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Thursday, August 9, 2012

NATIONAL SPOIL YOUR DOG DAY


by J.D. Faver

Well, I've done my part to celebrate this day. I have waited on my dog, Minx, to the point that she is rotten. I am of the opinion that your pets should be considered part of your family and should share your life completely. She has a fenced back yard and she is the queen of all she surveys. When I let her out in the morning, she polices the yard and makes sure no squirrels or birds have invaded her turf.  

Minx is also known as Heart of Darkness because she is full of mischief and way too much dog for me. She is half Chihuahua and half rat terrier; in other words pure mutt. She is black and looks more like a very small rat terrier with bigish stand up ears and more energy than a bushel of ferrets.

Every morning, I accompany her into the back yard armed with her toys. My job is to throw them as far as my poor little arms can throw. Her job is to fetch the toys back to me. This is her only trick. The only reason she has mastered this single trick is because I do not fetch. If she doesn't bring the toy right back to me, I go inside. Now if she fails to bring the toy to me, I can tell her to go get it and she does. She is probably very disappointed that she can't train me to fetch.

I get more distance when slinging a Frisbee across the back yard than with one of the balls or the rope toy. But when I had a regular size Frisbee she would grip it with her teeth and step on the curved edge which would knock it out of her mouth. For this reason, I went to the pet store and spent a whopping $9.99 on a mini Frisbee about the size of a saucer. Now, she can actually pick it up and come racing back to me...Priceless!

I know she is convinced that we are both dogs. We have to play together, go outside together, we must be in the same part of the house together. If I step out into the garage, I have my little black doggie escort. When I go out the mailbox by the front curb by myself, this sets up some serious complaints. Did mention that my dog is a yappy, talky dog? She has quite a vocabulary which ranges from a high-pitched and continuous yipping to a very vocal wowowowow. I could swear she says, "Wi wuv wu." But then again, I say that to her all the time, so it makes sense that she would say it back. :-)

So spoil your dog today, and everyday. If you don't have one, please go by a shelter and find your new best friend. Your dog is waiting for you and needs you to give him/her a forever home.
Hugs from me and a warm, sloppy kiss from Minx...
~J.D.

14 comments:

  1. Lol, Minx sure knows how to live up to her name. She sounds like one lucky pup to have you!
    My Golden Retriever, Taffy, was with us for 15 glorious years. She was adorably sassy and truly like a person, right down to her ability to communicate with us. She always joined in, adding a sigh or a groan, whichever fit the conversation :)

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    1. Hey, Sophia! It sounds like Taffy was a wonderful member of your family. Sassy is a good word to describe Minx too. Yes, they are truly like a person and always right in the middle of things. Funny on the conversation.
      *hugs*
      ~J

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  2. My son gave us a Chocolate Lab a number of years ago and she was the sweetest thing. We lost her a few years back and haven't gotten another because we were too busy to care for a dog properly. The kids have two doggy-loves. We have adopted them as our own and that's enough for now. Who knows down the road? Minx sounds like she keeps you on her toes!

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    1. Hi Carol!
      Labs are wonderful dogs. I had two dogs, the oldest of which lived to be 22 and the other mourned herself to death within a week. Broke my heart. I didn't own a dog for many years. Career in healthcare and caring for my mom at my home took a lot of time, but we had cats as love objects. Felines are much more independent and self sufficient. Now I am a doggie-servant. Having a dog is so much more like adding another human to your household. I have both so I am being well cared for. :-)
      *hugs*
      ~J

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  3. I have three wonderful furbabies! Jake is my 100+lb Weimaraner baby. He is 10 years old and has FINALLY grown into his legs! lol Gracie Mae is the mama, and elder, of the trio. By our, and the vets, guess she is between 11 and 12 years old. I found her as a pup on the grounds of a local hospital. She is my neurotic baby but I wouldn't have her any other way. As for a guess to her bloodlines, the vet said Doberman and ? lol She has the build of a Whippet/Greyhound mixed with the Doberman. She certainly has the energy of a Whippet/Greyhound for sure and puts the males in our family to shame with the endless supply she displays.
    Riley is the baby of the family and boy does he live up to that role! lol At 6 years old, he weighs 50lbs. His father was a Golden Retriever, and his mama was....wait for it....a Mini Pinscher! Yes, you read that right! Riley looks like a small retriever for the most part. The only nod toward his mama's breed is the way his ears pull up to the top of his head and fold over when he is alert! lol He is just a crazy, spoiled baby who has to spend the last 20 minutes before bed under the covers of our bed. If we deny him this privilege, he sits beside the bed and groans at us! lol
    For all the days I roll my eyes skyward and mutter "What a pain in the arse you guys are." I couldn't imagine my life without these three wonderful companions!

