Neighbors Smell Better Than facebook Friends…

Hello, Harry here! What? You ask yourself, more social commentary on humans from a dog? Yes! Who better to comment on y’all than the species that’s been by your side for eons, helping you adapt to and survive in various climates all over this big old world? We KNOW you. So, granted, I now have a facebook page with friends, like so many of you do- but my evening walks lately have gotten me thinking…I love that Lily Dog and I have real friends in our new neighborhood. As soon as we know we are turning left out the door, we sniff like crazy and hope that we can visit Coltrane, a tall (Lisa reminds me of how short I am whenever I wag next to him! Curse Great Grandfather’s Corgi genes!) soulful Border Collie who lives around the corner with his warm and gracious human, Arella. We’ve been in Coltrane’s house, eaten his kibble (guilty), and romped in his yard. Then there are the gentle guys who’ve charmed Lily: Jason and Bower. They are the first people she’s let rub her head! (As you may recall, Lily has serious emotional problems and has been struggling to trust humans since we got her from Berkeley Animal Control – she is making progress little by little.) She always pulls on the leash and trots right to their front door, whether they are home or not.

Then there are dog neighbors galore in this part of Richmond: Queenie the gruff, Jelly Roll the barky pup, Sinatra with the blue eyes, Angel, the off-leash queen of our street, Augie, the portly cocker, to name just a few.

I’ll just get right to the Bulldog point: facebook is fun, but please don’t let it keep you from getting out and smelling the world!

Gotta run – but before I do I’ll be sure to publish this on facebook!

Woof!

sniffing

More About Lily, My Constant Companion

Remember I said she’s smart? Well, here’s a picture I took of her right after she explained her theory about golden brindled mixes being direct descendants of some Norse dog god – I kid you not…

She's sort of lost in a fantasy world here - but that takes brains!

When I asked her about the migration of her kind from Norway to California, her suppositions got a little shaky so I changed the topic to something simpler and lectured her on all the ways to make a dog bed more comfortable:  partially de-stuffing for just the right firmness, turning it upside down, separating the pillow from the base and using it as a head or butt rest, dragging it to the middle of the floor and pawing at it like it’s prey until it’s just the right fluffiness – but just moments into my discourse – this is what happened:

...teenagers today! When I was her age I'd never sleep through an elder-dog lecture! Hmph!

Lily Does the Silliest Things…

I know Lily about one and a half years old, which makes her developmentally akin to a teenager – and I suppose I too, was silly at that age (Was I? Statistically speaking, Border Collie mixes have a reduced rate of silliness due to our extreme intelligence and – what’s that? I’m making this about me -you’re right – sorry!) but she truly surprises me. Like this, for instance:

she started using the cat door for, well, a window!

And, now that you’ve stopped giggling, I have to admit something. Lily is, ahem, well, I suppose I should just come right out and say it, uh – she is WAY smarter than I thought she was when she first joined the family. More on this next time.

This world of ‘social meateater’ sounds familiar… (or snoutbook, here I come!)

Oh, maybe I should explain that, huh? We dogs are the original social meateaters! Why, just look it up in the anals of canine history and you’ll see it’s true…wait a minute, my human person Lisa is coming to clear up a few things about facebook…

No More Little Lily!

Lisa's latest pet portrait

Lily is All Grown Up and She Turned Out Great!

Lily Tiger turned a year old last month and she has blossomed into a lovely young dog. I gotta admit, my goofy little sister is pretty awesome. Even though lots of people predicted she’d be a big dog, she stopped growing at just an inch or so taller and longer than I am and only weighs five pounds more than I do! She’s a great size; not too big or small. Even though she’s larger than I am – I am most definitely top dog. Lily checks in with me about everything! We spend our days wrestling, playing tug of war, destroying toys together and going for walks. Guess what? In a few days Lily will have her first SNOW experience! Yup, we are going to Lake Tahoe to play in the white stuff. I haven’t been in snow in several years – I remember it being fun but cold. Good thing our moms bought us doggie coats… Lily keeps asking me what snow is and where it comes from. Little sisters!

We Dogs Live in the Moment

Ever wonder why dogs are so forgiving? Or why we are extremely spontaneous? It’s because, unlike you human beings-or two legged dogs as I have come to think of you, we canines live in the present tense. We don’t plan ahead or worry about the future. It’s all about how the air smells or the feel of the pavement under our paw pads. When we are licking the very last of dinner out of our bowls, all there is is now. When we jump up and greet you, it’s because you are home now, not because we missed you all day. I have seen a worried look on my human’s face these days. Time to get her to play and stay in the present! You do the same…

Missing Jasmine and Getting to Know Lily More and More…

I haven’t written for a while because I just didn’t know what to say once I figured out my longtime companion Jasmine wasn’t coming back home.  I knew something was askew when the old gal left with our owners and didn’t return. Lisa offered me her collar for a quick sniff, which confused me. After looking for her and moping for several days, I then stopped looking for her and only moped. This lasted a few weeks. Lily was oblivious and expected me to play play play. It’s been two months and now Lily and I do just that. We play with toys, balls, sometimes things we shouldn’t play with, and just plain wrestle! I didn’t know I was sill this active at 8! Oops – she’s bumping a toy into my foot as I type this – gotta go!

