Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Dogs that think they are people

My niece Joan and her husband Todd have two giant dogs (I think they are Golden Retreivers) that think they are people. Joan brings them up every Friday morning to her folks' house, and they all have breakfast together. Her folks live in a double wide manufactured home, and when Joan and her people dogs get there, they fill the kitchen or dining area or living room. They are happy to be there, and once they settle down are well-behaved.

Our Max, on the other hand, also thinks he is people. When we are out for a walk (I think he knows the walk word), he behaves as if everyone we meet is out walking to meet him. If I get talking too long to the other walker, then Max starts to bark as if to say, "Either pet me, or let's get on with our walk!" His mom, HW2, is sure that not only does he think he is people, but he is also very spoiled. Max gets this treatment when he merely tries to lick HW2's toes. He likes her feet but not mine. I tell HW2 that she smells better than I, and that Max likes her better. She does not buy this argument at all. He has learned to sit upon command, and we are working on STOP with some success. He is good company, and I really like most of our walks except cleaning up dog poo. Today's mess in the middle of the road was quite unfortunate and only got partially cleaned up due to the nature of the leavings. I know, T M I.....

Doing the potty routine in the rain is not memorable, either. Otherwise, we enjoy each other, and I am getting quite well trained. When he barks I now know to take him outside for another potty break so that then he can come back in and drink more water and eat more food so that this delightful cycle can repeat. Happy travels.

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