Auntie Rita's Minstrone Soup

I love going to work with Mommy.  She works in a synagogue that has a Gan (nursery school) and a lunch program for senior citizens.  All of the people there are always so happy to see me.  I am happy to see them, too, especially because I love to eat!  The little kids in the Gan like to feed me Cheerios and the senior citizens like to feed me crackers and cheese.  Since I can't talk, I always remember to say thank you with my tail!

Cheerios and cheese and crackers are delicious, but nothing compares to my Auntie Rita's minestrone soup!  Auntie Rita's name is just plain Rita,  but I love her like I love my aunties so I decided to call her Auntie Rita!  Mommy and I were upstairs in the mail room.  I got bored waiting for Mommy to finish getting the mail ready so I decided to walk around and visit people.  I am allowed to go by myself because everyone knows me and they know that I am a good girl.

As I was walking around, Auntie Rita came out of her office. When I started walking towards Auntie Rita, I got a whiff of something delicious.  My nose started twitching, my tail started wagging, and my drool started coming.  What was that wonderful aroma coming from Auntie Rita?  I ran over to her and I was sniffing so hard that I started sneezing.  Auntie Rita leaned over to greet me and I found out where that aroma was coming from.  It was coming from Auntie Rita's bowl.

I didn't have a name for the food in that bowl, but I knew I would like it if I could get Auntie Rita to share.  Mommy taught me that begging is not acceptable behavior so I had to come up with a plan that didn't include begging.  My nose helped me with a plan. I started following Auntie Rita. Everywhere she went, I went sniffing as hard as I could.  Auntie Rita turned left. Ethel Frances turned left.  Auntie Rita turned right. Ethel Frances turned right.  Auntie Rita didn't turn, neither did Ethel Frances.

All of a sudden, Auntie Rita started laughing right out loud.  She called out to Mommy and when Mommy came, she heard all about me and my nose.  Auntie Rita said to Mommy, "Can I please give the rest of my minestrone soup to Ethel Frances?"  I looked at Mommy with my "Please, Mommy?" look.  I made sure I didn't beg, but I couldn't keep the drool from coming!  That minestrone soup had the best smell ever.  I was hoping Mommy would say yes.  I started to cross my fingers, but then I remembered that I don't have fingers!

After a few seconds (which seemed like forever) Mommy patted my head and said yes!  Auntie Rita put her bowl down right in front of my twitching nose.  I lapped up that soup and guess what?  It tasted even better than it smelled!!  After I finished the soup, I followed Auntie Rita all over the place again, hoping she would give me more.

She looked at me and said, 'Ethel Frances, I am so happy you liked my minestrone soup.  It's all gone now, but maybe next time you come to work with your mommy I will have some more."

I thanked Auntie Rita by giving her wet kisses!  I sure am looking forward to my next visit!!

I Got Presents and It Wasn't Even My Birthday!

I thought last Thursday was going to be just another day, but I was wrong.  Mommy was getting ready to leave in the morning, but instead of saying she was going to work, she said she wasn't going to work.  LuLu, Izzy, and I were happy to hear that because when Mommy goes to work, she stays away for the entire day.

My happiness didn't last very long.  Mommy told us she was going to the Berman Hebrew Academy to share my book, "Tales from a Tail Wagging Dog," -- the book that I wrote -- with 3rd grade students.  She even had the nerve to let me know that she was happy!  I put my head down and stopped my tail from wagging to let Mommy know that I wasn't happy at all.  Even though I can't talk, I do know how to communicate!

Mommy knew I wasn't happy, but she didn't know the rest of how I felt.  As far as I am concerned, when it comes to sharing my book at schools, I do not think it's fair that I am not allowed to go.  After all, the stories are mine!  Mommy had a long talk with me the first time she went to a school.  She explained that some people are allergic to dogs and some people are afraid of dogs.  For those reasons, I get stuck at home with my little sisters.  I understand allergies because when I go outside in the spring, I sneeze and sneeze and sneeze!  I also understand fears.  I am afraid of Mommy's car.  I just have so much fun with people and I love making new friends.  I really, really wish I could go with Mommy.

Anyway, when Mommy got home last Thursday, she ran inside and took LuLu and Izzy out for a fast potty break.  She came in the house and grabbed my leash and we ran out the door -- right to Mommy's car.  "Oh no!" I thought.  I wasn't ready to deal with car fears, but I didn't have to.  Mommy reached in the car and took out a great big envelope.  It was the biggest envelope I had ever seen.  Mommy said, "Look, Ethel Frances!  All of Mrs. Goodman's students signed their names.  This is just for you!"  We sat in the grass and Mommy read ever person's name to me.  Then she opened the envelope.

"Look, Ethel Frances.  These are just for you from Mrs. Goodman's class!"  There was a Frisbee, a tennis ball, and a football.  "Ethel Frances, we are going to have so much fun playing with these toys. I am going to keep them in the car so your sisters won't know anything about them.  They are special toys and you don't have to share them with LuLu and Izzy."

Wow!  Mommy has never said that to me!  Even though I didn't get to go to school, I guess Mommy did a good job of sharing my book with the kids.  I guess that is why they sent me presents on a day that wasn't even my birthday!

Big thanks and love and wet kisses to Mrs. Goodman's students -- and to Mrs. Goodman, too!

I Finally Went to School! Three Cheers for Whetstone Elementary!

Today was one of the best days I have ever had in my whole life!  Mommy has been going to schools, sharing my book with children.  Today, was the very first time that I was allowed to go with her.  I felt very important.  The teacher at Whetstone Elementary School, Mrs. Volat, had to get special permission from the principal and from the parents of all of the kids in her class because dogs aren't usually allowed in school.

