Sunday, December 30, 2012

My Leg, Part Two

I am happy to report that my leg is feeling better. Mommy took me to the vet to get my stitches out Friday. She was very surprised to learn that I had taken out all but three all by myself! I wonder if dogs can be nurses and doctors when they grow up. Well, I guess not. It was OK to take out my own stitches with my teeth since I don't have fingers but I guess other patients wouldn't like that.

I don't understand something. My leg is feeling much, much better but Mommy still won't let me do anything fun. When she goes out, I get locked in the kitchen all by myself. When she is home, she will not let me get on the sofa. I was trying to get on the sofa to cuddle with her and this is what I heard, "No, Ethel Frances. Get off, Ethel Frances!" That hurt my feelings. Why didn't my mommy want to cuddle with me? I tried again and for the first time in my life, she held her legs up to keep me off. She thought that would keep me off. I just stepped on her legs, got on the sofa, and lay across her legs in case she thought about pushing me off.

Mommy looked in my face and said, "Ethel Frances, I don't know what to do with you. You are not supposed to climb, run, jump, play,or go for long walks for two more weeks. Your leg needs time to heal from surgery. I know you don't understand but pretty soon you will be allowed to do all the activities you love to do. Just try to be a good girl and stay off the furniture. OK, honey?"

All I understood from all of that talking was that Mommy was right. I do not understand, but I will try to be good anyway because that makes Mommy happy.

Speaking of happy, Happy New Year everyone and thank you for being interested in my life and my stories!

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Ouch! What Happened to My Leg?? (a long blog)

My bad day actually started last night. Mommy picked up our water dish like she usually does when she cleans it and fills it. She cleaned it and put it on the floor empty. What was she thinking? She never did put water in it. When we woke up this morning, not only did we not have water but she didn't give us food either. LuLu started barking at Mommy. "Mommy, please feed us. We are hungry. Mommy! Did you hear me?" LuLu looked at me and Izzy and shrugged her shoulders. "Oh my sisters. I tried to get Mommy to feed us. I barked and barked and I even cried, but she ignored me. What's going on here?"

Mommy didn't eat breakfast either. She looked at us and said, "Girls, I know you are hungry. I am, too, but Ethel Frances is having surgery in a little while so she is not allowed to eat or drink. I don't think it's fair for all of us to eat when Ethel Frances can't."

Surgery! There's that word again. The first time I heard it was last week. Dr. Burns and Mommy were talking about it after he moved my sore leg around and made it feel worse. All I know about surgery is that Mommy said it will fix my leg. I hope she is right because my leg has been hurting. Mommy hasn't taken me on any long walks and she hasn't let me run for a while and those are two of my favorite activities.

Mommy brought me home after leaving me at Flower Valley Veterinary Hospital. That is where Dr. Burns is. I usually like to go there because everyone loves me and I get lots of attention and hugs. Today was different. When we got to Dr. Burns', Mommy and I went in, but only Mommy left. "Mommy! Wait! Where are you going? Why aren't you taking me? Don't leave me here, Mommy!" Mommy looked at me and said, "Ethel Frances, you have to stay. You need surgery to fix your poor leg. I know you don't understand but you just have to trust me. I love you so much. I want your leg to be better so you can run and play and go on long walks again." She gave me a big hug and kiss and then she left. It looked like she had tears in her eyes. Why was she crying? I am the one who got left behind. I cried, too.

Kim took me in the back and put me on a big table. She stuck me in the arm with something sharp and I got very sleepy. Next thing I knew I woke up in a crate. All of the hair on my leg was gone and it hurt so bad. I didn't know anything could hurt that bad. I thought my leg was going to be fixed. I thought it wasn't going to hurt anymore. Is everyone crazy? Don't they know they made me hurt more? Before I could say anything to Kim, I fell asleep. Why am I so sleepy?

Mommy finally came to pick me up. I was there so long that it was dark outside. Kim called out to me, "Ethel Frances, it's time for you to go home. Your mommy is here." I was happy about that but I had so much trouble walking. I was sleepy and my leg hurt too much to walk on it. I held it up in the air and walked on three legs. Then I had to get in the car. I hate to get in the car when my leg doesn't hurt. Now I hated it even more. Kim didn't wait for me to get in myself. She got Stephanie and they lifted me and put me in the back.

Mommy put my bed and blankie in the kitchen and put up gates to keep me in there. My leg hurt so much. I cried a lot for a day or two and then it started to feel a little better. I started putting it down when I walk. Mommy bends and straightens my leg. She stops when it starts to hurt. She calls it physical therapy. Mommy said I can't go up steps or get on furniture for four weeks. She keeps a gate up at the steps and put a table and chairs in front of the sofa.

I figured out how to go behind the chairs and Mommy found me curled up on the sofa! She told me not to do that again, but I did. Maybe that is why my leg was hurting more tonight. Maybe I will stay off the sofa tomorrow. Oh, I also ran up the steps when Mommy forgot to put the gate up. I will try to listen because as Mommy keeps saying, "I am doing this to help you. It's for your own good."

Monday, December 10, 2012

Valentina Part 2 - LuLu Got in Trouble and I Watched

Sometimes Mommy takes LuLu and me out together but today she took us one at a time. I got to be first. Mommy said, "Come on, Ethel Frances. Want to go for a walk? You can go first because you asked first." She put my leash on and out we went. Oops! Mommy made a mistake. She didn't close the door all the way. LuLu stuck her nose in the crack, pushed the door open, and ran past us like a bolt of lightening!

"LuLu! Come! LuLu! LuLu! Want a treat?" Mommy was yelling loudly, but LuLu didn't come. Next thing I knew, Mommy dragged me home, shoved me in the door, and shut the door all the way. I didn't like that for two reasons: she shoved my butt which is rude and I couldn't open the door. Even though I couldn't escape, at least the blinds were open so I could watch.

I saw LuLu run to the right. Then Mommy ran to the right. Just as she reach LuLu, LuLu ran to the left. Then Mommy ran to the left. They went back and forth and back and forth. Mommy was getting tired but LuLu was going strong. The interesting part of this story is that LuLu never would have done this before Valentina came to our house. Valentina gave LuLu courage and confidence.

I watched LuLu pass Mommy a few more times, but suddenly she stopped and was sniffing the ground. I could see that it was a candy wrapper. That was good for Mommy. LuLu loves candy and she also loves to eat paper. She was so happy with it that she forgot all about Mommy. I saw Mommy tip-toe quietly and she leaned forward, grabbed LuLu's collar, and started dragging her home. I couldn't wait until they got closer so I could hear what kind of punishment LuLu was going to get. Time out? Short walks? No treats? I have received all of those punishments more than once. I try to be a good girl, but sometimes I can't help it.

As they approached the door I heard Mommy saying, "LuLu! I don't know what to do. I am very angry that you went out all by yourself and I am even more upset that you didn't come when I called you even though you had five hundred chances! However, while you were being naughty, you were using your courage and confidence. It's the first time in five years that you weren't afraid while you were outside. You should be rewarded for that, but that will encourage you to do it again and that isn't safe -- for you or for me. I guess this is like a football game and they are offsetting penalties."

I love sports and watch games with Mommy so I knew exactly what she meant. LuLu gets scared when Mommy watches games because she screams and yells at the TV so LuLu doesn't know what offsetting penalties are. Mommy could tell that by the confused expression on LuLu's face. "Let's get in the house, LuLu, and I will explain everything."

They came inside and Mommy told LuLu to sit and Mommy sat with her. "LuLu, it is dangerous for you to be outside without me. If you run in the street you could be hit by a car and that would hurt. If you run too far, you might get lost and never find your way home. That would make Ethel Frances, Izzy, and me sadder than sad. That is why you should be punished. You know what you did was wrong because I have talked to all three of you about this."

"Oh boy. Here comes the punishment," I said to myself. Mommy said, "When Valentina came to visit, you learned that people aren't scary and you weren't afraid of her parents, Anita and Frank. You also aren't afraid when other people come to the house. You certainly weren't afraid while you were running all over the neighborhood. You should be rewarded for being brave. So you do the math, LuLu. One reward minus one punishment equals zero -- no reward and no punishment. Just a lecture and a request that you never do that again."

"LuLu, I am proud of you for getting over your fears and I love you." Mommy saw me sitting and listening and she gave me a big hug. "I love you and I am proud of you, too, Ethel Frances." Then she saw Izzy sitting there. She gave Izzy a small hug and a quick kiss and said, "I love you, too, Izzy." Izzy doesn't give Mommy a whole of reasons to be proud. Maybe she will when she gets a little older.

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Valentina Came to My House

Friday morning after we ate breakfast, Mommy called us. "Ethel, LuLu, Izzy come here please. I have something to tell you." We looked at each other, asking with our eyes who did something naughty. Mommy laughed. "No one is in trouble. I just wanted to tell you something exciting." We ran over to her and sat. "Guess who is coming to our house today for the first time. Valentina and her mommy and daddy. Won't that be fun!" We all agreed and we were on our best behavior while we waited for them. We didn't want to have a time out when we had company.

Valentina is my friend. We met her when I was volunteering at the Hebrew Home. We met a lady named Sophie. She asked Mommy if the dog is a guide dog. Mommy told her that the dog (that would be me) is a family dog who is in the pet therapy program. Sophie was very friendly and she was scratching my head and my back. It felt so good that I didn't mind that Sophie and Mommy talked for such a long time. Sophie told Mommy that her daughter is blind and she has a guide dog to help her. So then they talked even longer and it turned out that Sophie's daughter is Anita and her guide dog is Valentina.

