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.

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!

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.

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.

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!