In The Middle

As I wrote before, I have lived with a Dalmatian for most of my life. And even though Jasmine and I couldn’t be more different in looks and temperament – we’ve always gotten along great. My plump, vociferous alpha made it clear she was top dog the first time I visited her pack. She did share her people, her home, her space – everything but her food. She lives for food. And apparently it’s been working out as she is just four months shy of 15 years old! (Don’t tell her, but her kind usually live about 11-13 years…) These days I do see her taking a long time to get up, stumbling and occasionally falling down, staring into space, and sleeping through an assortment of noises that even the neighbors’ dogs bark at. She’s ooooooooooooold! (And what a privilege it is to grow  old in a loving home.)

She’s been schooling Lily the pup very firmly – which I approve of. We don’t want to let her get away with much although I admit, sometimes naughty is kind of cute. Unlike my stiff-gaited spotted friend, Lily is loosey-goosey when picked up; all soft compliant puppy. She has rubber bands for legs, and her nose is set on ‘search and rescue’ when it comes to all dog toys around here.  Her short month with us has been filled with new discoveries and lots of adventures which are often peppered with the word, “no.”

Old, young, and then there’s me – right in the middle where I like it.

Jasmine, 14, Harry, 8, Lily 7 months

My sister, Lily Tiger

They tell me her early days were sadder than mine. She was found wandering along a road called Grizzly Peak. I asked the pup later if the bears frightened her much, boasting about my skirmishes with really scary mammals like suburban skunks and ninja raccoons. (The older generation must inspire the ones coming up, you know!) She promptly replied,”There aren’t bears in Oakland, only in Berkeley but there are human beings clad in various sports uniforms. And yes, to be completely candid I do feel some anxiety and trepidation toward people but my therapist says these issues will lessen over time if I receive consistent positive conditioning, obedience training and-”

Are all little sisters this talkative!?

After firmly ignoring her attempts to play with me for over a week – I decided it might be more peaceful in the long run to offer her a stuffed toy because it did act much like a mute in a trumpet. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not an old fuddy-duddy, the vet tells me I am a fit and fabulous fifty! But I have grown used to peace and quiet around here except when I want to stir things up. Lily’s keen interest in the toy basket and all the wonders it contains is good for us all. When I left the shelter, I too was mesmerized by tennis balls, chew toys, furry things with stuffing to remove, and everything else my mom called a ‘toy.’ Lily (Tiger is her middle name, I can’t remember mine right now…) is fairly self entertaining – thank the stars! I mean I am happy to be a role model and all – but I need time to sleep, dream, and well – just be me. As I write this she is mangling one of my old toys from 2008. But wait, she’s up and headed towards the basket to pull out – oy! THE DREADED SQUEAKY TOY!!!

I’ll write more about the little one when it’s quiet around here…

They’re using the P word

Puppy. I’ve heard my moms talking about getting a puppy for the past few years now. The say it in a perky way and then look at me hopefully. Sometimes I tilt my head, and sometimes I pretend not to know what they are talking about. Truth is – I’m ambivalent. Sure – it might be nice to have a young playmate – there are plenty of times when my Border Collie genes kick in and I am bouncing off the walls to play dogstyle. But then again, a puppy is a major inconvenience to my current lifestyle. I have things pretty good. In fact, I am completely spoiled. I have couch privileges, and I get to cuddle in bed between my moms while they read out loud to each other. Lately, they are reading some book that must be about me – I keep hearing “Harry” page after page. It is sometimes followed by the word “potter.” In fact – this is the second “Harry” book they are reading! Guess I am more famous than I thought. But getting back to the puppy issue – I am just worried that  I won’t get as much attention as I do now. I’m used to being the cute fun dog around here. What if the pup is even more cute and fun than I am?

It might be nice to have someone to boss around, though. Jasmine’s great – but she is dominant. I have always been the low dog on the totem pole, and as such I am expected to give up my food and my bed whenever she wants either. A pup could be my minion. My biggest fan, my adoring apprentice. I could show her how to get the tasty cat poops out of the litter box, how to beg with just your eyes, and how to do all kinds of tricks for treats. Maybe this whole puppy idea isn’t so bad after all…