While they werre talking, Anita, Frank (Valentina's daddy), and Valentina came to visit. I liked Valentina from the second that we met. I ran over to her and we sniffed each other and then we started playing. We ran around and around Sophie's room. Valentina likes to pull my ears and I like to grab her legs. Now we are all good friends and it all happened because I am a volunteer.

Mommy hasn't been able to take me to the Home for almost a month, but that is another story. Anita and Frank and Valentina wanted to visit because they missed us and we missed them, too. Mommy put Izzy in the crate because she isn't nice to other dogs. As soon as LuLu heard people at the door she ran upstairs to hide because she is afraid of people.

Mommy and I were so happy to see everybody. Valentina and I were playing like we do at the Home. We were having lots of fun. We got tired after playing hard and we both were lying on the floor resting. All of a sudden LuLu came downstairs and started playing with Valentina. To tell the truth, I didn't want to share LuLu so I shoved her away from Valentina and I played with LuLu. When we stopped playing something amazing happened. Lulu didn't go back upstairs. She sat on the sofa next to Mommy, right across from Frank and Anita, and she stayed there. She wasn't afraid.

Ever since the day Valentina visited, LuLu isn't afraid of people when they come to visit. She stays downstairs and she even lets people pet her. We are all so happy and proud of LuLu and grateful to Valentina and her mommy and daddy. For some reason that LuLu hasn't told me, having them in our house helped LuLu get over her fears. I hope they come again soon!


Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Yellow Rectangles - What Are They and Where Are the Kids?

Mommy and I were walking this morning and the strangest thing happened. A big yellow rectangle on wheels rode onto our street. It stopped at the corner, right in front of a bunch of big kids. The rectangle had lots of windows and and two doors, one on the side and one on the back. The side door opened and I could see three steps and at the top of the steps I could see a person sitting behind the same kind of wheel Mommy sits behind in our car.

Suddenly, the kids ran up the steps and it seemed like they disappeared, but when the rectangle rode away I could see their faces at the windows. I have never seen anything like that! What was that rectangle and what happened to all of those children?

After the rectangle drove off with the kids, Mommy and I continued on our walk. When we got to the next corner, the same thing happened only this time the kids were little and their parents were with them. A yellow rectangle on wheels drove up and stopped in front of the little kids. I still didn't know what the yellow rectangles were but I knew they were not dangerous because the parents helped their little children go up the steps. The parents came out and that rectangle left.

I was so confused that I started talking to myself. "What in the world is going on around here. What are those rectangles? Why do I only see yellow rectangles on wheels? Will I see yellow circles on wheels next?" Talking to myself helps me sort things out, but I usually don't have the information to answer myself.

I can't speak English and I sometimes get so frustrated trying to talk to Mommy. This was one of those times. I communicate by barking, kissing, wagging my tail, and drooling. How in the world could I make my barks, kisses,wags, and drool say, "Mommy, what was that yellow rectangle on wheels and why did children go inside and disappear?" After the second rectangle left, Mommy started walking. I didn't. Mommy looked at me and said, "Ethel Frances, heel." That meant I was supposed to stand up next to Mommy's left leg and walk next to her. I knew what it meant, but I didn't do it.

Mommy looked surprised. "Ethel Frances, heel!" Mommy said that a few more times. Each time, her voice got louder, but I wouldn't budge. Mommy squatted next to me and looked in my eyes. "OK, Ethel Frances. I know you know what 'Heel' means so why aren't you doing it?" Now I had two questions: what was that yellow rectangle and how was I going to ask Mommy my questions. Sometimes life is so complicated.

While I was sitting and not heeling, a strange thing happened. A big smile appeared on Mommy's face. She clapped her hands, jumped up, and exclaimed: "Ah ha! Ethel Frances, you want to know what happened with those kids, don't you?" Then a bigger smile appeared on my face and I jumped up and gave Mommy a big kiss! My mommy understands me and we can communicate even though we don't speak the same language. I kissed her again so she would know that she understood me.

"OK, Ethel Frances, I am going to tell you. Remember when you went to school? Al was your teacher and we met Bentley and his mom there. Remember? You had to get in the car and I drove you to school in our car. Well, human kids have to go to school and there are too many of them to fit in a car. The schools have school buses, see." Mommy was pointing at the street. I followed Mommy's finger and saw that she was pointing to a yellow rectangle driving by. "There goes one now! The bus driver goes to all of the neighborhoods, stops to let the kids get in, and drives them all to school. When school is over later in the day, the bus goes to the school, stops to let the kids get in, and drives them home. That's all there is to it. Now can we finish with our walk?"

I wagged my tail extra fast so Mommy would know that I understood. I am so happy I can go to Mommy with my questions. She always makes time to listen and to help me get answers. I bet if she spoke dog language she would be wagging her tail extra fast too!

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Good Help is Hard to Find

I wonder what happened to Mommy. She was always so helpful to me with my stories and now it has been months since she has done anything. I have so much to say but I haven't figured out how to use a keyboard to tell my stories and I am frustrated because Mommy is the only one I know who understands Dog Language. Without her, my keyboard is silent.

It all started when Mommy asked Izzy if she wanted to go bye-bye. Out the door they went, but Mommy came back alone. She said she took Izzy to the farm. She usually takes LuLu and me to the farm without Izzy so I was confused.

The next day Mommy came home from work, took us outside and back in real fast, fed us, took us out again and then started running around the house picking up our things and putting them in a bag. She picked up our water dish and food bowls, our toys, and even my bed. LuLu doesn't have a bed because she sleeps on the sofa.

She grabbed us and all of our things and asked us if we wanted to go bye-bye. I love going in the car, but LuLu doesn't. She didn't have a choice. Mommy dragged her and shoved her in the back seat with me and off we went. Mommy parked the car and I looked around and realized we were someplace LuLu and I had never been.

Mommy got us and our things and we were walking up to a strange house. I didn't have a chance to get nervous because the door opened and out walked Frid, Mommy's best friend. Frid loves us and we love her. Mommy said, "Here we are at Frid's house!" We went in and LuLu and I ran all over the house, looking in every room. It is a very nice house. Or it was until Mommy kissed us good-bye, told us to be good girls, and left. She left Frid's house and she left us in it.

I was sad and confused and I even cried. LuLu was scared out of her mind. I thought Mommy would be right back but she was gone a very long time. One night when Frid was walking me, I saw another dog. I got so excited and I started running as fast as I could, without realizing that Frid was holding my leash. I pulled hard and when I broke loose, Frid fell down. I didn't mean to hurt her, but I did. A stranger came and got me and put me in Frid's house and then an ambulance came. Frid had a broken arm, shoulder, and collar bone! I felt bad about it, but when Mommy found out about it, she felt worse!

Frid left in the ambulance and a little while later, Aunt Paula and Uncle Greg came in Frid's house. What in the world was going on? They gathered up all of our things and took us to their car and said we were going home. I didn't believe it until we got there.

LuLu and I ran to our front door, so happy to be home. Aunt Paula opened the door and there was Mommy on the sofa. "Girls! You're home! Come here so I can kiss you." LuLu and I looked at each other and at the same time we ran past Mommy and ran upstairs without giving Mommy a chance to even touch us.

We had a talk upstairs because Mommy taught us that we should talk about our problems and our feelings. We didn't have a problem now that we were home but we did have feelings. We were angry at Mommy for leaving us at Frid's even though Frid loves us and took very good care of us. We decided to stay upstairs until we knew for sure that we would be staying home.

The next morning, we woke up and we were so happy to be in our home that we forgot about being angry. We ran downstairs barking and laughing and we got in Mommy's face and gave her about a million kisses. "Girls! You aren't angry anymore! I am so glad. I love you so much and I missed you so much while you were at Frid's. I was in the hospital so the doctor could fix my back. I couldn't take care of you until my back was better and until I was strong enough. Remember? I told you all of this before you went to Frid's. Frid was wonderful to keep you so you wouldn't have to go to the farm and so you two could be together. Then Frid got hurt and she couldn't take care of you so I got you back a little earlier than expected.

Now you are home and I am better and Frid is almost better. I sure did miss you!"

A few days later, Jacob came to our home and he had Izzy! Even though Izzy is annoying and naughty, we all missed her and were happy to have her home with us.

Last night Mommy called me. "Ethel Frances, come here honey." I went to Mommy and sat in front of her. "Ethel Frances, now that I am feeling better I can help you with your blogs again. Do you want me to help you with a new post?"

If you have read this new post to the end, you know the answer to Mommy's question. I hope you are as happy as I am that I can tell my stories again.


Monday, August 20, 2012

LuLu's Sad Story

Mommy adopted me when I was only eight weeks old and we adopted LuLu when she was eight weeks old. She was very cute, but very shy. I was so excited to have a new baby sister and I wanted to play with her, but when I got close to LuLu she would run and hide. She was afraid of me and she was afraid of Mommy. I didn't understand. I never thought Mommy and I were scary people. I tried to talk to LuLu to tell her she didn't have to be afraid but she wouldn't stay close enough to hear what I had to say.

Mommy told me she was taking LuLu to the doctor for a new puppy check. When they came home, LuLu ran and hid under a chair. Mommy sat on the sofa and called me over to her. "Ethel Frances, come here Honey so I can talk to you." Mommy looked sad. "Uh oh, I said to myself, "I hope I didn't do something to make Mommy look so sad." 

I went over to Mommy and she gave me a big hug. "Ethel Frances, the doctor said LuLu is very healthy. which was very good news but then he said that LuLu has a sad story. She was taken away from her dog mommy when she was only two weeks old.  Taking a puppy from its mother so young doesn't give the puppy a chance to learn how to do things on its own.  The doctor continued with the examination.  He looked in her eyes and ears and when he looked in her mouth he said, "Oh my gosh! Now I know why poor little LuLu is so afraid. Someone knocked some of her bottom teeth out and damaged some other bottom teeth." 