Mommy was a little worried about that.  She knew Ryan's mommy and daddy would say yes because Ryan is my cousin, but she didn't know what the other parents would say.  Guess what?  They all said yes.  Ryan's mommy and grandmother came with us, too.

I didn't know schools were so big.  When I went to obedience school, we were all in just one room. Whetstone Elementary has so many rooms!   First we stopped at the office and got stickers that said we were visitors. Then we went to the classroom.When we got to Mrs. Volat's room, I was a little nervous.  Do you ever get nervous when you do something new?  Well, I do.  I looked in and saw lots of children sitting on the floor. They were all sitting there waiting to meet me.  I was excited to meet them, too.  They came to meet me one at a time.  They were very kind and gentle.    Before I knew it, I wasn't nervous at all.  I was really enjoying meeting so many new people.  The grown ups were nice to me, too!

Mrs. Volat had already finished reading "Tales from a Tail Wagging Dog" (my first book) with the class, so I wrote a story just for them.  Mommy read it out loud.  I think they liked it.  After Mommy finished reading, we all had animal crackers.  I love them.

While I was waiting for my turn to have some, I couldn't stop thinking about how good they taste.  All of a sudden, drool started pouring out of my mouth.  Mommy tried to catch it before it hit the floor, but there was just too much.  Everyone started laughing and saying ewww.  I laughed, too!  Of course the drool stopped as soon as I had cookies in my mouth.

The children asked Mommy lots of questions.  I wanted to answer, but I still can't talk.  I listened carefully to make sure Mommy knew the right answers.  She did okay until the kids started talking about blogs I wrote. She hasn't read them in a long time and forgot what was in them.  But the children all knew!  They like my blogs so much that they inspired to write this one -- the first one I've written since last October!

I want to thank all of the students in Mrs. Volat's class, Mrs. Volat, the principal, and the parents for letting me visit their classroom.  Mommy and I had a great time, but I sure am tired from being on my best behavior for such a long time!

Ethel Frances at a Fashion Show

Last Saturday night, Mommy put on nice clothes and make up.  "Ethel Frances," she said, "Let's get your leash.  We're going bye-bye."  I was surprised.  Usually when Mommy takes me places she is wearing old clothes and no make-up.  I ran to the door before she changed her mind.

After I was in the car, I started trying to figure out where we were going.  Sometimes Mommy seems to know what I am thinking even though I can't talk.  She said, "Ethel Frances, do you want to know where we're going?  We are going to Boots' gallery, Huckleberry Fine Arts gallery, to a fahion show.  Boots and Marcy will both be there. Doesn't that sound like fun?"

Since I had never been in the gallery and I never heard of a fashion show, how would I know if it sounded like fun?  It didn't really matter, though, because I always have fun with Mommy, especially when my sisters are stuck at home.  We went in the gallery and I saw lots of dogs -- dogs wearing clothes!  What was that about?  I thought only people wear clothes!  The only time I saw dog clothes was when Mommy tried to put a sweater on my little sister Izzy.  I guess Izzy knew that dogs aren't supposed to wear clothes because she grabbed it out of Mommy's hands and tried to rip it up.

There was a long, raised white aisled down the middle of the gallery.  Mommy pointed and told me that's where the models in the fashion show were going to walk.  I still didn't understand.  We watched the dogs walk down the aisle, which I learned is called a runway, and then we saw tall, beautiful women wearing beautiful clothes walk down the runway.  Mommy could see that I was confused.  She explained that in a fashion show, models walk down the runway so people can see new styles of clothes.

Boots came over to us, tapped Mommy on the shoulder, and told her that people wanted me to walk down the runway.  Me?  Wow!  I was excited.  I love getting attention and I was pretty sure all the people there would watch me.  Mommy does not love getting attention so she asked Marcy to walk with me.  People agreed that Marcy and I are beautiful!  Since I am neither tall nor thin like the models, I was surprised.

The fashion show was to raise money for MC PAW, a Montgomer County place that will keep and take care of animals while they are waiting for new homes.  I wish my sister LuLu had a place like that when she was little.  Maybe she would not have been hurt.

I am glad Mommy found her and adopted her into our family.  We gave her a safe and loving home.  She gives us lots of love, every single day.  

Do Dogs Really Love Us?

Do dogs really love us? Mommy told me that the New York Times published an article by Gregory Burns, the author of a new book:“How Dogs Love Us: A Neuroscientist and His Adopted Dog Decode the Canine Brain.”  Here is an excerpt:

 With the help of my friend Mark Spivak, a dog trainer, we started teaching Callie to go into an M.R.I. simulator that I built in my living room. She learned to walk up steps into a tube, place her head in a custom-fitted chin rest, and hold rock-still for periods of up to 30 seconds. Oh, and she had to learn to wear earmuffs to protect her sensitive hearing from the 95 decibels of noise the scanner makes.

After months of training and some trial-and-error at the real M.R.I. scanner, we were rewarded with the first maps of brain activity. For our first tests, we measured Callie’s brain response to two hand signals in the scanner. In later experiments, not yet published, we determined which parts of her brain distinguished the scents of familiar and unfamiliar dogs and humans.

Soon, the local dog community learned of our quest to determine what dogs are thinking. Within a year, we had assembled a team of a dozen dogs who were all “M.R.I.-certified.”

Although we are just beginning to answer basic questions about the canine brain, we cannot ignore the striking similarity between dogs and humans in both the structure and function of a key brain region: the caudate nucleus.

​

I can't wait for Mommy to read me the book. She says it might be hard for me to understand, but that’s OK.  When I don’t understand something, I just draw my eyebrows together and tilt my head to the side.  Mommy knows that she needs to give me an explanation. 

