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Storytime
Top Ten Signs You Spoil Your Dog
- You think begging for table scraps is beneath him, so you let your dog eat at the table with you
- You take him to the supermarket and let him pick out his own dog food
- Your husband comes home from work, looks at the stew on the stove and asks: "Is this people food or dog food?
- You bought matching His & Hers place mats for your dog and yourself
- At dinner parties you always have to double-check the butter for visible lick marks, before putting it on the table
- Your dog gets to vote on where to spend the next family vacation
- You don't care if you or your spouse are comfortable at night, as long as Fido has enough room on the bed
- You complain about the rising costs of groceries, but you don't think twice about spending a fortune on doggie treats
- Your dog always gets the best spot on the couch and sometimes he even gets to hold the remote
- He has his own e-mail address
10 reasons to breed your dog
- Thought the house was too orderly
- Never did like having a full nights sleep
- Wanted my Vet to get a new BMW
- Thought the furniture looked too nice
- Love the sounds of puppies in the morning, noon, afternoon, evening, midnight, predawn, etc
- Garden and backyard needed renovations, and didn't want to pay a gardener
- Neighbors didn't complain enough
- Kids weren't enough of a challenge
- If you can train & show one dog, why not ten
- Wanted to see if spouse really meant those vows
Puppy Property Laws
- If I like it, it's mine
- If it's in my mouth, it's mine
- If I can take it from you, it's mine
- If I had it a little while ago, it's mine
- If it looks just like mine, it's mine
- If I saw it first, it's mine
- If I'm chewing something up, all the pieces are mine
- If it's mine, it must never appear to be yours in any way
- If you are playing with something and you put it down, it automatically becomes mine
- If it's broken, it's yours
Things I must remember to be a good dog
- I will not eat the cats' food before they eat it or after they throw it up
- I will not roll on dead seagulls, fish, crabs, etc., just because I like the way they smell
- The Litter Box is not a cookie jar
- The sofa is not a 'face towel'
- The garbage collector is not stealing our stuff
- I will not play tug-of-war with Dad's underwear when he's on the toilet
- Sticking my nose into someone's crotch is an unacceptable way of saying "hello"
- I don't need to suddenly stand straight up when I'm under the coffee table
- I must shake the rainwater out of my fur before entering the house - not after
- I will not come in from outside and immediately drag my butt
- I will not sit in the middle of the living room and lick my crotch
- The cat is not a 'squeaky toy' so when I play with him and he makes that noise, it's usually not a good thing
Austin's Stories
My first meeting with Tobi
How could such a little puppy cause so much trouble? Who knew? I certainly didn't. My first day with Tobi was completely miserable for me. I'm sure if she could talk she would say it was great! Her tail was wagging the whole day. I'd have given all my possesions to trade her.
I must admit, later in the day she hopped up in my lap and just laid there. Tobi's fur was so soft and when you would pet her she would just stretch out and give you all the tummy you needed to give her a good rub down. It was so nice to see her relaxed and calm. It was a rare thing, but made every bad thing worthwhile.
Fishing Trip
Tobi was a natural hunter. She was also naturally curious about EVERYTHING. I took tobi for a walk each morning to the slough (type of swamp or shallow lake system). I'd let Tobi off her leash and she bolt into the cattails and water - she scared up a few ducks the first time and after that she was excited everytime we'd go near the slough. She rarely listened, but when she was in hunting mode, she listened and even predicted my calls. Left, Right, Out, etc. She knew exactly what I wanted her to do. As soon as she would come out of the slough, it was back to selective hearing.
She loved the water, and it was only a matter of time before we took her to the lakes for the weekend. She would have the run of the place. Lots of running room, water, people and pets to play with, and more. And as if that wasn't enough, we took her fishing - on the boat. That would prove to be traumatic.
So we get onto the lake and Tobi was really happy to be on the water. We started trolling and she would stick her head over the boat. Next thing I hear. SPLASH!! She was looking at her reflection and tried to get closer to it and fell in! Well we got her back in the boat and less than 5 minutes later - SPLASH!! And yet one more time. Goofy little mutt. I felt bad, she was traumatized from that and would only go in water up to her belly after that. Unless there were ducks or geese in the water. then she could swim like a fish!
We took her back to the cabin and went back to fishing. When we got back we had several perch and walleye. the perch were in a bucket swimming while we cleaned the walleye. When we came for the perch, there was tobi, head buried in the bucket trying to catch the perch! So I took one from the bucket so she could see it up close. It had her thoroughly puzzled. The perch would flop on its side and Tobi would jump back, wrinkle her head in confusion and start barking at the perch! It would remain still for a few seconds, then Tobi would try to sneak up on the perch. Then stick a paw out and touch the fish, jump back and start barking again. This went on for about 5-10 minutes and she kept us laughing the whole time. For her first fishing trip it went well. She was mischievous, loud, playful and sweet.
10 Reasons Why It's Great to be a Dog
- If it itches, you can reach it. And no matter where it itches, no one will be offended if you scratch it in public
- No one notices if you have hair growing in weird places as you get older
- Personal hygiene is a blast: No one expects you to take a bath every day, and you don't even have to comb your own hair
- Having a wet nose is considered a sign of good health
- No one thinks less of you for passing gas. Some people might actually think you're cute
- Who needs a big home entertainment system? A bone or an old shoe can entertain you for hours
- You can spend hours just smelling stuff
- No one ever expects you to pay for lunch or dinner. You never have to worry about table manners, and if you gain weight, it's someone else's fault
- It doesn't take much to make you happy. You're always excited to see the same old people. All they have to do is leave the room for five minutes and come back
- Every garbage can looks like a cold buffet to you