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!

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