If Mr. Burns asked, I would have happily told him exactly what I feel and think. Yes, dogs love humans, and yes, we miss them when they leave the room, (unless we're too busy eating!) Perhaps he'll read my book too, Tales from a Tail Wagging Dog, and then he'll really know how deeply dogs love humans.​

How Old is Too Old

I love my mommy, but she sure does confuse me sometimes.  We were out walking so I could go potty.  LuLu and Izzy had already had their walk.  Mommy always cleans up after us, so she was carrying the bag with their poop, waiting for mine.  While we were walking, we passed some people.  They waved at us.

Mommy had my leash in her left hand so she waved with her right, which had the bag in it.  She said, "I sure am glad that bag didn't break when I waved to those people.  I'm telling you, Ethel Frances, I think I am getting too old to walk around carrying a bag of poop!"

I wondered what she meant, but I can't talk.  I couldn't ask the question, so I didn't get an answer. I just figured that however old she is and however long she has dogs, she will have to carry around bags of poop.

After we got home, I was resting and all of a sudden I heard Mommy yell, "Izzy!  What did you do?  What is wrong with you?  You don't have to answer.  I will tell you what you did.  You peed on the floor and I just stepped in it!  Why aren't you housebroken like your sisters?  You are too old to be peeing in the house!"

There was that "too old" saying again.  Mommy is too old to carry bags of poop and Izzy is too old to pee in the house.  I know Mommy is older than Izzy because Mommy was a grown up when she adopted Izzy and Izzy was just a baby.  So how can Izzy be too old, especially since she is the youngest in the house?

I wonder what I am too old to do?  I guess I will find out one day when Mommy thinks I am old enough to understand!

Ethel Frances Wants to Know How Mommy Colors her Hair

I already wrote about haircuts, but before I got any answers to my questions about haircuts, I have another question.  How in the world can Mommy color her hair?

Mommy was standing in front of the mirror for a long time.  She was looking through her hair the way she looks through mine when she thinks I might have fleas.  She looks through my hair from the tip of my tail to the end of my nose.  She talks while she looks.  "Oh, Ethel Frances, please tell me you don't have fleas!  I can't cope with them right now.  If you have them, LuLu and Izzy probably do, too.  Please, please don't have fleas!"

Of course I can't answer Mommy because I don't speak English and she doesn't understand Dog Language. It would be so much easier if we were both bilingual.  I could just say, "I don't have fleas, Mommy."  When she finally finishes going through every hair on me, she says, "No fleas, Ethel Frances!  What a relief!"

These are not the words Mommy used when she was looking through her hair.  Instead of looking for fleas, she was looking for gray hair.  From the look on her face, I think she found a whole bunch.   She looked at me and said, "Ethel Frances, my gray roots are showing.  I have to color my hair tonight.  I have to get rid of all that gray."

I had no idea how she was going to fix her hair with crayons!  I know all about crayons because my cousins Ryan and Allison have an art room in their house.  They showed me their crayons -- I bet they have a thousand -- and they showed me how they draw pictures and color them with their crayons.  Their pictures are always colorful and happy.

As I was thinking about crayons, I was trying to figure out how Mommy could use them.  In my mind, I pictured Mommy putting her head on the counter.  Then I pictured her taking a brownish reddish crayon. That was as far as my mind would go.  I just could not figure out how Mommy could color every hair on her head.

 Mommy picked up a box and she saw me watching her.  "Ethel Frances, this is the hair dye I use to get rid of my gray hairs.  See."  She took out everything in the box and mixed them together in a bottle.  The mixture was gloppy and smelled kind of bad.  Mommy put it all over her hair, waited for a while, and rinsed it out.

Sure enough, her gray hair was gone.  I don't know who invented hair dye, but I know my mommy would like to thank that person for making her life easier.  I am sure putting glop on her hair and rinsing it out takes way less time then using crayons on each and every hair.

That means Mommy has more time to spend with my sisters and me.  I would like to thank that person, too!

I Am a Published Author!

Mommy woke me out of a deep sleep.  She was clapping her hands and jumping up and down.  She was making such a fuss that when she called me, my sisters came, too.

“Ethel Frances!  Look!  Your book is on Amazon!”  I cocked my head to the side and drew my eyebrows together.  I always do that when I don’t understand something.  Mommy looked at me and laughed.  She picked up her laptop and squatted next to me.  “Look at my computer, honey.  Right there is your book.  See the title?  Tales From a Tail Wagging Dog.  Amazon is an internet store.  People anywhere in the whole world can buy your book now.  Isn’t that amazing!” And guess what! My book is also available on Barnes & Noble!

I started thinking back to when I started writing, about two years ago.  I love my life and I wanted to share my adventures.  I always talk to my sisters and tell them stories, but I wanted to tell lots of people.  I also didn’t want to forget, so I decided to write.  I wrote and wrote and before I knew it, I had enough stories to put in a book. 

Mommy was a big help.  It was hard for me to hold a pen or to type, so Mommy did my typing.  When I finished the first book, I looked at Mommy with my head cocked.  “Ethel Frances, I bet you want to know how to make this into a book.  Am I right?”  I said yes by wagging my tail.  “I don’t know anything about publishing, honey.  I am going to have to do some research.”  Mommy didn’t mention it again for a while.

One day when Mommy got home from work, she threw the door open and yelled with excitement, “Ethel Frances!  Guess what?  You have a publisher!  You have someone who will make your stories into a book!  Her name is Dr. Joyce Starr.  I first met her a very long time ago.  I decided to look her up on the internet to see what she is doing now.  I was surprised to see that she is a book coach and publisher.”

While Mommy was talking, I started thinking about Dr. Joyce Starr.  I didn’t know anything about her.  In fact, to be perfectly honest, I had never even heard of her.  I went upstairs to have time to myself to figure this whole thing out.  I can’t talk, so I couldn’t tell all of this to Mommy.   She helps me with so many problems, but she couldn’t help with this one.  I finally decided that since I trust Mommy, and Mommy trusts Dr. JoyceStarr, I would trust her too.

