Grrroooaaannn, right?
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Theology of the Body with Father Man-Bun
Recently my Mom wanted to attend some lectures held by the parish, but she didn’t want to go alone. I agreed to go with her to keep her company.
One particularly…odd? bizarre? frustrating?…lecture series was on The Theology of the Body – a collection of talks given by the late Pope John Paul II. I could probably fill a month’s worth of posts about all of the “Huh?” moments I had, but this particular item stood out to several people who were there.
In the talks, Fr. Man-Bun told everyone that animals have no inner lives. That they don’t think. That they can’t understand symbols or representations. I couldn’t help but think, “Has this man never met an animal before?” Shortly before this talk, I happened to read an article about what has been termed “Dog Sudoku” which resembles video games for dogs. (Click here to read more about Dog Sudoku.) Pups love these things!
I’ve watched my boys lost in thought or studying photos. I’ve seen pups rat on a sibling who gets in trouble. I’ve seen dogs move chairs around in order to climb up on to reach something the want. I’ve even known dogs who loved to hide and then jump out and scare whoever was walking past. In these I see planning and thinking and even tool use.
And what about crows?!? Have you ever seen a documentary about how intelligent they are? Researchers have identified a vocabulary of nearly 300 words in crow. The birds can plan 5 steps ahead in solving a problem. They can pass information to at least two generations of offspring. Just because someone hasn’t thought to look for inner lives in other species doesn’t mean they don’t have them.
Sorry, Father Man-Bun. I simply cannot agree.
Seriously, is there any doubt about what these two are thinking?
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Watch Your Step
I keep hoping a deer will fall in the hole and never want to come back to the garden!
It’s tough to get a decent picture of a hole: they are not particularly photogenic. I hope this picture does justice to the huge hole that Toby dug this afternoon.
More than Geordie, Toby really enjoys being a dog. He loves digging holes and playing in mud. He likes chasing birds and catching tennis balls. Geordie has always been fussy about his demeanor and appearance. I’ve often said that if life were the TV show Frasier, Geordie would be Frasier and Toby would be Eddie.
Until recently, Toby has been able to get away with being the goofy puppy. Geordie was more practiced at everything and always led. Toby could afford to slack off and be the little clown. Once he realized that the humans knew that Geordie had a problem, though, he immediately stepped up to be such a wonderful, helpful boy. He pays attention to my moods now. He is much more patient with things like being groomed. I hug him often and tell him how much I appreciate all his help, but I don’t want him to stop being my goofy little puppy yet. As life gets back to normal, I want him to keep misbehaving.
I think today was a good start.
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A Late Easter Post
What a difference from last year to this year! Last Easter brought a tiny robin’s egg to our step. This year brought 6″ of snow.
I happen to love these early morning, above freezing snows, so I wasn’t disappointed to wake up to a frosted wonderland. It is so magical to be outside in the cold, damp, fresh-smelling air. I am fortunate that my pups love this kind of weather as well. (Sorry. My battery died before I could get a better picture of the snow.)
On this morning, Toby was so excited to see the snow that he practically burst through the front door to get to it. I put him on his 50′ leash and just let him run and run as much and as fast as he wanted. Scratch that. There is no such thing as enough time in the snow to Toby. Geordie wasn’t quite as thrilled as his brother, but I was happy that he got to see another snow.
It is still hard on me knowing that this will be my little boy’s last birthday and his last snowfall. It is the natural course of events, but it is still hard. I have been trying to give him everything he could possibly want, but instead of making a happy pup, I have created a tyrant. Geordie was always strong willed, but now that he realizes that I won’t push him, he is taking advantage. Will I stop? Of course not. An obnoxious pup is a small price to pay for allowing myself to feel that I’ve done everything I can for him.
I am nowhere near finished telling stories of the times we have spent together. You can catch up on what we’ve been doing with out latest book Poopiter.
A Happy Barkday
Friday was my little man’s barkday, and what a happy pup he was!