Mommy cried when she told me and I cried too. Why would anyone want to hurt a little, tiny puppy?  Mommy said, "Ethel Frances, we have to be very patient with LuLu and very gentle. She will let us know when she feels safe. OK, honey? I sure hope you understand me." I can't talk so I wagged my tail and gave Mommy a kiss so she would know I understood.

Sure enough, after a couple of weeks of trying to help LuLu, she ran over to me and asked me to play with her. I was so happy! We ran and ran and wrestled and we even played tug of war with one of Mommy's socks. We were happy but Mommy wasn't until she realized how happy LuLu was. "Girls, I should be mad at you for ruining my sock but I am so happy LuLu is having so much fun!  Ethel Frances, you are the perfect big sister for our litte LuLu."

One day Mommy's friend Frid came over. Frid and Mommy have been friends since they were young. She went with Mommy to bring LuLu home from the shelter when we adopted her. Frid held LuLu on her lap and Mommy drove the car. When Frid came over, LuLu ran right over to Frid without hiding at all.  Frid sat on the sofa and LuLu tried to get in Frid's lap. Mommy and Frid and I were so happy. We all gathered around LuLu and hugged her and told her we were proud of her.  

I didn't understand why LuLu wasn't afraid of Frid.  Mommy didn't understand it at first either.  All of a sudden, Mommy and I figured it out at the same time.  Just as I was thinking, Mommy said my thoughts out loud. "Frid!  You went to the shelfter with me to pick up LuLu and you held her in the car all the way  home.  LuLu remembers that and she remembers you so of course she would love and trust you."  I jumped up and ran over to Mommy wagging my tail as fast as I could and I gave Mommy and Frid kisses.

"Ethel Frances, you do understand!  You know why LuLu loves and trusts Frid, too.  You are a smart and a sensitive girl! I love you and I am very proud of you."

It has been five years since we adopted LuLu and she hasn't made much progress except she doesn't have separation anxiety anymore when Mommy leaves.  Separation anxiety means that LuLu thought than when Mommy went out, she would not be coming back. Once when LuLu was a few months old Mommy went to work and decided not to crate LuLu anymore because LuLu was a good girl.  Not a good decision.  Right after Mommy left, LuLu freaked out.  I tried everything I could to get her to calm down.  I promised her Mommy would be home later and asked her to please settle down.

Instead of settling down, she tore up -- the carpet!  And she shredded the padding underneath.  She made me very nervous.  "LuLu, please stop!  Please!  Oh, what will Mommy do and say when she gets home.  I promise you she will be home."  She didn't stop until she was too tired to tear anything else and she plopped down on what was left of the carpet and went to sleep.  I started pacing, wondering what in the world would happen when Mommy came through that door.

When I heard the key in the door, I told LuLu to hide, but she didn't.  Mommy came in and LuLu ran to her and gave her a hug.  I stood back, waiting for Mommy to see the damage.  "Hi, girls!  I'm home!  Did you miss...oh my gosh!  What in the world happened in here?  Who did that?"  I am happy to report that Mommy knew I would never do anything like that.  I only get into food.  "LuLu!  What happened?  Were you afraid I wouln't come back?  I will always come back because I love you and I love Ethel Frances and this is our home."

Mommy picked up the phone and called our doctor.  He gave Mommy pills for LuLu.  Then Mommy had to act like she was leaving when she wan't really leaving.  After six months LuLu didn't take the medicine again and now she knows that Mommy will always come home to us, butI think she will always be afraid when she is outside.  As long as she is home with her family and sometimes Frid, she is the happiest dog in the world.

Please share LuLu's story.  Maybe it will help save another puppy from being hurt.  We really thought that LuLu would grow up and forget about her life before we adopted her.  She never did.  Actually, we all think about it every time we see LuLu get scared -- every single day.

Monday, July 30, 2012

Teamwork Gets Us Breakfast at 5

My little sister, Izzy, and I used to have a problem but the middle sister, LuLu, solved it for us. LuLu is afraid of almost everything and everyone and she is so quiet that I sometimes forget how smart she is. Izzy and I like to eat breakfast at 5 a.m., but LuLu doesn't care when she eats. In fact, sometimes she doesn't eat for a day or two. I don't understand that at all! Anyway, Izzy and I try to wake Mommy up at 5 so she will give us breakfast. She knows we don't have to go outside to pee or poop because we don't do that until after we eat and she won't get up just to feed us.

Izzy tries to wake Mommy up first by licking her face and neck and by scratching at the blankets. Mommy just pushes her away and rolls over without even opening her eyes. Then I try by barking and barking. I get tired of barking before she gets tired of ignoring me. So I get up and sit in front of the TV to get her attention. Oops. She is sleeping -- or pretending to -- and her eyes are closed. She isn't looking at the TV. Izzy already went back to sleep. I wasn't ready to give up, but I didn't have any ideas. LuLu did.

She went over to Izzy and poked her. "Wake up, Izzy! I have an idea," LuLu said. Izzy jumped up and we both sat in front of LuLu, waiting to hear her idea. "You know what I do to get Mommy's attention, right? I poke her with my fingernails, like I just poked you, Izzy. Isn't it annoying!" LuLu leaned forward and poked me so I would know what it feels like and it is annoying. "Go on, LuLu," I said.

"I don't care when I eat," LuLu continued "but I know, you girls do and because you are my sisters, I will help you. Tomorrow morning, both of you do what you do every morning and instead of sleeping, I will get up and poke Mommy. I bet she will get up and feed us. Do you like my idea?" Izzy and I both liked her idea and couldn't wait to see it in action.

The next morning at 5, Izzy started licking Mommy's face and neck and then she scratched at the blankets. I started barking and barking. Mommy pushed Izzy away and pulled the blankets over her head and totally ignored us. LuLu looked at us and smiled and walked over to Mommy and poked her arm. She poked and poked and Mommy ignored the poking -- until LuLu poked her in the face. Twice!

"Fine!" Mommy said. "I will get up and feed you if you stop licking and barking and poking. OK?" Of course we can't talk so we couldn't say OK. We just stopped doing everything. When Mommy went to get our bowls, Izzy and I looked at LuLu. She was stretched out on the sofa with a huge smile on her face. She looked very proud of herself. Izzy and I ran over to her and gave her lots of kisses. "Thank you, LuLu,!" we said at the same time. Then we ran in the kitchen and ate our breakfast at 5, just like we wanted.

When we finished eating, we went in the living room and there was LuLu's bowl -- untouched. She went to the trouble of helping us get our breakfast at 5, and she really didn't care when she ate.

That's what I call a good sister!

Monday, July 23, 2012

Where Did Friday Go?

Something very strange happened to me. It started Thursday night when all of a sudden Mommy took away our water and didn't give us a good night treat. Then when we got up Friday morning, we still didn't have water and worse than that, Mommy didn't give us breakfast! LuLu and Izzy and I talked about it and talked about being so hungry and thirsty, but none of us knew why Mommy was depriving us.

We knew it was Friday because when Mommy was getting ready for work she said what she says every week. "Girls, I have to go to work, but today is Friday and I get off of work early for Shabbat and then I will be home all day tomorrow and a lot of the day on Sunday. Isn't that great!" But that is where the weekly routine ended. She didn't give us a cookie and a treat and stranger than that, she got my leash and said, "Let's go, Ethel Frances. I don't want to be late." I was totally confused. I have never gone to work with Mommy. What was going on?!

I found out soon enough. Mommy took me to my doctor. I thought I was going to get my shots and then Mommy would take me home and go to work. I was wrong. Kim came out to say good morning and I was happy to see her and I gave her kisses and wagged my tail as fast as I could. While all of this was going on, Mommy bent down and gave me a kiss and a great big hug and she said, "Bye, Honey. I will pick you up on my way home. You be a good girl, OK?" and she gave my leash to Kim and left without me.

At first I thought she was joking because she does that a lot, but then I heard our car drive away. No one was laughing. Kim took me to the back and put me in a great big crate, without food and water. It was worse than being at the pound! At least at the pound they feed the animals. I decided to try to take a nap, but before I had the chance Kim and the doctor came to get me. They picked me up and put me on a hard table and stuck a needle in my arm. Why! I wanted my Mommy and I even started to cry and all of a sudden I got very sleepy and I conked out! When I woke up I was back in the crate and I was still hungry and thirsty and now my knee was hurting very badly. I couldn't figure it out, but I tell you what. I was one unhappy dog!

When Mommy finally came to get me the doctor told her that my knee was OK and the Xray looked OK, too. She said she moved my knee around a lot and it would probably be sore for a day or two. The doctor also said I tolerated the anesthesia very well. Mommy was happy with the news and gave me a big hug. I didn't understand any of that conversation. All I wanted was to go home, see my sisters, and have some food and water. And that is exactly what happened. After I drank and ate I realized that I was still very tired and I slept all the way from dinner to breakfast. When I woke up, it was Shabbat and Mommy was home with us all day and we were all very happy.

I still don't know what happened to Friday. I just hope it never happens again.

Monday, July 16, 2012

Why Is Peeing So Difficult?

I have a problem and it is with my Mommy. I am a good dog. I listen to my Mommy most of the time; I am housebroken all of the time; I only eat twice a day and it isn't anything that needs to be cooked; and, I protect my house and my Mommy. So why does it have to be a big deal when I want to go outside to pee? Would she like it better if I peed in the house?

This is what I go through every single time I want to go outside. First I go to the back door and sit nicely, waiting for Mommy to see me sitting there. I know she knows I am there and I know she pretends she can't see me. So then I start to bark. Each time I bark, instead of Mommy taking me outside, she tells me to stop barking. Sometimes she even uses bad words and says, "Ethel Frances! Shut up!" That hurts my feelings. But she still doesn't get up to take me outside.