Mommy went on to tell my sisters and me that Dr. Starr agreed to edit and publish my book.  She suggested that Mommy buy a new camera to take pictures for the book.  We all got a little tired of having our pictures taken, but Mommy said that Dr. Starr needed lots of pictures. 

The day Mommy got the first copy of my book, she almost broke the front door down when she got home from work.  “Girls, girls!  Look!  It’s here!  Ethel Frances, look at your book.”  We ran over to Mommy.  All three of us were wagging our tails with joy.  Mommy held the book up, and right on the front is a beautiful picture of me with my favorite stick in my mouth.  Under the picture is the title, “Tales From a Tail Wagging Dog.”  Under the title is my name, Ethel Frances; under my name is Mommy’s name, Marcia Miller.  It is the most beautiful book I have ever seen! I can’t wait to share my life! 

A great big thank you goes to Mommy and Dr. Joyce Starr for believing in me!! 

You can find my book on Amazon!

What is a Haircut?

I was so confused. This past Friday morning began like all Fridays.  We had breakfast at 5, waited for Mommy to get ready for work, and then had our walks.  When we got home, Mommy put up gates to confine us to the living room and dining room.  She always does that when she will be away for a long time. I think she wants to keep us out of the kitchen; not to keep us in the living and dining rooms.

Mommy comes home from work early on Fridays.  She always reminds us right before she leaves the house. Not this past Friday.  Mommy said, "Bye, girls.  I am sorry but I won't be home early today.  I am going to a get a haircut right after work.  Then I have to go to the store before I come home.  I will give you an extra treat so you won't get too hungry. Please take good care of the house. I love you!"

Out the door she went.  My little sisters, LuLu and Izzy, and I started talking as soon as Mommy left.  We were trying to figure out what a haircut is and where do you get one.  I am pretty smart, but I only know two things about hair.  One is that Mommy is forever sweeping and vacuuming our hair (which is really fur) because we shed a lot.  The other is that Mommy is always talking about how her hair looks. The only things I know about cuts are they hurt and they bleed..

My sisters and I couldn't figure out what Mommy was talking about.  We decided to take a nap until Mommy got home.  When Mommy finally did get home, she was very late.  She took us out to pee and started unpacking the bags she brought home.  LuLu, Izzy, and I went in the kitchen and stared at Mommy. We noticed that her hair looked shorter.  How did that happen?  Did someone actually cut her hair?  Did it hurt?  Did it bleed?  Who did it?

Since we can't talk, it is hard to ask Mommy questions.  We did figure out that if we cock our heads to the side and draw our eyebrows together, Mommy knows we don't understand something.  So that's what we all did..  It took Mommy a minute or two to notice us, but when she did she started to laugh.  "Oh, my girls! What is wrong?  Why are you staring at me like that?  What is it that you don't understand?  I so wish that you could talk!"

Usually I can get my thoughts across to Mommy with facial expressions, whines, barks, growls, and tail wagging; but, not this time.  All I can say is whatever happened to Mommy's hair must not have hurt. Mommy was very happy.  She bent down to give us kisses and when she stood up she said, "So girls, do you like the way my hair looks now?  I got a haircut today and I am very happy with how it looks."

We all looked at each other and smiled.  Then we looked at Mommy and wagged our tails as fast as we could so she would know that we liked her hair, too.  I guess we will never really know what a haircut is and where you go to get one.

I try to learn something new everyday.  Today I learned that haircuts don't hurt!

We Took Turns

I had the best day today.  Mommy and I went to the Home to visit my friends.  We went to Sophie's room first.  Mommy knocked on the door.  We heard Anita tell us to come in, so Mommy opened the door a little bit.  Valentina opened it the rest of the way to let us in.  And what a greeting we got!

Valentina is so cute.  Most dogs I know wag their tails when they are happy or excited.  Valentina wags her whole body.  The wagging starts at the tip of her tail and she wags all they up her back to her neck.  And that's what she did when I went into Sophie's room.

The people were happy to see each other, too, but they don't wag.  They just hug.  What a boring way to express happiness!  Valentina and I like to chase each other.  We ran circles around Sophie.  Valentina likes to pull my ears and I like to pull her legs.  We are careful not to hurt each other.  While we were running wild, Valentina and I heard Sophie say the word banana.  We stopped running, hoping that banana was for us.

Anita said, "I will give them the banana."  Oh boy!  Valentina and I looked at each other, smiled, and ran to sit right smack in front of Anita.  While she was peeling the banana, I was drooling.  I tried not to, but I couldn't stop the drool from pouring out of my mouth.  It got all over Anita's skirt.  It was gross, but she didn't seem to mind.  Anita broke off a small piece of banana and gave it to Valentina first.  I sat and drooled while waiting for my turn.  As soon as Valentina had her piece of banana, Anita gave me a piece.  Anita fed us pieces of banana until it was all gone.

Mommy and Anita both said they were so proud of us because we sat nicely, waiting for our turn.  Neither one of us tried to grab the banana out of Anita's hand.  All of a sudden, I heard the crinkle sound of someone opening a cup of yogurt.  I looked at Mommy and Anita. They had no food.  So I looked at Sophie and saw her opening yogurt.  I love yogurt and Valentina does, too.  This time we ran and sat in front of Sophie.  She handed to top of the yogurt cup to Mommy and Mommy held it out for Valentina and me. We took turns licking the top and when Sophie ate all she wanted, we took turns licking the cup.

Sophie, Anita, and Mommy were laughing a lot.  They thought we were funny.  Valentina and I talked about that.  At first, our feelings were hurt because people were laughing at us.  Then we realized that they weren't laughing at us.  They were laughing because they were enjoying watching us.  We made them happy! Valentina and I agreed that we are lucky we are are friends and happy that we have each other to talk to.  Valentina is my best friend.  I hope you have a best friend, too.

