Top Five Reasons I Love My Dogs

Free Dog Tips — Wed, 09 May 2007 23:16:54 +0000

I know I sound like one of those doting parents that whip out a whole wad of pictures whenever anyone stands near them for more than three seconds, but my dogs are the most wonderful creatures on the face of the earth. Want proof? Here goes.
1. If I’m having a rotten day, they try to make it better. Sophie curls up with me and licks my hand while Rocky rests his head on my lap or my foot. I don’t know why getting dog spit on your hand is comforting, but it is.
2. They’ve endured the torture of being hugged and petted by little kids for hours on end without more than an eye roll. (It was a really big eye roll, but still just an eye roll.)
3. They get really, really excited when I give them something, even if it is a piece of bread crust. To put this wonderful character trait in perspective – I’ve given children fifty dollar video games and they’ve complained that they wanted a seventy five dollar game instead with nary a thank you in sight. (unless you count the thank you/apology I got a few hours later when their mother found out about the whining.)
4. I never have to throw out leftovers. These dogs are more than happy to help out with cleaning up the remains of dinner.
5. Sophie is the bogeyman that the big mice tell the baby mice about before bedtime. That’s right-with 2 cats on the premises, it was the little dog that caught that troublesome little mouse that has been rampaging through the house all winter.

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Emma and the Birds – A Dog Story

Free Dog Tips — Sat, 15 Oct 2005 12:29:06 +0000

Emma is a Miniature Pinscher. She obsessively hunts small animals in the yard, fights with all the other dogs, and refuses to be housebroken. However, she is devoted to my mother and shows her love in odd little ways.
At one time, my mother raised handfed birds. This meant that several helpless little parrots without all their feathers were usually sitting in small aquariums on a counter. One day, one of the aquariums fell off the counter while we were out shopping. When we walked in the door, several of the dogs greeted us excitedly, but Emma wasn’t there. When we saw the aquarium missing, we feared the worst.
I looked on the floor, knowing what I would see. Yes, the empty aquarium was there, on its side. However, there were no feathers. All four baby birds were missing completely. One of the dogs started to walk into the other room and was stopped by a warning growl. I stepped through the doorway and Emma growled softly at me.
“Mom, come look,” I shouted.
When my mother stepped into the room, Emma whined anxiously and gently nudged one of the baby birds tucked safely between her front legs with her nose. She was trembling, perhaps from being exhausted after defending the baby birds from the other dogs, or maybe from fighting her own instinct to attack small animals. Somehow, this little dog had managed to move all four of the baby birds to a safe place without harming a feather on their tiny heads. Even more amazing, she fended off three other dogs at the same time.
Although I don’t know how Emma managed this feat, I do know that she would never have done it for anyone but my mother, the only person she loves.

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Top Five Reasons I Love My Dogs

Emma and the Birds – A Dog Story