I finally figured out how to get her to do it. My Mommy loves to watch TV and when she is in the house, the TV is on. All day and even all night. So when I get tired of barking, I get up and go sit right in front of the TV. She can't pretend she doesn't see me when I do that because she is always looking at it. She will tell me to lie down and because I am such a good girl I lie down. And then I get right back up and sit in front of the TV again. Sometimes I have to bark a few times, but then she gets up. "Ethel Frances," she says, "Do you want to go outside?" I wonder how to say "Duh" in Dog Language.

So I run to my leash and run around in circles and Mommy puts my leash on and we go outside. I do outside what people do in bathrooms and I feel much better. And since we are outside, Mommy takes me for a nice walk. I guess it is worth it to go through so much just to pee, but I wish I didn't have to.

I had a talk with LuLu and she gets frustrated with Mommy, too, but LuLu isn't patient like me. Instead of going to the door to wait nicely, she just starts barking her head off every time she has to pee. She said she tried things like I did, but she didn't think it was fair to have to go through so much just to pee. She learned that if she barks her head off, Mommy will take her out. Izzy said she doesn't even have to ask. She takes a lot of naps and as soon as she wakes up, Mommy takes her right outside to pee.

I wish I could talk so I could ask Mommy why she makes me ask so many different ways every time I have to pee. How would she feel if she had to do that? But I can't talk so I will try to find a way to get her to take me out the first time I ask. I will let you know when I have an answer.

Monday, July 9, 2012

Why We Can't Eat Pine Cones?

In my neighborhood there are lots of pine trees and they drop lots of pine cones. Some of the pine cones are short, brown and crunchy and others are long, green and chewy. My little sister, Izzy, and I like to eat them. She likes the crunchy ones and I like the chewy ones. For some reason Mommy doesn't want us to eat them. Every time we are outside walking, this is what I hear: "Ethel Frances, what do you have? What is it? Let me see it!" I just stand there looking at the ground, pretending I don't hear her. She tries again to get me to show her what I have, but I won't do it because as soon as she sees it's a pine cone, she will make me drop it.

"Ethel Frances! Get over here! Come on!" I still ignore her and she will finally walk over to me, stick her fingers between my teeth, and pry my jaws apart. "Aha!" she exclaims. "Just what I thought. A pine cone! How many times do I have to tell you not to eat pine cones? Why do you even want to eat them?" She was talking and asking questions so fast that I wouldn't have been able to answer her even if I could talk! Once she pried my jaws open, I couldn't hold the pine cone anymore. It fell to the ground, but Mommy thought I dropped it. "Ethel Frances, you are a good girl! Thank you for dropping the pine cone." I turned my head away so Mommy wouldn't see the big smile on my face.

After we got home, it was Izzy's turn to go outside. "C'mon, Isabel. Want to go outside?" Izzy ran to Mommy and out the door they went. When they came back a little later, Mommy had a scowl on her face and Izzy was hanging her head. Before I had the chance to talk to Izzy about her walk, I noticed pieces of brown crunchy pine cones around her mouth and there was my answer. Mommy's scowl was from Izzy eating pine cones. Mommy went in the kitchen and I went over to talk to Izzy.

"Izzy, did you eat a pine cone, too?" I asked? "Well, I tried to," she replied. "I do not understand why our mommy gets so upset about pine cones. They are nice and cruchy and they taste good and I bet they clean my teeth while I am chewing them. So what if they make me throw up sometimes. If I don't care, why should she!"

"I like them when they are green and chewy," I said, "because the pine taste and smell are strong. They give me diarrhea sometimes but I like to eat them anyway. I wish Mommy didn't get so upset. This morning on the way home from our walk, I found a big, green chewy pine cone and I was going to eat it when we got home. We were almost home and Mommy hadn't noticed that I had it. When we got to Bill and Mary's house I stopped walking." "Ethel frances," Mommy said. "Why did you stop? Let's go home." I stood there, hanging my head so Mommy couldn't see the pine cone. "Come on, honey. It is time to go home. Izzy has to have her walk."

"Mommy kept tugging on my leash and telling me to move, but I just stood there. And then it happened. I starred drooling like I always do when I am near something I want to eat. The drool was pouring out around the pine cone and on to the side walk. I still had my head down and wouldn't look at Mommy." Izzy was listening while I talked and she kept nodding her head. She knew how I felt because she has the same problem. It feels good to talk about my problems, especially to someone who understands.

"Izzy, you know what happened next? Mommy looked down and saw a big puddle of drool." She exclaimed, "Ethel Frances! What is in your mouth? What do you have that is making you drool?" She bent down and pried my mouth open and took out that beautuful pine cone and threw it into the bushes. "How many times have I told you not to eat pine cones! They give you a tummy ache and diarrhea and they smell awful. I really don't understand you sometimes. However, I have to give you credit for being so smart. You knew if you kept your head down I couldn't see that pine cone. Too bad your drool gave your secret away. Now, let's go home."

All of a sudden, LuLu, my other sister, said, "I have been listening to the two of you talking about pine cones and Mommy and I can't believe that neither of you knows why she doesn't want you to eat them. Izzy," LuLu continued, "you throw up and Ethel Frances, you get diarrhea. Do you two think that Mommy enjoys cleaning up all that mess!! Maybe if you did those gross things outside, she wouldn't care what you ate."

Izzy and I stared at each other and then all three of us started to laugh. LuLu is a very smart dog!

Monday, July 2, 2012

Why Did We Sit in the Dark?

Friday night we were going to sleep and I heard loud thunder and rain. The storm was so bad that even Mommy was scared. The lights in the house went off and came back on a few times and then they went off and didn't come back on. I don't understand what happened. Why didn't Mommy get up and turn them back on? The air conditioner and fan stopped, too, and it was starting to get warm in the house. I thought Mommy didn't turn everything back on because it was Shabbat, but after we sat in the hot, dark house and made Havddallah, it was still dark and getting warmer.

My sister LuLu was confused and she stopped eating. She gets scared and confused pretty often and she always stops eating. She told me she gets so upset she feels like she can't swallow. I eat everything all the time. I told LuLu when I get upset, I eat even more than when I'm not. Izzy didn't seem to notice that anything was different. Mommy lit a lot of little candles and she had two flashlights that she used when we went outside and was I surprised when we did go outside! All of those lights were off, too.

Mommy didn't complain about the dark but she had a lot to say about being hot. She hates to be hot and that is something else I didn't understand. Why didn't she turn the air conditioner on when it went off? I know that you can't get anything accomplished by just complaining. You have to do something! How was I going to tell Mommy my thoughts and feelings. Well, I did know how to tell her I was hot. I went right up to her face and panted and panted and blew hot air on her. "Mommy, this means that I am hot. Please do something about it."

She did something, all right. She moved me away from her face and said, "Ethel Frances, I know you are hot and I am hot, too, but I can't do anything about it." All day Sunday we sat in a dark hot house and I noticed Mommy didn't open the refrigerator and she also didn't eat ice cream. I think cold ice cream would taste real good on a hot day. What was happening to my Mommy and our house? Sunday night Mommy opened doors and we got a breeze and the house got cooler -- not cool, but cool-er.

Mommy left us today and went to work and while she was away, the lights came back on but the air conditioner didn't. Mommy came home and showed me fans she bought and found out she didn't need them. "Girls, girls, the electricity is back! Hooray! Aren't you happy!" First she turned on the air conditioner and then she went all around the house flipping switches. And then I was even more confused. If it was that easy to make the house cool and light, why didn't she do that a long time ago?

"Come here, girls. I want to talk to you. I don't know if you will understand but I hope you will. Do you remember that awful storm we had Friday night?" As if we would forget that fast. "Well, the wind was very strong and knocked down trees and power lines. That is why we had to sit in hot, dark house. I hope it doesn't happen again, but if it does I bought two fans that don't use electricity and I bought a radio that uses batteries. At least for now we are nice and cool. Thank you for being such good girls and for not complaining."

I do understand now and I am proud of us for being good. Well, two of us were good. One of us ran out the door without her leash and collar and it was so dark Mommy had a hard time finding her. She is lucky that Mommy didn't just let her run away! Can you guess who the bad one is??

Monday, June 25, 2012

I Was Not Nice to My Mommy - and I Feel Bad

Lately when Mommy and I go for walks, it is not much fun. We used to walk and run and now we only walk, if that's what you want to call it. Mommy goes so slowly that it feels like a step and a stop and a step and a stop. My four legs have a hard time walking slowly enough to stay next to her when she says, "Heel." Sometimes I try to go a little faster and then Mommy gets annoyed. "Ethel Frances, I said Heel! Remember? I shouldn't have to tell you a million times."

Wow! I wish I knew what happened to Mommy and our walks. That used to be my favorite time because I had Mommy all to myself, without my sisters, but it isn't anymore. After we started our walk last night, I got tired of walking like Edna Louise, the neighborhood Shih Tsu, with her little baby steps. I looked at Mommy and backed up and took off running. Mommy couldn't hold on to the leash because I am as strong as an ox -- whatever that means. I just hear Mommy say that when she talks about me. I ran in circles, careful not to go in the street and while I was enjoying myself I heard my mommy yell -- and I do mean yell -- "Ethel Frances! Ethel Frances Miller! You get back here right now! Do you hear me? You better get over here or else..."

I did go over to Mommy but not until I was finished running. I ran and sat in front of her and I smiled and said with my face and tail, "Here I am Mommy. I came to you just like you wanted." My mommy is smart and she knew I was trying to make her think I obeyed her. What she said next surprised me and made me feel bad. She said, "Ethel Frances, I know you miss our fast walks and I know you miss running but my legs hurt right now and I just can't do it. I will get better and we will be able to do those things again but it might take a little while. Do you understand me, Honey?"

