is a GREAT wrestler! We wrestle all over the house, and sometimes I let her win. She’s also a good walker. She can keep up with me! Even when we hiked at the Whitewater Center yesterday, for 3 miles — she didn’t complain! Here’s a photo:

Sometimes, though, when I need a break, my mom Erin will take me riding in the car. We go to other dogs’ houses, where I show off how well-behaved and talented I am. This is to help the dogs’ humans understand that if they hire my mom to train their dog, their dog can be (almost) as smart as me!

Then we go home, where my mom Jen and Gracie have usually been chilling out on the couch. Sometimes Gracie likes the yellow chair:

(She’s not evil — her eyes are just glow-y.)

So that’s my sister Gracie. I’ll probably mention her in future posts. And all you other dogs better be nice to her, or you’ll have to answer to me. You wouldn’t like me when I’m angry….

Mom took me first thing this morning, and I got a Full Groom. That means a bath, a haircut, a pedicure, and a weird thing where they squeeze my butt. I can’t blame them, though. What can I say, I have a nice tush! So now I smell good, and look better! Check it out, ladies!

Profile shot

Practicing my Dirty Harry stare.

I also got a brand new collar while we were there! I’ve been admiring my cousins’ collars for a while. Djembe, Seven, and Zilli all have Dublin Dog collars, and I really wanted one, so mom got me a really cool one! Best of all, it has a lifetime guarantee, so I don’t have to worry about messing it up — its super-durable! Here’s a better shot of it:

Close up of my new collar

Now I’ll really turn heads when I’m out for a walk! Well, that’s about it for today. Holla at me!

Yesterday, my moms took me to a giant puddle, the biggest puddle in the whole world, I think! So big it had a name, something like “Why-Lee.” My cousin Zilli and Auntie Jill came too! It was a lot of fun! There were some little boys to play with, and I got to swim!

Me and Zilli on the dock

Now, I am very strong, but I have short legs, so I’m not a strong swimmer usually. But my mom Erin got me a new kind of skin. Its kinda like when humans put on different skins every day, but puffier, and orange, and it helped me swim! I was able to float better, so I could just paddle my legs and not worry about keeping my head out of water! I liked it so much, that when mom picked me up, I just kept paddling my legs until she put me down again!

Stylin'!

Cowabunga!

I think I drank the whole puddle.

Mmmmm, cool and refreshing!

I also got to eat lots of yummy things that the little boys dropped for me. I road on a boat, too, which is like a car that runs in the puddle, but it doesn’t go anywhere. It just rides around for a while and goes right back home. I like to ride on boats. You get a lot of good breezes and smells.

Heading off into the sunset

I was very tired when we got home, but not too tired to play with my new toy! It is white and fuzzy and squeaks, and I pretend its a squirrel. grrrrrr….

Then today, I was thinking about sleeping in, but mom got up early and took me to the woods! (I took a nap on the way.) There are always some nice dogs when we go to these woods. Today I got to play with Takota, Cassidy, and Scout. We had a lot of fun, running in the leaves, splashing in the creek, jumping on rocks, and smelling each others’ pee.

Pooped!

Now I am soooo tired. I think I’ll take a nap under the bed. Bye!

In Thailand, they have restaurants just for dogs!

I know what you’re thinking, but no, the food is for dogs. (My uncle Turks tells me I better be good or he’ll send me to Korea.)

Phim said that in Thailand, there are places where pack leaders can go get take-out for their dogs, made out of meats, fresh vegetables, and rice. The meals are made to order, whatever your dog likes best!

Entrepreneurs in Charlotte, listen up: restaurant for dogs = Good Idea!

They think that little dogs are just crazy by nature, don’t need walks, and can’t be trained. This is not true!

I’m only 20lbs (solid muscle, ladies) and I like to have a looooong walk every day! My moms walk really fast, so we cover a lot of distance in 45 minutes. I could go longer, but they’re just humans so I go easy on them.

All dogs need to walk, even little Yorkies that weigh 5lbs! I feel sorry for the poor dogs who have to ride around in a purse all day, or never get to go outside except to potty. We’re not toys, we’re animals!

And even little little dogs can be trained! We don’t have to bark all the time, jump and pee on people, and tear up your furniture. We can be calm, balanced dogs too! Just call my mom – she specializes in training little dogs!

Things have been strange around the house lately. My mom erin has been making me do all sorts of work. I go for more walks, I have to learn new tricks and stuff, and she takes me with her to different parks and houses.

I asked my smart cousin Djembe (Ridgebacks are very smart, but not as smart as terriers) what he thinks is going on. Turns out, my mom is at his house a lot working for his dad, my uncle Turk. She’s learning to be a dog trainer!

This is very exciting! It means I get to make new friends and show off for people all the time! It also means that my mom is going to help humans understand us dogs. We already hear you loud and clear, by the way. Its just that you don’t make any sense! Call my mom, and she’ll teach you how to talk sense to dogs.