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!

Do You Know What Consistent Means?

I know what consistent means. It means dependable, always doing something the same way. My mommy is not very consistent about making my sisters and me follow the rules. Actually I am happy about that. Yesterday, Mommy and I were out walking. At first, she didn't give any commands so I was happy just roaming around, sniffing the ground and watching people. I saw a stick in the street and without thinking, I tried to run in the street to get it.

Mommy was angry. “Ethel Frances, No! You are not allowed to run in the street! You could have been hit by a car. That is very dangerous. I can’t trust you to walk without a command. Ethel Frances, Heel!” I have to be honest. Mommy was right. Running out in the street is dangerous and I know I am not supposed to do it.

So I had to Heel. I learned how to Heel in school. When Mommy gives that command, I have to walk by her left leg and stay right next to her. I Heeled for a few minutes and then decided to see if Mommy remembered that she gave me the command. I wandered away from her side, into the grass. “Ethel Frances,” said Mommy, “Heel.” Phooey! She remembered.

We turned the corner and saw some strangers. I stood up straight and made the fur stand up down the middle of my back. I did that to look scary and to protect Mommy. One lady said, “Your dog is beautiful. Can I pet her? She is so sweet. What is her name? How old is she?” Once everyone started talking, I realized Mommy didn't need me to protect her. They were friendly neighbors.

I was happy to hear the lady say all of those nice things about me. Mommy was busy answering questions, so I wandered off into the grass. When I finished sniffing the grass on one side of the sidewalk, I went around Mommy to the other side. I went back to the other side and my leash went around Mommy’s ankles. Mommy started to walk, but she couldn’t. I turned my head away so Mommy wouldn’t see me laughing.

Uh oh, I thought to myself. I am going to be in trouble because I stopped heeling and I wrapped my leash around Mommy’s ankles. I looked down at the ground, waiting to be scolded. “Ethel Frances! Look what you did. You are so funny!” I looked up at Mommy and smiled. I was thinking, “Mommy, I am glad you are not consistent. You laughed instead of scolding me for breaking the Heel command.

Mommy isn’t consistent in the house either. Sometimes before she gives my sisters and me a treat, she will tell us to Sit and Stay. Izzy sits for half a second, LuLu almost sits but doesn’t quite get her bottom on the floor, and I just stand there drooling. Mommy laughs and gives us the treats even though we didn’t obey the commands.

In a way, I like that Mommy isn’t consistent. I can do what I want, without getting in trouble for not doing what she says. In another way, I don’t like that Mommy isn’t consistent because I don’t know what to expect and I don’t know what is she expects of me.

Oh well. Mommy isn’t perfect. Maybe she just needs to go back to school to learn how to be consistent.