As soon as I heard Mommy say "hurt" I felt bad. I know what that means because last week I walked over to Mommy on three legs instead of four. She said, "Ethel Frances! What happened to your leg? How did you hurt it?" She rubbed my leg and took me to the doctor and I got medicine that tasted very good -- and it made my leg feel better, too. So I understand about legs that hurt. When my leg hurt, Mommy helped me. When her legs hurt, I was not nice. I looked up in Mommy's face and leaned against her and my tail was pointing down instead of up and it was still instead of wagging. "Mommy, I am sorry your legs hurt and I am sorry I didn't listen. Will you forgive me, Mommy? Please will you?"

Mommy bent down and gave me a big hug and kiss. "I know you are sorry, Ethel Frances, and I forgive you. Let's go home and have dinner." We went home, slowly, and Mommy put our dinner in our bowls. She gave me mine first and then she went in the other room and gave LuLu and Izzy theirs.

While she was in the other room I noticed she left her dinner on the counter. I could smell it and it smelled so delicious. I thought for a minute and I said, "Ethel Frances, you are already in trouble so you might as well go ahead and eat her dinner!" And so I did.

You can probably figure it out the rest of this story for yourself so I won't go into any details, but I will tell you that it wasn't very pretty. Next time I will try harder to be good.


Monday, June 18, 2012

I Was a Good Girl -- But It Wasn't Easy!

Mommy and I went to the Home today to visit our friends. Mommy says they are our friends, but they are really my friends. They only talk to Mommy to be polite because she is the person who takes me to see them. Anyway, we had a nice visit and when we were almost at the door to leave, I saw my friends, Miriam and Marissa, sitting at a table in the Conservatory. I gave Mommy a pull on my leash so she would know that I wanted to say hi to my friends. It worked and we went right into the Conservatory.

Miriam and Marissa were excited to see me. They called me over and they hugged me and patted me and hugged me some more. When Marissa put her face down to mine to kiss me, I kissed her back and I tasted food! My stomach was so excited. I backed up a little to see what was on the table and there it was: Lunch! Marissa had a cheese sandwich and an orange. I guess Miriam was finished eating because all I saw in front of her was orange rind and I don't like to eat that because it is bitter, but I certainly do enjoy eating cheese sandwiches. The bread on the sandwich was light brown and I know that means that the cheese was soft and gooey.

I got real close to Marissa again, waiting for her to lean down to give me a hug and kiss. That would be my opportunity to grab that sandwich right off the table. Then I remembered something. One other time when we were leaving the Home, Miriam and Marissa were sitting outside eating their lunch. Marissa had a cheese sandwich that day, too, only the bread was white and the cheese was hard. I know the cheese was hard because I was naughty. I walked right up to Marissa and grabbed that sandwich right out of her hand and ate it. Mommy was angry and I think she was embarrassed and disappointed, too. I remember the look on her face when she told me how shocked she was that I did that and she said Marissa wouldn't have anything to eat the rest of the day. I was sad about that. I have to admit when I snatched the sandwich I wasn't thinking about Marissa at all. All I was thinking about was my mouth and my stomach and how good they would feel if I ate that sandwich.

Today I am happy to report that since I took the time to think about the last cheese sandwich episode, I decided to be good. Mommy saw that sandwich, too, and she remembered, too, and she helped me. "Ethel Frances," Mommy whispered, "Please don't touch Marissa's lunch, OK? Remember the last time? I want you to just pretend like you never even saw that sandwich. OK, Honey? I know you can be a good girl, Ethel Frances."

I looked at Mommy, and then at Marissa, and then at that cheese sandwich and I gave Marissa a big, slurpy kiss and pulled on my leash to leave. Mommy understood me even though I can't talk. She said, "OK, Ethel Frances. I know by that pull that you are ready to go home and I know you want to leave before you change your mind and grab that sandwich. You are the best girl and I am lucky to be your Mommy."

When we got home Mommy told my sisters how good I was at the Home and she gave all of us a treat! I love my life!

Monday, June 11, 2012

What Is a Kiss?

LuLu had another problem. She came to me and said, "Ethel Frances, you are such a good big sister and a good teacher. When I came to you with my drool problem you helped me and now I can drool, too. I have another question now. What is a kiss?"

"What is a kiss?" I repeated. She nodded her head and continued. "Mommy calls me to come up on the sofa to sit with her. I love to do that. I sit right next to her and she hugs me and pats me and scratches my back. I love when she does that and I can feel how much she loves me and I lean against her to show her how much I love her. Then she leans forward until her face is practically touching my lips and she says, "Give me a kiss, LuLu." Then she makes a weird sound with her lips on my cheek and she asks for a kiss again and I don't know what to do. So Ethel Frances, can you please tell me what a kiss is?"

Poor LuLu. I had to put my head down so she wouldn't see me laugh. I didn't want to hurt her feelings, but now I understand what has been taking place on that sofa. Here is my side of the story. Mommy loves us and she shows us all the time. Izzy and I love to kiss Mommy and we kiss her until she has to wipe her face dry.

LuLu doesn't do that and I didn't know until today that the reason is she doesn't know what a kiss is. I see her get on the sofa with Mommy and Mommy puts her face up to LuLu. LuLu just sits there staring into Mommy's eyes as if to say, "Now what?" Mommy gives LuLu lots of Mommy kisses, which are different than doggie kisses, and those kisses do make weird sounds. "Give me a kiss, LuLu. Please. Don't you love me, LuLu? Come on. Just give me one little kiss. Please." And LuLu just keeps staring. "Oh, LuLu. Never mind. I love you anyway."

I feel bad for Mommy because I can tell that she is sad that LuLu won't kiss her so I either have to teach LuLu how to kiss, or explain to Mommy that LuLu wants to kiss her but doesn't know how. I decided to start with teaching LuLu.

"LuLu, honey, I think I can help you. I really think I can teach you how to kiss, just like I taught you how to drool. OK?" LuLu smiled and nodded her head and suddenly the answer to LuLu's kissing popped right into my head! "LuLu," I said excitedly, "Get me a spoon out of the sink, please. You are taller and it's easier for you, OK?" She gave me the spoon and I said, "LuLu, pretend there is peanut butter on that spoon. What would you do if Mommy held out a spoonful of peanut butter to you?" LuLu stuck her tongue out and licked the spoon.

"That's it, LuLu! That is exactly how dogs kiss. When Mommy kisses she makes weird noises with her lips on our faces but when dogs kiss, they just lick. Do you understand, LuLu? Do you want to try it out on my face before Mommy's?" LuLu leaned forward and gave me a big "kiss" all the way up the side of my head. Then she did the same thing to the other side. And she kept on practicing until my face was all wet. We both started laughing and laughing and suddenly we heard Mommy at the door. "LuLu, do you want to surprise Mommy with a kiss?" She didn't answer.

Mommy opened the door and said, like she always does, "Girls, Mommy's home! Did you miss me? I missed you!" We went running to Mommy like we always do only this time LuLu got there first. She jumped up on her hind legs, put her paws on Mommy's shoulders, and leaned in and gave Mommy a big, wet, sloppy kiss! "LuLu," Mommy squealed. "You kissed me! You really kissed me for the first time in all of these years. You made me so happy. Thank you, LuLu!" Mommy gave LuLu lots of her kind of kisses and a big hug and when Mommy came to greet me, LuLu gave me a big smile and we both started laughing again.

Mommy didn't know why we were so happy but she started laughing, too. Who would have thought that teaching a dog what a kiss is would be so funny and would make everyone in our house so happy!













Monday, June 4, 2012

I am NOT a Cow

Sometimes I don't understand my mommy.  We were out walking on a beautiful morning and I walked onto a big area of long grass, my favorite kind.  I like to eat grass and when it gets tall, it is delicious.  So I grabbed a mouthful and while I was enjoying munching that grass, this is what I heard:  "Ethel Frances, what are you doing?  What are you eating?  Are you eating grass again?  Drop it?  Why are you eating that?  What do you think you are -- a cow?"  Wow.  She really spit out a mouthful that time and even though she was angry, I kept on chewing that delicious grass.

Not only did Mommy keep fussing at me, but either she forgot that I am a dog or she thought I forgot.  This is what I heard next:  "Ethel Frances!  Are you still eating grass?  Didn't I tell you to drop it?  If you don't, you will get a tummy ache and you will vomit!  Stop eating grass!  Are you a cow or a dog?"  I am glad I can't talk because I have no idea how to answer those questions.  All I know is I am a dog and I like to eat grass.  Is that such a big deal?  Just because I eat grass doesn't mean I'm a cow.  I love to eat mommy's food, too.  When I eat her food, does she think I am a person?  Of course she doesn't so why, when I eat grass, does she keep asking if I'm a cow?

I would also ask her what vomit means.  I never heard that word and I love to learn.  Well, in order to make the rest of our walk pleasant, I did what Mommy said and I spit out the grass.  That wasn't so easy because some long pieces seemed to be stuck to my tongue.  I had to stick my tongue all the way out and push it against my top teeth and then drag my tongue across my teeth into my mouth.  That worked.  The long pieces fell out onto the sidewalk.  Mommy looked me right in the face and she could see that I did indeed spit out and drop the grass that I was enjoying so much, just to make her happy.  She said, "Thank you, Ethel Frances!  You are a good girl for dropping that grass.  I know you like to eat it but it will make you throw up and I don't want you to feel bad and I don't want to clean it up!"