Mommy's Day Off

July 31 did not start out very happy, but I am glad to report that it had a happy ending. The day started like all the other days. We got up at 5 a.m. and had breakfast and then Mommy got ready to walk us. I have two sisters. LuLu is a Rottweiler/Border Collie mix and Isabel Victoria (we call her Izzy most of the time) is a Jack Russell Terrier. Mommy always takes LuLu first, then me, and then Izzy.

 It was my turn and I was excited because I love going for walks with Mommy, especially when I have her all to myself. So out the door we went. I had a bounce to my step and my tail was wagging very fast. I was sniffing around while I was walking and all of a sudden I heard my mommy's voice. It was not a happy sound. In fact, she was growling. I couldn't believe it. What was wrong on such a beautiful day? "Come on, Ethel Frances! Hurry up, Ethel Frances! What's your problem, Ethel Frances?"

What is my problem? What was Mommy's problem? Unfortunately, I can't talk so I couldn't try to talk to Mommy and ask her these questions. Mommy acted grumpy the whole time. While we were walking, I was wondering if Mommy knew that she ruined my time with her.  The grumpier Mommy sounded, the more upset I got. I started thinking that Mommy was going to ruin my whole day!  Then I got kind of worried because Mommy loves going on walks with me. Maybe Mommy was grumpy because she was sick.

I started to tell LuLu and Izzy about the walk, but before I could, I heard Mommy's voice again. Sometimes Mommy talks to herself because it makes her feel better to say her problems out loud. I heard her say, "What a rotten way to start a day off. I don't have to go to work today, but I have to leave early in the morning anyway to take my car to get an oil change. Grrrrrrrrrr."

When I realized why Mommy was grumpy, I wanted to help her feel better. "Hmmm. What could I do?" I knew exactly what to do. I ran over to Mommy and did a little dance in front of her and wagged my tail as hard as I could." I knew Mommy would understand me even though I don't have words and I was right!

Mommy leaned down and hugged all 90 pounds of me. She hugged me and kissed and scratched my back. She said, "Thank you, Ethel Frances! You always make me feel good. I was grumpy because I have to take the car in early on my day off. I am not grumpy anymore because you showed me that I should be happy.  Now I realize how lucky I am to have a job and to have a day off. I will be home much earlier today than when I work. I will have the whole afternoon to be with you and LuLu and Izzy."

And that's exactly what happened. It is almost time for dinner now. Mommy got home a long time ago and she took us for walks and played with us.  We even took naps together! So my day today was a good one. I hope yours was, too.

Ditched Again?

Last Sunday, Mommy took me to visit my friends at the Home.  When we got to the door, I started sniffing around and wagging my tail as fast as it would go.  Mommy looked at me and smiled. "Ethel Frances, is Valentina here already?" she asked.  I can't talk so I couldn't say yes.

Instead, I started walking as fast as I could, remembering that I am not allowed to pull Mommy. We got in the elevator and my tail was wagging like crazy.  Mommy started laughing.  "Ethel Frances, I can tell from your tail that Valentina is here.  Isn't it great that you can tell me things even though you can't talk!"

We got off the elevator and went right to Sophie's (Anita's mommy) door.  Mommy knocked gently and I heard Anita (Valentina's mommy) say, "Come in."  Mommy opened the door and I pushed past her.  "Valentina, I'm here and I am so happy to see you."

"Ethel Frances!  I am happy, too.  I have been looking for you since we got here."  I can't talk to Mommy, but I can talk to Valentina.  We both speak Dog Language and we totally understand each other.  We started chasing each other, running circles around Sophie.  I like to bark when I play, but I try to remember that sometimes when I bark Valentina gets scared.  Anita said that since Valentina is a guide dog, she was taught not to bark. Isn't that interesting.

Valentina and I played while Anita, Sophie, and Mommy talked.  After a while, Valentina's' Daddy, Frank, showed up.  When it was time for Sophie to go eat lunch, it was time for the rest of us to go home.  Frank, Anita, Mommy, Valentina, and I all rode in the elevator together.  When we got outside, Frank said to Mommy, "I am going to take Valentina to go Potty.  I can take Ethel Frances, too."  Mommy said thank you to Frank because she has good manners and I trotted off with them.

At first I was happy to be going for a walk with Valentina and Frank.  Then I remembered something.  Last time Mommy gave my leash to someone, she left me with that person for a long time --four days!  I got scared and started to whine.  I love Valentina.  She is my best friend.  But I love my mommy more.  Was she ditching me again?  I took two steps back to give me room to pull and I pulled Frank has hard as I could.

I know I am not supposed to do that, but I just had to know if Mommy was ditching me or if she was waiting to take me home.  All of a sudden I heard Mommy call out, "Frank!  Just drop the leash before she hurts you."  Just when Frank dropped my leash, Mommy knelt down on the sidewalk.  I ran as fast as I could, right into her arms.  She threw her arms around me and gave me a tight hug and lots of kisses.  I kissed her whole face.

"Ethel Frances, I am sorry you were scared.  I bet you thought I was going to leave you again. Right?  I am sorry you were upset.  I love you so much and I just want you to be happy."

I wagged my tail and kissed Mommy's face again so she would know that I am happy and I love her, too!

They All Came Just to See Me!

Mommy and I left through the front door tonight for our evening walk.  I stopped at my collection of sticks and chose a medium sized one.  We started walking and I heard loud rock music.  I love music and I started wagging my tail to the beat.  Mommy looked at me with a look of amazement on her face.

"Ethel Frances," she said, "I had no idea that you know how to keep time to music.  Look at your tail!  I bet there is not another dog who can do that!  There is a live band playing at the shopping center right now.  Let's go over and hear it."