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    1. Hey, Stephanie!
      Three doggies must keep you busy. Perhaps yours are more docile than Minx. She is a full-time handful. I seriously don't think I could handle one more of Minx, let alone two more. Your dogs are lucky to have such good care. They do become great companions. You have to wonder what your life had been like without them. Not nearly so full of love.
      *hugs*
      ~J

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  4. I never had an indoor pet growing up--barn cats and farm animals were it. My husband, though, grew up with dogs and was determined that we'd have one... someday. Fast forward through two children and I finally gave in.

    Izzy came to us through homeschooling connections, the accidental offspring of a pair of purebred dogs who happened to live next door to each other when Nature, shall we say, exerted her powers of seduction? So, she's half Golden and half Lab, and all neurotic due to being taken away from her mama too early. I *never* believed I'd be this attached to an animal, but I am. I get up every morning and make her breakfast--no storebought dog food here!--and then we wander through the neighborhood. She's a huge people pleaser and thus easy to train in most things, however Daddy lets her in his lap and lets her jump on him, and this makes her think EVERYONE wants 65lbs of love tumbling into them.

    When I write she sits under the desk at my feet. I think she's protecting me from whatever is making me mutter under my breath. (I don't think the characters are intimidated yet, but she keeps trying.) I can't imagine not having her around. I'm a complete convert.

    Thanks for letting us share our stories. :)

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    1. My granddaughters are homeschooled. A wonderful experience all around.
      Your Izzy sounds very protective and I imagine, gorgeous. They do like their routines. I always fix Minx a scrambled egg the couple of times a week I fix one for me. My excuse is that I think it makes her glossy black fur extra shiny. I'm sticking to that.
      :-)
      *hugs*
      ~J

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  5. Hi, J D and Minx. You two sound like you have a blast every day.

    Two years ago, Handsome brought home malti-poos, gray one is Jones, the white one is Champ. The are adorable. Love to fetch squeakies, have treats, run-run-run, ride in Mom's car when she backs out of the garage. Champ knocks all pillows off every chair and couch so he can squiggle around. Mostly, we have lots of laughs.

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    1. Hi Vicki!
      Yes, tha wee beastie does keep me on my toes...after which I am collapsed in my recliner, gasping for breath. Your dogs sound adorable. My former dogs were more like cat-dogs. Soft and fluffy and cuddly. Minx is a dog. She runs circles around me, demands a variety of treats and wants to herd me wherever we go...I mean, honestly!!!
      *hugs*
      ~J

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  6. Spoil your dog DAY? Lydia aka Doggie Diva thinks it should be every day. Right now, she's a little put out because the chicken is gone and I am not cooking her more. As I'm typing she has her little short boxer snout resting on my arm. She has me well trained -- I make sure her bed is made several times a day (A quilt she keeps moving to the middle of the floor then gets mad because she can't move it back), her tablecloth is always just so. But then, what would you expect from a girl -- er doggie - that have an egg for breakfast, rice and lamb (when she's eating dog food)for dinner and duck jerky for dessert. A day is not enough.
    ~Tara

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  7. Ha, Tara! You have indeed gone the extra mile to make sure Lydia is totally spoiled. But I'm covering Minx' eyes so she won't read this. I do NOT want her to know how some doggies live. Thanks for sending the doggie treats. Minx likes the biscotti, but it's the peanut butter treats she was especially fond of. Good luck with your business. These treats should be a smash!
    *hugs*
    ~J

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  8. Oh, I love this topic! My papillons have me very well trained. I get up on command and open the door to the garden. I retrieve snacks from the fridge on command. I play ball on command. I even take them for drives on command.

    In return, Buster the Wonder Dog plays agility, dances, does rally obedience, and is an Expert Trick dog! He rides a skateboard, pushes his own tiny shopping cart, plays "volleyball", fetches the racquetball, high fives me, waves goodbye, takes a bow... He is amazing! :-) We have tons of fun together.

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  9. Aren't they amazing little creatures? I'm hopelessly in love with my dog. I was hesitant to take this little one and said to my daughter, "I don't need a dog." And she said, "Well, maybe she needs you."
    But I was wrong. I don't know what I would do without her now. She has enriched my life so much. Glad you have your amazing dogs, Regina.
    *hugs*
    ~J

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