I thought about everything Mommy said about cows and dogs and grass and I figured out that vomit means throw up.  I found out I was right when it happened just after we got home.  I started gagging on a long piece of grass, and out it came -- with my breakfast.  Mommy came in when she heard me gag and she said, "Oh no, Ethel Frances.  That grass did make you vomit.  Let's go outside so you don't throw up all over the house.  OK, honey?  Don't be afraid.  You will be fine as soon as the rest of the grass comes up."

Mommy stood with me until I was finished and she wiped my face and gave me a big hug.  "Do you feel OK now, Ethel Frances?"  she asked so gently.  I wagged my tail and gave her a kiss and ran in the house.  "Guess what, Ethel Frances.  You got better just in time for dinner!"  As I was eating my dinner, I decided that eating grass wasn't such a good idea after all and I might as well just leave it for the cows.

Monday, May 28, 2012

Drool, Part 3 -- LuLu is a Fast Learner

This morning, as soon as Mommy was out the door to go to work LuLu came over to me and said, "Ethel Frances, I need to talk to you about something because you are my big sister and you know things that I want to know.  OK?"  I was so happy and proud that LuLu was coming to me for advice.  It was the very first time she did that.  "Of course, LuLu.  I will be happy to listen and help and teach you whenever you want because I love you.  What's on your mind?"

"Well, I know that Mommy always shares her food with us but I also noticed that Mommy shares with you first.  And I noticed that she always feeds you fast if you are drooling.  Right?  Ethel Frances, why?"  I chuckled and explained the drool tool to LuLu.  (I just thought up the expression drool tool because I use it like a tool when I need help.)  "Well, LuLu, when Mommy has food that I want, I concentrate on the smell of the food and I think about how good it tastes and my mouth fills up with saliva.  Do you know what saliva is, LuLu?  It is the real name for spit.  So instead of swallowing the saliva, I open my mouth a little on the sides and when the saliva pours out, it is called drooling."  I know LuLu knows what drool is when she sees me do it but I wanted to give her a good explanation to make sure she understood.

"Most people think drooling is gross because it is wet and slimy and that's how Mommy feels, too.  Mommy knows that we need saliva to mix with food to make it easy to swallow and she knows if she gives me food, I will stop drooling and I will use that saliva to help me eat her food.  So she shares her food with me and she is happy that I stopped drooling all over her and I am happy because I love to eat!"  LuLu listened carefully while I was talking to her and when I was finished she said, "Wow, Ethel Frances!  You are so smart.  Will you   teach me how to drool?  Please."  Of course I wanted to help my little sister, but how in the world do you teach someone how to drool.  I thought about it and came up with an idea.

"Let's go in the kitchen, LuLu, and see if Mommy left anything out.  She was late getting ready for work and she was in a big hurry to leave so she may have overlooked something.  Look, Lu, she didn't put the Cheerios on top of the fridge and they are your favorite kind -- Peanut Butter Cheerios!  Jump up and get the box, Lu, and give it to me."  Her legs are longer than mine and it is easier for her to jump up at the counter.  She gave me the box and I reached in and got a mouthful and dropped the Cheerios on the floor.  "OK, Lu.  I want you to think very hard about the taste of those Cheerios.  That wonderful flavor  and smell of peanut butter that you love."  I ate a few and said, "Mmmm, Lu.  These are so delicious."  I pushed them over to her and told her not to touch them.  She sat there and she closed her eyes to help her concentrate.  "Well, LuLu.  Do you feel anything?"

LuLu gave me a big smile and when she did, guess what happened.  She drooled!  "LuLu, you did it!  You really did it!  And you are making a mess with that nasty drool.  I guess you better eat those Cheerios!"  She ate them so fast I was afraid she might choke.  "Do you want to do it a few more times?    When you learn something new, it is a good idea to practice so you get good at it and so you won't forget how.  So we spent the morning drooling and eating Cheerios.  Izzy couldn't figure out how to drool but we shared with her anyway because she was licking up the drool.  It's gross when she does that but she is proud of herself for being a helper and then we don't have to wipe it up.  We are a good team.  I wonder if we could be on TV on a Cheerios commercial.  That would be awesome.

Mommy came home from work and we ran to greet her, barking and jumping and kissing her.  "Hi girls. Did you have a good day today?"  We looked at her and then we looked at each other and smiled.  Mommy fed us and walked us and when we got home from our walk, she turned on the TV and sat down with a box of crackers.  We all ran over to Mommy and sat right in front of her, hoping she would share.  I decided to let LuLu drool first so she could show Mommy what she learned.  Mommy was munching and crunching and suddenly she said, "LuLu!  Oh my goodness!  Are you drooling?  Are you really drooling?  When did you start doing that?  Ewww.  Gross!  Ethel Frances, are you drooling, too? Oh yuck.  Now I have two puddles of slime in my lap."

She grabbed three crackers and gave us each one as fast as she could.  While we were eating, we each looked at each other and smiled.  LuLu was so very proud of herself and I was proud of her and I was proud of myself because I was a good teacher.  Mommy leaned forward and looked each of us dead in the eyes.  She shook her head and kind of whispered to herself, "If I didn't know better, I would swear Ethel Frances taught LuLu how to drool."  We looked at her and drooled again, together, to show Mommy that she was right.

"Well, Ethel Frances, you are something else!  I bet Al never taught anyone how to drool.  And LuLu, you might be the first person -- oops, I mean dog -- who actually learned how to drool from someone else!  I am impressed with how smart you both are.  I hope Izzy doesn't start drooling.  Let's have another cracker, girls.  I love you all."

LuLu was smart to ask for advice.  Older sisters and brothers can be great resources.











Monday, May 21, 2012

Drool, Part 2 -- Or Why Can't Dogs Eat Cat Food?

Today while I was walking with Mommy, we met up with Winnie's mommy Sara (Winnie was in her house), Avis (Avis has four cats, but no dogs) and Marshmallow the cat.  He doesn't have a home but the neighbors are trying to catch him and adopt him.  The people were standing around talking about Marshmallow and I was getting bored and impatient.  I was just getting ready to pull Mommy -- that's how I say, "Let's get going," since I can't talk -- when a familiar sound caught my attention.

The sound was the crinkling of a little foil packet, the kind that has my treats in it.  I turned to see who had the food and it was Avis.  She brought four of those packets out of her car and she opened one and put some of the food on a step.  I jumped up and tried to get some and everyone yelled, "No!  Ethel Frances, you can't have that.  It's cat food."  "Cat food?" I said to myself.  "What's the difference between dog food and cat food and why can't I have some, too."

I don't know what cat food is but it must be good because Marshmallow ate it all up really fast.  Avis said, "Wow!  Marshmallow ate that all up.  I guess it is good."  I was right.  Then Avis opened that packet and emptied it on the step and I tried to get some again.  I thought if Marshmallow already had some then it should be my turn, but I was wrong.  Avis said, "Oh Ethel Frances, I know you want some, too, but this is cat food and you aren't a cat."  As if I didn't know that.

I stood there watching Marshmallow enjoying that cat food and I was feeling left out.  All of a sudden I heard Avis say, "Ewww.  Look at Ethel Frances.  She's drooling!  Yuck."  I was surprised and embarrassed at the same time.  I didn't even know that I was drooling.  How was that possible?  I thought I drooled on purpose and that I controlled the saliva coming out, but I guess I was wrong.

Mommy looked at me and she understood the expression on my face.  She wiped my face and said, "Oh, Ethel Frances.  You don't have to feel bad about drooling.  I know you can't help it and I know you really want some of that cat food.  I bet cat food tastes nasty to dogs anyway.  I have an idea.  Let's hurry up and go home and I will give you your favorite dog treats.  Would you like that, honey?"

I looked up at Mommy and smiled and wagged my tail all the way up my back.  I was saying, "Yes I would like that, Mommy.  Thank you for understanding me."  I leaned against her leg and she bent down to kiss me and I kissed her, too.  When we got home Mommy gave all of us our favorite dog treats and I didn't care about eating cat food anymore!

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Dog Park Disaster


This morning after walking and eating and walking, Mommy pulled me aside and whispered in my ear, “Ethel Frances, we are going to meet Jacob and Wasabi at a dog park!  Doesn’t that sound like fun?”  I said yes with my tail even though I didn’t know what a dog park was, but I love Jacob and Wasabi and I am happy to see them anyplace.  Mommy didn’t have to explain why she whispered because I already knew.  LuLu is afraid of everything and Izzy isn’t nice to other dogs so I was the only one who got to go.  That made me happy!

We got in the car and drove to a beautiful place that had lots of trees and people and there was even a train!  We walked up to a fenced in area and Mommy opened two gates.  As we were going in Mommy took my leash off and said, “Ethel Frances, here we are at the Dog Park!  Go find Wasabi and have fun!”  I looked around and the area inside the fence was huge and there were lots of dogs running around without their leashes.  Wasabi found me and we ran and ran and ran.  I met a dog named Bentley.  I already have a friend named Bentley and now I have two Bentley’s.  Bentley’s daddy was throwing balls and Bentley brought them back.  They were having fun and I wanted to join in.  I ran up to Bentley’s daddy and stared in his face and wagged my tail real fast.  Bentley’s daddy asked my mommy my name and then he said, “Ethel Frances.  Go get it!”  He understood that I wanted to play with him.  I was having a great day.  Until…

A man and lady came in with a small, black German Shepherd and a Catahoula Leopard Dog.  Mommy told me to stay away from the black dog because he made her a little nervous, but before I could think about him, the Catahoula attacked me.  He jumped up and grabbed the back of my neck with his teeth.  I started growling and tried to get away but before I could do anything the man owner of those dogs grabbed the one that attacked me, put the leash on him, and handed the leash to the lady.  I was very upset and so were Mommy and Jacob.  Mommy said, “Oh, Ethel Frances, I am so sorry that dog hurt you.”  She put my leash on me and said, “Come on, baby, let’s get out of here.  I am nervous about going to dog parks because some people bring their dogs when they know they shouldn’t and that’s why you got hurt.  I will never take you again.  I am very sorry you got hurt because I love you so much.”