We went across the street and I saw the band.  There were lots of people sitting at tables and there were lots of little kids playing in water.  Everyone looked so happy.  While Mommy and I were walking around, people kept looking at me and smiling.  We saw my friend Winnie at a table with her mommy, Sara, and Sara's mommy.  Winnie and I were very happy to see each other.

Mommy sat down at the table.  Winnie is lucky because she is small enough to sit on Sara's lap and that's what she was doing.  I am way to big to sit on anyone's lap, so I stretched out on the floor.  The band was taking a break so I started paying attention to all of the people.

Everyone who walked by, stopped when they saw me.  They all said to Mommy, "Can I pet your dog?" Mommy always said yes and always told people that I am a very nice dog.  I felt happy for the attention and proud for what Mommy said about me.

When the band started playing again, I started wagging my tail to the beat of the music .  Mommy got excited and told Sara.   Since the music was loud, Mommy had to talk even louder, but while she was telling Sara about my tail, the music stopped.  All of the people near us heard Mommy.  Many of them came to see me.  The grownups wanted to watch my tail, but the kids just want to pet me.  They hugged me, too.  I loved all of the attention and love I was getting.

One little girl who was almost 2 years old, kept patting me and laying her head on my side.  She was so sweet and gentle.  When her parents said it was time to go, she looked right in my eyes and said, "Thank you, doggie!"  Isn't that so sweet!

Mommy wanted to show all the people how I can keep time to music with my tail, but the band didn't play again.  I know people went to the shopping center to hear the music, but I think they stayed there just to see me!  If they hadn't, wouldn't they have all gone home when the music stopped?

I love people, I love music, I love my family, and I love my life!

A Pole is a Great Big Stick

The other when Mommy and I were going for a walk, we left through the front door where I keep all of my sticks.  I chose one that was short and fat.  While we were walking, I started chewing on it. Mommy doesn't like when I do that.  She says eating sticks isn't good for me.

I didn't listen to Mommy.  The stick was soft and broke in half when I bit down on it.  I drew my eyebrows together and turned my head to the side.  Mommy knows that is what I do when I don't understand something.  She looked down at me and smiled.  "Ethel Frances, are you trying to understand what happened to your stick?"  I wagged my tail so Mommy would know she was right.

"We have been getting a lot of rain lately.  Your stick got very wet and soft.  That is why it broke and fell apart when you chewed it -- which you aren't supposed to do.  Let's see if we can find a better stick on our walk.  OK, honey?"

I wagged my tail again and we started walking.  We hadn't gone very far and I spotted a stick.  It was one of the biggest sticks I had ever seen.  I pulled gently on my leash so Mommy would come with me. That stick was so big and heavy that I could barely pick it up.  I struggled with it and finally lifted it up and started walking again.

Mommy was laughing.  "Ethel Frances, the only stick I ever saw that big was actually a tree! That stick is huge.  It is very smooth, too.  I think that it isn't really a stick.  It's a pole!"  I drew my eyebrows together again and looked up at Mommy.

"Is pole a new word for you?" she asked.  I wagged my tail.  "A pole is a great big stick."

What a wonderful day that was!  I walked with my mommy, found a big stick, and learned a new word.  I am one very happy dog!

Copyright © Marcia Miller and Ethel Frances Miller, 2012 - 2013, All Rights Reserved. 

Did Mommy Make Me Sick?

On the 4th of July, Mommy said, "Guess what, girls?  Today is the 4th of July.  I don't have to work today or tomorrow.  I am going to Pittsburgh and you will be staying with John and Heather.  Won't that be fun?"

I understood what Mommy said about not going to work because she doesn't work on Saturday and Sunday.  I didn't understand "Pittsburgh," though.  Mommy was busy putting clothes and other things in a black bag.  Then she did something very strange.  She got Izzy and her crate and left.  She came right back in empty handed.  Then she called LuLu and me.  She got our leashes and out the door we went. Instead of going for a walk, Mommy put us in the car.  Izzy was already in the back seat in her crate; LuLu was next to Izzy; and, I got in the front next to Mommy.

Mommy talked to us in the car.  She said, "Girls, I am going to Pittsburgh to visit my brother.  I am happy about spending time with my brother and his family, but I am sad about leaving you at the farm with John and Heather."

Wait a minute!  We're not going to Pittsburgh?  We have to stay at the farm without Mommy!  Why? Mommy answered as if I had asked the question aloud.  "My brother moved from a big house to a small apartment.  There is no room for you girls.  I feel bad about leaving you, but I think you will have fun without me."  Just then, we pulled into the driveway at the farm.  Heather came out and took us into the house, right after Mommy kissed  us good bye.  That was last Thursday.  We didn't see Mommy again until Sunday, when she finally picked us up and took us home.

And then I got sick.  My tummy hurt.  I won't tell you any of the details, but it was gross.  Mommy had to stay home from work one day because I was too sick to stay home alone.  She took me to Dr. Martof at the Flower Valley Veterinary Clinic and gave the doctor details of my sickness.

Was I ever surprised to hear what Dr. Martof said!  Mommy should have taken our food to John and Heather.  Giving us strange food could have upset my tummy.  The doctor went on to say that my tummy could also be upset just from being stressed out about Mommy leaving me.  Wow!  Mommy sure looked sad.  She got my medicine and we left.

As soon as we were in the parking lot, Mommy knelt down next to me and gave me a tight hug.  "Oh, Ethel Frances!  I am so sorry.  I guess I made you sick.  I can't say I won't leave you with John and Heather again because I am sure I will.  But I promise that I will take your food there.  Maybe if you have your own food, you will be OK.  I love you so much and I don't want you to get sick again."