My mom had the idea to take the boys to the store to pick out presents for them to celebrate Geordie’s birthday. The trip would be part of the present.
Geordie tells his story:
While we were good in the car, that all went out the window when we got to the store. TSC is an agricultural business that sells supplies for all sorts of animals from bunnies to dogs to horses and cows. At this time of year they also sell chicks and ducklings to farmers. We could smell all of that as soon as we got to the parking lot. Woo hoo did we pull! Mom made us pee before we went in, and Toby did a poo. Then we FLEW into the store dragging our humans behind us. First thing we did was meet a puppy black lab girl. Then we found the huge pallet of 100 lb bags of dog food. Then…then….I pooped all over the floor. Well, I was just so excited! We continued to do our best impressions of sled dogs as we tried to break all of the glass lawn decorations foolishly placed out where we could get to them. (We failed). When we got to the checkout, the cashier gave us biscuits, so I guess we weren’t too naughty.
Mommy says: I am hoping that the ears the boys got as their presents keep them quiet so I can maybe get some work done and grab something to eat. That will be MY part of the gift this year!
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To read more of Bitey and Toby’s adventures, pick up a copy of Poopiter.
Available at Amazon.
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The Flower Garden
So far, this is the bounty of our flower garden. I was fortunate to snap this picture before 6″ of snow fell on the poor little flower and bent his stem. Although the flower is intact, now it looks like he is kissing the dirt.
The flowers may not be enjoying the cold, but the puppies are going nuts for it. Oh yes, and they peed on the flower.
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A Spot on the X Ray
I am still so upset that I don’t know how to process the information yet. Real Life Bitey went to the vet today, and they found a spot on his lung. If it weren’t for an occasional cough, I would say he was in great health. He is very active and playful and everything a pup should be.
The vet had to send the X ray out to be read, so it will be several days before there is news about the spot. It could be pneumonia (they gave him antibiotics just in case) or it could be something worse.
If you have a spare prayer for us today, we would really appreciate it.
Welcome Spring!
Me: Welcome Spring!
Spring: Hello! Here, I’ve brought you a present.
Me: Gee, thanks.
Geordie & Toby: Yippee!! Yippee!!
My boys are pretty excited about this recent snow. Toby loves snow and would live outside in it if he could. Geordie is thrilled because he was supposed to go to the vet this morning, but they cancelled because the staff could not get to the office.
I have a sneaking suspicion that March was weighing her options for “In like a lion, out like a lamb” and decided that lamby meant “white and fluffy”. She is just keeping her promise to us.
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Or, learn what life was like before Toby’s arrival in A Tired Mommy Is a Good Mommy.
Available from Amazon.
The Dogs from Brazil
Talk this week was about Barbara Streisand cloning her beloved dog who had been with her for many years. I can definitely sympathize with her missing someone who had been such a large part of her life. Cloning, though, won’t bring back the little one that you miss. The new puppy will have entirely different life experiences that will shape her personality. Plus, Nature does such a great job of making puppies with incredible personalities…for free!
Like every dog mom, I love my Geordie sooo much that I wish he could be with me always. If I had made a duplicate Geordie, though, I never would have met the funny little goofball, Toby. Even if I had money for cloning, I think I like meeting an entirely new someone when I adopt.
After all, it is possible to strike gold twice!
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The Nor’easter
I took my chances late one day
And went into the world.
The wind was blowing forcefully
And all the flags unfurled.
I aimed my pee stream carefully
But was the one that fell.
Was it the Nor’easter too strong
Or only I too small?
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What a storm this week! Although we’ve had colder temps during the Winter, this particular storm brought a bitterness that made it truly miserable.
I am sorry to say that poor Bitey did get tipped by the wind while we were outside. Terriers are built pretty much like cinder blocks – short, stocky and heavy – so I was surprised that they could be blown about.
Perhaps that is why they get so nervous when I watch The Wizard of Oz.
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To learn why Geordie hates March, read A Tired Mommy Is a Good Mommy!
Available at Amazon.
The Adventures of Bitey Dog 