The owners of that dog never said they were sorry and they didn't ask if I was OK (I was).  The lady did say something though.  She said, “This is why we are taking him for puppy training even though he is six years old.”

I heard Mommy and Jacob talking about what happened.  Mommy was very upset with the people.  They knew that dog didn’t know how to behave nicely and they brought him to the dog park anyway and after the attack was over they didn’t even take their dog out.  Wasabi started to go near that dog and Jacob took her away.  The lady said, “You can leave your dog.  Mine has to get used to small dogs.”  Jacob said to Mommy, “They aren’t going to use my dog to practice.”

If I could talk, I would have told those people how scary it was for their dog to bark and growl and jump up and bite the back of my neck.  I wanted to do the same to those people but they were too tall. 

Maybe they learned from my experience that their dogs are dangerous.  I hope they did because I don't want any other dogs to get scared and hurt.




Monday, May 7, 2012

Drool

There is no nice way to put this:  I drool.  Some dogs drool all the time and need to have their faces wiped with towels. I only drool when I see or smell food that I want.  Mommy thinks I can't control the drool dripping out of my mouth and she thinks I can't control the amount of drool.  Well, Mommy is wrong.  Please don't tell her.  I sure hope she doesn't read this because if she does, she will know my secret and I will probably be in trouble.

Here is an example of how the drooling happens.  Mommy goes in the kitchen and comes out with a nice big bowl of ice cream, our favorite food.  Mommy often tells me she wants to lose weight.  I want to help her and the best way I know how is to eat some of her ice cream.  Mommy sits on the sofa and I sit right in front of her and look right into her eyes.   I can't talk with words so I use my body and my eyes to talk.

I sit and stare and Mommy ignores me.  I lean against her legs and Mommy ignores me.  I rest my head in Mommy' s lap and she ignores me,  but she doesn't fool me.  I know she is pretending I'm not there so she won't have to give me some of that ice cream that we both like so much.  So I had to figure out what I could do that she couldn't ignore.  I thought and I thought and then I had it.  Drool!  Drool is something  that just can't be ignored.

I started out dribbling as a test by letting little bits of saliva drip on the floor.  Mommy either didn't know or didn't care and she ignored me.  "Fine!," I said to myself.  "Lets see if you can ignore drool."  I sat there concentrating on the taste of the ice cream (peanut butter and chocolate) and I felt the drool collecting in my mouth.  Then I thought about how it feels cold and creamy when I eat it and I felt more drool in my mouth.  I opened my mouth just a little bit and oh boy!   Out poured the drool!  All over Mommy's lap.  I wasn't just drooling anymore.  I was slobbering!

I guess Mommy felt the puddle of drool in her lap because she suddenly looked in her lap and said,  "Ewwww, Yuck!!  Ethel Frances,  you're slobbering all over me!  That's gross.  What is the problem?" 

I sat up tall, cocked my head to the side, and drew my eyebrows together.  I was hoping Mommy would think she hurt my feelings.  "Oh, Ethel Frances, you look so sad.  Did I hurt your feelings?  I'm sorry.  I didn't mean to make you feel bad, honey. I know you can't help it when you drool."  

Bingo! I was right.  All I had to do now was convince my mommy that her ice cream would make me feel better.  "Oh, honey.   Please don't look so sad.  Do you think some ice cream will take that sad look off of your beautiful face?"  Ahh.  Success!  I wagged my tail and smiled from my face all the way down to my stomach while Mommy was feeding me that delicious ice cream.

To be perfectly honest, the ice cream didn't taste as good as I thought it would because I felt bad for tricking my mommy. I don't think I will do that again no matter what Mommy has that I want.



Tuesday, May 1, 2012

What is a Cigar?

Last night before Mommy and I started out on our walk, I chose the stick that I wanted to take.  I  keep 6 or 10 sticks by the front door because I want Mommy to play fetch with me.  She doesn’t always but I figure if I already have a stick, she might say yes.  That is one of my favorite activities, but not my very favorite.  My very favorite activity is eating ice cream but I will talk about that another time.


So off we went.  We got to the corner and I found a good place to pee.  The grass smelled just right and it wasn’t too long so I didn’t get tickled.  As we continued on our walk we saw Marley with her daddy.  Everyone said hi to each other and then Marley’s daddy called out, “Nice stick, Ethel Frances.  Looks just like a cigar.”  A what?   I looked up at Mommy hoping she would know that I didn’t understand the word, but she wasn’t really paying attention.  A few minutes later Winnie came out with her mom.  Our moms were talking to each other and I heard her mom say, “Ethel Frances looks so cute with that stick.  
It looks like she’s smoking a cigar.” 


There was that word again.  I know I am not allowed to smoke cigarettes and I know when things are on fire there is smoke and I know some people do smoke cigarettes even though they can make people sick, but what in the world is a cigar? 


Our moms finally finished talking and I was walking fast to get to the little field where we play fetch.  Mommy could feel my impatience in my feet.  “OK, Ethel Frances.  I am sorry I talked to Winnie’s mommy for a long time.  How about a good game of fetch?”  Oh boy.  Just what I wanted to hear!  I ran over to the grass and I found a place to poop real fast because the rule is we don’t play until I am finished “doing my business.”


Next thing I knew, we were trotting towards the field and we almost bumped right into Edna Louise and her mommy.  The mommies chatted and the doggies sniffed and Edna Louise’s mom said, “Hi, Ethel Frances. Where did you find such an awesome stick?  It looks like you’re smoking a cigar!”  She laughed and Mommy laughed and we started walking again.  When we got to the field, I sat and waited for Mommy to take the stick and throw it. 


Instead, she stood there staring at me and then she burst out laughing.  “Ethel Frances, all of our friends were right!  You really do look like you’re smoking a cigar.”  I turned my head to the side and drew my eyebrows in and gave Mommy the look that said, “I don’t understand.” Mommy looked at me and said, “Oh, poor Ethel Frances.  Everyone is talking about cigars and you don’t know what a cigar is.  Right, baby?”  I wagged my tail so Mommy knew she was right and she said, “A cigar is a bunch of leaves from a plant called tobacco that are rolled up very tightly and people light the end and smoke it, like they smoke cigarettes.  Men smoke cigars more than women, probably because they are stinky.” 


Mommy and I went to the field and we played fetch for a long time and I was very happy for two reasons.  I was happy to be playing fetch with Mommy, just the two of us, and I was happy to learn a new word:  cigar!

Monday, April 23, 2012

Dogs Can't Drive

I love going for walks with my mom, but I especially love our after dinner walks.  Mommy has calmed down after working all day and sitting in traffic and she has finished eating dinner and she is totally relaxed.  We walk around the neighborhood and while we walk, Mommy tells me about her day and asks me about mine and sometimes she even sings to me.  Tonight we were walking fast and I looked up in Mommy’s face and drew my eyebrows together.  Mommy knows that expression means I have a question.  “What is it, Ethel Frances?  Do you have a question?”  I wagged my tail to let her know she understood my face.  “I guess you want to know why I am in a hurry, right?”

Mommy knows me well and I wagged my tail again.  “I am sorry for walking fast.  It’s just that it is very cold outside tonight and it is raining. It’s just nasty out here.”  At least I knew what was going on and I didn’t have to worry that maybe I did something to put Mommy in a bad mood.  Mommy didn’t want me to be unhappy because she loves me, so she stopped walking so fast.

I was looking around on the ground for big sticks to play with and I looked up and down the block to see if any of my friends were outside and then I saw something very strange.  There was a parked car in the parking lot and I heard barking coming from it.  I barked back and ran up to the car and I couldn’t believe my eyes. A dog was alone in that car – only a dog.  No people!  It was a big black Chow Chow and it was sitting in the seat where Mommy sits when she drives.  How is that possible?

I got closer to the car and jumped up to get a better look and I got a better look of a dog sitting behind the steering wheel and just as I thought, it was alone.  I got so excited and I started jumping up and down.  “Oh boy!  I didn’t know dogs can drive!  I wonder when Mommy will teach me how.  I wonder if she will get me my very own car.  I wonder if there are any cars small enough for Izzy to drive.  I wonder if LuLu will be too scared to drive.”  The more I thought about driving the more excited I got.  I was even thinking about where I would go if I could drive.  I would drive to my friends’ houses and I would drive to dog parks and…”  and then I felt Mommy’s hand on my back.

“Oh, Ethel Frances.  You are so happy and I think I know why.”  I stopped thinking about driving and I looked up at Mommy’s face.  “I bet you think that Chow Chow drove that car here.  Is that what you were thinking?”  I wagged my tail, not because I was happy but to tell Mommy that she was right.  “I’m sorry to disappoint you, honey.  That doggie didn’t drive.  It is waiting for its person to come back.  Dogs can’t drive, Ethel Frances, but I am happy to drive you to all of your favorite places.” 

While Mommy was talking, a woman was approaching and she walked right up to the Chow Chow’s car and said, “Hi, honey, did you miss me?  Did I take too long?”  She opened the door and the dog jumped into the back seat and they drove away.

My goal is to learn something new every day.  Today I learned that dogs can’t drive.