I kissed Mommy from the bottom of her chin to the top of her head.  Even though I can't talk, Mommy understood that my kiss meant I forgave her and that I love her, too.

Ice Cream Photos for My Book--Not

Mommy has a lot of rules.  One of them is that my sisters and I are not allowed to take food from Mommy's dishes.  Last night I really thought Mommy lost her mind.  She gave my sisters and me dinner and then took me for a long walk.

When we got home, Mommy went to the freezer and took out some ice cream.  She loves ice cream and LuLu, Izzy, and I do, too.  Mommy always gives us some while she puts some in her cup.  Then she says, "OK, girls, I will give you one more and that's all."  She gives us one more taste and then puts the container away, sits down and eats her ice cream.

Last night Mommy took the ice cream out, gave some to my sisters and me, and put some in a cup.  She put the container away, but she didn't sit down.  She put Izzy in her crate, put the cup on a table, and picked up her camera.  Mommy said, "OK, Ethel Frances, go eat some ice cream."

What was Mommy saying?  Did I hear her correctly?  I looked at her, cocked my head to the side, and drew my eyebrows together.  Mommy looked at me and laughed.  "Oh, Ethel Frances.  I can see from your expression that you don't understand why I told you to eat from my cup.   You are such a good girl!  I need you to eat from my cup so I can take a picture for your book.  So it's OK, but just this time. OK?"

Was Mommy serious or was she testing me to see if I would obey the "don't take food from my dishes" rule?  I thought for a minute.  There is a story in my book about how I stole ice cream.   Hmmmm.  A test or a picture?   I stopped thinking and ran to the table.  I love ice cream and I didn't care if it was a test.

I ate it all so fast that Mommy hardly had time to pick up her camera.  By the time she was ready to snap the picture, the ice cream was gone and so was I.  If it was a test, I failed and I didn't want to wait around just to get in trouble.  If it wasn't a test, Mommy didn't have a chance to take a picture, and I didn't want to get in trouble for that either.  So I ran upstairs and licked the last few drops of ice cream off of my lips.

Hopefully, Mommy wasn't just testing me because that means she will have to try again to take a picture of me eating ice cream!  If I eat it too fast every time, Mommy will keep trying and I will have lots of opportunities to eat lots of ice cream.

Sometimes I am so smart that I amaze myself.

We Got Loose

Mommy took Izzy out to go potty and Izzy actually pooped outside for once.  Mommy brought her in, put her in the crate, and went back outside to pick up the poop.  LuLu was standing near the door.  I heard her whisper, "Ethel Frances!  Come here quick!  Look at the door."  I ran over to LuLu and she was standing by the door that Mommy hadn't closed all the way.

"LuLu, you know how to open doors.  Do it!  Let's go."  LuLu stood watching Mommy for a minute.  She said,  "OK, look.  Mommy has her back to the sidewalk.  Let's go now."  LuLu slipped her paw in the opening, pushed the door wide open, and out we went.

We ran up a hill to the sidewalk and saw a neighborhood Dachshund.  LuLu had never seen him because she doesn't like being outside, but I have seen him lots of times.  He is kind of nasty.  He barks his head off whenever he sees me.  I try to talk to him, but he isn't interested in being friends.  When he saw us, he started barking and screaming.  At first we just stood there looking at him, but we got tired of his barking at us.  We barked back.  We are much bigger than he is and so are our barks.  He got scared and his daddy picked him up and held him up in the air.

Suddenly, we heard Mommy calling us.  "Ethel Frances!  LuLu!  Where are you?  How did you get out?  Get back here right now.  Come!"  Then we saw her running towards us.  I looked at LuLu and said, "We better go home before we really get in trouble."  LuLu and I ran home.  Mommy was standing by the open door.  "Get in here right now."  LuLu ran right in the house.

 I looked at LuLu and Mommy and I ran away from them.  While I was running around, I was telling myself that it was OK to run away if I just stay close to the house.  I like to run and I know that it is dangerous to go in the street, so I don't.  I also know that it isn't safe to go with strangers, so I don't do that either.  While I was thinking, I realized that Mommy's voice was getting closer.  I could hear anger in it.  "Ethel Frances!  You get over here right now."  I put my head down and walked over to Mommy. Then with my head down, I looked up at Mommy.  She knows that is my "I'm sorry" look, but she wasn't ready to hear my apology.  She grabbed my collar and dragged me home.

After we were in the house, Mommy went back out and closed the door.  We could hear her say, "Is your dog OK?"  The man with the Dachshund answered, "Yes.  He is fine.  Your dogs didn't come anywhere near him."  Mommy said, "I am really sorry.  I didn't even know my dogs had gotten loose."

She came back in and looked at LuLu and me.  "How did you girls get out without my knowing?  You are pretty smart, aren't you.  You know you're not supposed to do that, right?  And you scared that poor, little Dachshund?"  Then Mommy looked at me and smiled.  "He's the one that is nasty to you Ethel Frances.  I guess he kind of deserved it."  I smiled back at Mommy and then she said, "But don't do it again.  OK? You could get hurt and that would make me sad because I love you so much."

LuLu and I were very happy that we can't talk.  We couldn't answer any of Mommy's questions.  We just stood there with our "I'm sorry" expression and waited to be forgiven.  And we were.  As  soon as Mommy finished talking she gave us hugs and kisses.

She Called Me Boy

All my life I have known that I am a girl.  When I was a little baby before my human mommy adopted me, my dog mommy said to me in Dog Language, "You are a beautiful little girl."  It makes me happy that I still remember that.

My human mommy adopted me when I was eight weeks old.  She always tells me that I am a good girl and that I am a beautiful girl.  In fact, we only have girls living in our house.  Imagine my surprise when someone called me boy.

