Sunday, 15 May 2005 - Canine communications

Dear God:

Today, I am thankful for canine communications.

T, our chocolate Labrador retriever, uses gestures and actions to tell us what he wants. Here are some typical communications.

1. "I want to go out." Stand very still and point my nose at the sliding glass door.
"I want to come in." Ditto

(Comment: This gesture works perfectly when S and I are in the family room or kitchen and can see T standing like a statue at the back door. But, when we're upstairs or in the basement, we don't have a clue. We've asked T to bark if we don't react to his request after several minutes.)

2. "We've been hiking a while and now I'm thirsty." Turn head and give Mom or Dad the "look" with my big brown/gold eyes.

(Comment: Works every time although sometimes he just wants water poured over his head and neck. I don't want T to dehydrate so I carry a bottle of water just for him. When the three of us hike in the mountains, we prefer trails with nearby streams or creeks so T can cool off frequently.)

3. "Where's the beef?" When food bowl is empty, drop a toy in the bowl and stare at it until Mom or Dad gets the hint and adds a scoop of kibbles. If this doesn't work, pretend to eat. Make sure metal ID tags repeatedly hit steel food bowl.

(Comment: These actions don't signal that T is hungry - he just likes having food in his bowl.)

4. "Just because I'm a Labrador retriever doesn't mean I like to play endless fetch." After Mom tosses the toy for the third or fourth time, go over to the toy and mark it. This will disgust Mom and stop the boring fetch game.

(Comment: T is a one-fetch wonder who prefers to play keep away. Last week, he fetched his duck three times for me. I guess three was his quota. After I threw the toy across the yard for the fourth time, T walked over to the duck and marked it. Yes, I got the message about "no more fetch" and was disgusted by T's action. Note that all of T's toys got a bath that day!)

For this blessing, I am grateful.

Amen.