Monday, April 16, 2012

I am Proud of My Sister, LuLu

When I was born I lived with my dog mommy and my seven puppy brothers and sisters and when I was eight weeks old, my human Mommy adopted me. It took me a little while to adjust to living with just a person, but I love my Mommy very much and she loves me, too. Even though I can’t talk and tell my feelings to Mommy, she knew I was lonely for a dog, especially when she went out and I was all alone. One day Mommy went out and when she came home she surprised me with a little puppy. I had a sister. Mommy named her LuLu and she was perfect for our family. But LuLu isn’t like me at all. I love people and I want to be everyone’s friend and I am always happy to meet new people outside and in my house, too.

LuLu is afraid of almost everybody. She loves Mommy and Frid. Frid is Mommy’s best friend and she went with Mommy to get LuLu and held her in the car. LuLu never forgot that. When people come to the house I try to get LuLu to like them and not be afraid, but she doesn’t believe me when I tell her they won't hurt her and she runs upstairs to hide. Sometimes I hold her collar in my mouth and try to pull her downstairs, but that doesn’t work. One day I was very frustrated with LuLu because our human brother Jacob was at the house and LuLu wouldn’t even say hello to him.

Mommy could see that I was upset so she had a talk with me to explain LuLu’s behavior. “Ethel Frances. Come here, honey, I want to talk to you.” At first I thought Mommy wanted to have a talk because I had done something wrong, but when we have those talks, she doesn’t call me honey. So I sat in front of Mommy and she said, “Ethel Frances, this will be hard for you to understand because all the people you know are good people, but not everyone is good. When LuLu was a little baby, she was with someone who did bad things and that person hurt LuLu. That is why she is afraid of people. I am trying to help her understand that most people are good and that she doesn’t have to be afraid when she is with us.” Wow! That is terrible. I didn’t know that people would hurt dogs. Why would they do that? Mommy understood my thoughts and she answered, “Ethel Frances, I don’t know who hurt LuLu and I will never understand why anyone would hurt a dog, especially a little tiny puppy. I am glad LuLu is safe in our family. Maybe one day she will feel safe.”

Friday night, we had company for dinner and LuLu ran upstairs to hide as soon as the first person arrived. The people were sitting at the table eating and I was under the table waiting for people to drop food. All of a sudden, LuLu came downstairs. The room was suddenly quiet because everyone was surprised to see her. She came all the way into the room and climbed up on the sofa and she even let people pet her! I was proud of my sister except for one thing. LuLu was getting all of the attention! I have to admit that I was jealous and then all of a sudden Mommy came over to me and gave me a great big hug and said, “Ethel Frances, look how happy LuLu is. Isn’t that wonderful!”

And then I realized that there was enough love and attention for both of us.

Monday, April 9, 2012

It Wasn’t My Fault!...Or Was It?

I was very happy this past Friday. Mommy got up at 5 a.m. like she always does, only instead of getting ready to go to work, she started cooking. She was cooking turkey and roast and chicken soup and vegetables and desserts. Everything smelled delicious and I knew Mommy would share some of that food with me and my sisters. We had guests for dinner that night and even though they were people I love, I was anxious for them to leave because Mommy always gives us some of the leftovers while she cleans up. After dinner she changed her schedule and instead of cleaning up right away, she took us outside to “do our business,” if you know what I mean. She took me and LuLu first and then she took Izzy.

As soon as the door closed behind Izzy and Mommy, I looked at LuLu and said, “LuLu, look at that beautiful turkey! I can see that it is mostly bones on one side of the turkey, but there is a lot of meat on the other side. I think Mommy left it there for us! Let’s get it.” “No!” LuLu continued, “I am sure if Mommy wanted us to have that turkey, she would have given it to us. You know Mommy always says we can have her food if she gives it, but not if we take it.”

“But LuLu,” I insisted, “Mommy knows I have a big problem with self-control so why would she leave something on the counter so close to me if she didn’t want me to have it? I know I am right and I am going to get that turkey whether you help me or not. But if you don’t help me, I am not going to share it with you.” While I was munching on the turkey and the bones, I heard the door open and I turned to look and Mommy was standing there with her mouth open, but no sound was coming out. Her face began to get red and all of a sudden words flew out of her mouth. “Oh my gosh, Ethel Frances! Look what you did! What made you do such a thing? You know you are never allowed to TAKE my food unless I GIVE it to you! Did you forget or did you think I wouldn’t notice?” WOW! Mommy was throwing out questions so fast that I wouldn’t have been able to answer even if I could talk. And there was LuLu stretched out on the sofa with a big “I told you so” smile on her face!

I didn’t know what to do so I stood there looking sad, with my head and my tail hanging down so Mommy would know I was upset. I don’t like when Mommy is angry at me so I tried my best to apologize in a way that she would understand. I guess what I did was wrong, but I still don’t think it was all my fault. Mommy does know that I have a problem with self-control and if she had thought about it, she would have put that turkey some place where I couldn’t get it. (To be perfectly honest, I am glad she left it out because it sure was good!)

So it wasn’t my fault, right? Or was it?

Sunday, April 1, 2012

The Redskins are Following Me

Mommy's friend Marcie has a business, a blog, a Facebook page, and a twitter account @OrganizedMarcie and she is helping us with my book.  Marcie gave Mommy a lesson in twitter and Mommy decided to see who she wanted to follow.  She chose the Washington Redskins.  We love the Redskins, but to tell you the truth, I really didn't like when Mommy watched football games at home.

The first time Mommy watched a game at home I was happy.  She brought out some snacks and settled down in front of the TV.  I could tell that she would be home for awhile so I got up on the sofa with her. Everything was fine and Mommy shared her snacks with my sisters and me and we were all happy, until all of a sudden Mommy jumped up and started yelling and screaming and she even used some bad words. LuLu and Izzy and I were scared.  We knew we didn't do anything bad and couldn't understand what caused Mommy to act that way.  When she finished screaming she noticed that LuLu had gone upstairs, I was on the floor by the steps, and Izzy was on the other sofa shaking.  Mommy called us and told us to come, and eventually we did.  She said, "Oh, girls!  I am so sorry.  I didn't mean to scare you.  The officials at the game said the Redskins made a mistake, but it was a bad call.  They didn't do anything wrong at all and I guess I overreacted.  I'm sorry.  I will try to contain myself, OK?"  She gave each of us a hug and a treat and we were happy.

So we all settled in again and the next thing I knew, Mommy jumped up clapping and screaming and yellling and LuLu and Izzy got scared again.  I remembered that Mommy said she overreacted before so I just figured she did it again.  Only this time she wasn't angry.  This time she was happy.  She looked at me (because the other two left the room) and she said, "Ethel Frances!  The Redskins got a touchdown!  Isn't that wonderful!"  I wagged my tail and acted happy even though I didn't care.  The Redskins won that day and Mommy was happy.  We were happy, too, because the game was over.  We had no idea that  the Redskins would play sixteen games every year and that Mommy would be watching.

Back to the social networking.  Mommy made a Facebook page for me and she got me on twitter and signed me up to follow @OrganizedbyMarcie.  She searched to see who else she wanted me to follow.  She saw that the @Redskins were on twitter and signed up for me to follow them.  All of a sudden she was jumping up and down, clapping her hands.  Do you want to know why she was so excited?  Because she saw that the Redskins are following me!  Hail to the Redskins!  Mommy and I can't wait until the new season begins.  Believe it or not, I saw how much fun Mommy has watching the Redskins and I wanted to share that with her so I am a 'Skins fan, too!

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Henry to the Rescue

Mommy and LuLu and I were leaving the house to go for a walk together.  Right when we got outside, I could feel my leash slip out of Mommy's hand and I took off running!  I remembered about the time I almost ran in the street to see my friend Sadie, so I didn't go in the street but I was running as fast as I could down the sidewalk.  "Ethel Frances!  Come!  Heel!  Sit!  Ethel Frances, Ethel Frances!  What are you doing!  Get back here!  Please, Ethel Frances!"  Mommy tried all of those commands, trying to get me to stop running away.  Mommy's voice got softer and softer.  I knew I should listen to her.  I learned all of those commands when I was a puppy, but I kept on running.  I didn't even have a place to go.  I just wanted to run.  Mommy's voice started getting louder and I looked back and saw Mommy running faster than I had ever seen her run.  She wanted to catch me, but I kept on running.

Two ladies were walking and pushing strollers with babies in them and they saw me running towards them and they got scared and moved out of my way.  I felt bad that I scared them, but not bad enough to stop running.  Then I looked up and I saw my friend Henry with his daddy and I heard his daddy say, "Henry to the rescue!"  They were coming towards me and Henry's daddy said, "Ethel, come say hi to Henry!"  I really like Henry so I ran right over to them and Henry's daddy picked up my leash and held it high in the air so my mommy could see it.  Mommy came running and got my leash and thanked Henry and his daddy and she stooped down and her eyes met mine.  "Ethel Frances!  What in the world were you thinking?  Don't you know you could have gotten lost?  Or someone could have taken you away from me!  Why did you do that?  Don't you like living with me and your sisters?"  Mommy was talking so fast and asking so many questions that I didn't know what to say but I did want Mommy to know that I was sorry for upsetting her.  I looked in her eyes and leaned against her and wagged my tail a little.  I wanted to say, "But aren't you at least proud of me for not running in the street?"  but I can't talk.

Henry's daddy asked if I could play with Henry in the tennis court and I knew Mommy would say no because I was naughty and she never rewards naughty behavior.  I sure was surprised to hear her say yes!  Then she asked if it was OK for her to take LuLu home while I played with Henry.  LuLu is afraid of people and she really wanted to go home.  Henry's daddy said yes and when Mommy started walking with LuLu she turned around and said, "Ethel Frances, it was very naughty for you to run away like you did, but I am very proud of you because while you were being naughty you remembered to stay out of the street.  Please don't run away again.  I love you and I don't want to lose you."

I am so lucky to have a Mommy who loves me and understands me!

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