Here is what happened.  Mommy and I were taking our long evening walk.  When we got close to the pool, we saw a lady leaving the pool and going to her car.  I didn't recognize the lady so I walked over to meet her.  She was very friendly.  She got down on her knees and gave me hugs and kisses.  She said, "I really love dogs."

I could tell by the look on Mommy's face that she was very proud of me.  I was enjoying all of the attention and love I was getting.  The lady was still kneeling on the sidewalk next to me, scratching under my chin.  She looked me right in the eyes and said, "You are such a good boy!"

"A good what?!"  I said to myself.  Why did she think I was a boy?  I wasn't wearing anything blue.  My collar and leash are both purple.  My name is Ethel Frances.  That is definitely not a boy's name.  Then I felt a little embarrassed.  Why does she think I am a boy?  I looked at Mommy and drew my eyebrows together so she would see that I was confused.

Mommy looked at me, smiled, and patted my head.  The she turned to the lady and said, "Thank you for being so nice to my dog.  Her name is Ethel Frances.  She really loves people.  "  Wow!  Mommy is pretty smart.  She understood that I didn't like being called "boy" and she found a nice way to tell the lady that I am a girl without hurting the lady's feelings."

"Ethel Frances!  I have never heard that name.  It is a beautiful name for  beautiful girl!  I am glad we met today, Ethel Frances.  I hope to see you again very soon."

I hope I see her again soon, too.  I also hope she will remember that I am a girl!

I Can Heel and Look Backwards at the Same Time

I am a very smart dog.  After you read this story, I know you will agree with me.  Mommy and I were taking a nice long walk.  It was a beautiful day and we were not going anywhere special.  We were just enjoying our time together.  That is until I spotted a dog across the street.  I am friendly so I called out in Dog Language, "Hey you!  Hi!  I never saw you before.  Do you live nearby.  I do.  My name is Ethel Frances.  What's yours?"

He answered me, but I couldn't hear him because a big, noisy truck went by when he started talking.  "I can't hear you," I hollered.  Even though I couldn't hear him, Mommy could hear both of us.  It just sounded like a bunch of barking to her because she doesn't know Dog Language.  So Mommy gave me a command that she knew I wouldn't ignore.  "Ethel Frances," she said sternly, "Heel."  Why did she give me that command?  I wish she had just told me to sit.  Then I could have talked to my new "almost" friend.

But she said Heel and so I started walking right next to Mommy's left leg.  That is what Heel means. The dog across the street was getting farther away.  I turned around so I could see where he was, while Mommy was still walking.  "Ethel Frances.  Heel."  Oh man!  I forgot that I was supposed to be heeling.  I decided that I had to figure out how to Heel and watch that dog -- who was now way behind us -- at the same time.

I kept walking and heeling and suddenly the answer popped into my head.  Can you picture this in your mind?  My side was next to Mommy's left leg.  I turned my body and looked backwards while I was walking.  I was shaped like the letter "U," with my head almost next to my butt.  I held that position while I walked.

Mommy looked at me and burst out laughing.  "Ethel Frances!  How smart  you are!  And coordinated, too.  I can't walk and chew bubblegum at the same time, but you can Heel and look backwards at the same time.  Good for you.  You figured out how to  do what you wanted to do while obeying my command.  I am proud of you and I sure do love you a lot!"

Do you agree that I am smart?

Dog Hair - Actually It Is Fur

Mommy and I had a play date at the Home. I played with Valentina the Guide Dog, and Mommy played with Anita and Sophie. Anita is Valentina's mommy and Sophie is Anita's mommy.

 Before Mommy and I left the house, she combed me so I would look pretty. At least I thought that's why she combed me. When she finished she said, "Wow, Ethel Frances! You are really shedding. I am glad I combed you to get all that loose hair off of you.  Look at all that dog hair in the comb. Yuck!  "What is so yucky about my hair. I think it is beautiful. It is black, with a little white here and there, and it is very shiny.  Is it my fault that sometimes it comes out all over the place?

When we got to the Home, I was very excited.  We haven't been there in a long time.  Mommy did what she always does when we get to Sophie's room.  She knocked on the door and when Sophie answered, Mommy let me go in first.  Valentina came running to me.  We can't hug each other because our arms don't do that.  So we stood against each other and ran in circles.

Then Anita called me and at the same time, Mommy called Valentina.  Valentina is a yellow Labrador Retriever.  Mommy had on navy blue pants.  Valentina was happy to see Mommy and rubbed back and forth against her legs.  Then Valentina walked under Mommy's thighs.  Mommy's pants were no longer navy blue.  They looked just like Valentina!

"Valentina!" Mommy exclaimed. "You are shedding as much as Ethel Frances.  Now my blue pants are blond.  Look at your dog hair all over my pants."

I was busy snuggling with and rubbing against Anita.  She had on a burgundy skirt.  By the time I was finished, her skirt was covered with black dog hair.  Anita said, "Oh, Ethel Frances.  I would think your Mommy would be used to everyone shedding after all of these years.  And anyway, you girls don't have hair.  You have fur."

That was interesting, I thought.  I only hear Mommy say dog hair.  She never says dog fur.  Before I could figure out how to ask what the difference is between hair and fur, Anita answered.  "Marcia, you should be glad our girls have fur.  They have oil in their fur so when they get wet, the water just rolls off.  We don't have to dry them like we would if they had hair.  We don't have to get them haircuts like we would if they had hair.  So what if they shed.  They can't help it.  You might as well just think about how easy it is to clean them when they get wet and forget about the shedding.  It is a waste of time to think about things you can't control.  Right?"

Mommy agreed that Anita was right, but I did hear her mumble that she gets tired of vacuuming up dog fur.

Maybe Mommy needs an attitude adjustment. Maybe she should start thinking that the fur looks as good on the floor as it does on the dogs!