Not all humans are dog lovers.  Some are actually afraid of dogs!

My mom is not a dog lover.  I do not think she hates me, only that she doesn’t care about me.  She is not mean to me, but she does not pet me much either.  She would sometimes rub my ears, or my back, but she never lets me kiss her  or put my mouth anywhere near her.  When she is feeling extra benevolent, she might let me lick her feet.  “Alis ka dyan!“, which is Filipino for “go away” are her favorite words for me.

She said it would have been better if they had gotten a pig instead.  According to her, pigs are cleaner, smarter and they grow up to 500 pounds and become something lofty called Bacon.  If I were a pig she would probably cuddle with me more, kiss me more and not push me away as much.

Why do puppies love the humans who love them least?  When my mom and dad are sitting apart, I usually want to sit with my mom.  And I don’t just sit with her.  I try to make it a point to have as much skin to skin contact as I can, at which point she will push me away.  I then just lie underneath her table so I could at least smell her feet.

When my dad and mom are kung-fu fighting, it would be her that I defend.

I follow her around like a love-sick puppy.  Ouch! I AM a LOVE-SICK PUPPY!

Life Lesson:  If you’re not Bacon, you will never be Bacon, and it would just hurt to try.   You can, however, be the Best Meatball!  And believe that that is just as good, or even better.

AND

Do not forget to show appreciation for the one who DOES love you.

Wow! What a day! I was going to call this post “visiting Old friends”, not that these are friends I have known for a long time. Well grandma and grandpa are if you consider a month out of a three and a half months of life is “old friends”. More like these are friends who, …well are old.  Anyway, Mom, (the sweet one) and Dad, the crazy, (Uh, lets be nice and shall we say, the passionate), one? loaded me/bribed me into the car and off we went. When we finally get out we are at this really nice resort sort of place and they tell me to go say hello to Uncle George. Who? then they explain that Uncle George is like 94, uh that is 658 in dog years. he’s very nice and glad to see me. So we’re sitting with him and  his pack, a couple of other old guys and a woman, thogther they must be about 3,000 dog years old. So I sit on comand, sniff around, play cute with them and we’re all happy. Sorry, but somehow Uncle George got cut out of the picture, I guess he wanted to remain incognito, is part of the witness protection program, or was a victim of editing.

So after that we head to Auto Tourismo Sport to meet Steve, Dave , and Dennis. they work on all sorts of exotic cars, lambo’s, Ferrari’s, Alfa’s and Maserati’s..all the cars with really nice chewable leather. I would love some of that Italian food! However I never get the chance to sneak off into one of the cars, sigh.

Then, you’d think my day was done and I could go home, but noooo.  Up to grandma and grandpa’s house. Boy, if they would leave me alone there for a day or so. I would really love to play with a lot of things there! It is just SO neat, it needs some “lived in” look, the kind a dog could bring, a little fur here, some scent there, maybe chew off some of the hard edges….boy that couch looks comfy!

Sigh, finally it back into the car for a long ride home. It’s been a good day. I met a bunch of new people, got lots of treats, visited foreign lands, more treats. made the old guys smile, got my belly rubbed all over the place. Yup, it’s been good!

Life Lesson: Make time for the old guys. They have seen a lot, know a lot and still want to be a lot. Plus it makes them happy to give you treats and rub your belly.

old guys and me

  Taking orders is never fun.

A nine year old girl came to visit me one day.  She smelled nice and she gave my ears and belly a good rub.  We were having so much fun until she started telling me to sit.

I may never understand why humans automatically assume they have right of command.  I thought to myself “you might have 10, maybe even 20 lbs on me little girl, but I can still take you down!”  And it is not even something that will further my career as a monster dog.  Sit?!!  I already know how to sit.  She just wanted me to sit at her command, making it all the more offensive.  Paw? Roll over? Tricks without purpose!

Didn’t she know who I am?  I am Madigans The Great Barrington! Destined to be Great! Powerful! Ferocious!  A Lion of the Dog Kingdom!  I do not take orders from Anyone!  I AM FIERCE!  I AM WILD!  I AM FREE!!!

There’s no central air in the wild?  Whatever, I’ll keep to the shade and the grass.  I can’t take Mr. Bear, or Yellow Dog?  I have a Charming Personality, I can make new friends.

There are NO MEALS EVERY 6 HOURS??!  NO LIFESOURCE BITS??!

Hmmmmmm.  How would you like me to sit again?

Life Lesson:  You can probably do anything.  Be anything.  Go anywhere.  But what you really do, or where you actually go, or what you eventually become, is dependent on how ready you are to leave your comfort zone, and give up your comfort things.

Hi, I guess most of you know that the common wisdom amongst people is that I should be in a crate, (jail) during the night, whenever the people leave the house, and in general whenever they feel like I need to be. They say it’s sumthin’ about proper training and not pooping inside or eating all of the furniture, shoes, remotes, and anything else they are careless enough to leave lying around or too lazy to clean up. Maybe my job is to be the “clean up enforcer!”

Anyway, I have been very good. It took me only a week or so to figure out that if I pee and poop outside I get a cookie, ..inside, uh well they aren’t so happy and giving with the treats. Hey even at 2:30 or 4:30 in the morning the guy gives me cookies! that lady.. she won’t get up for anything!

Well, it seems to have worked . I have given them the sad look and now I have a two story couple of thousand square foot “crate” Yeah, thats right, they gave me the run of the place! A virtual “get out of jail free card”, well almost. There seem to be some secret rooms I don’t have access to….yet. My favorite place is upstairs in the bathroom, nice cool tile floor, a shower stall that is well protected..kinda’ my own secluded hiding spot. I’ll admit it took me three weeks to learn to navigate the stairs, but once I learned to get past those obstacles they tried to set up, (cake) I was invincible! ok, ok it took me a little longer to learn how to come down, but now it’s noooo problem.

Life Lesson: Start of small and if you play your cards right sooner or later you will have the Big House!

back in the old days...a couple of weeks ago

So, I went to the Vet yesterday, she’s a really nice woman, oh and her assistant too, (they have treats!). I got shots…didn’t even notice, clipped my nails…eh, big deal. I now weigh 36 pounds. Yep, I gained almost 20lbs. of pure Massive Mastiff Muscle in the last 4 weeks!  I’m bad! ..So,  I Barked at the door stop and I barked at the plants…I think I scared them. That’s right “Meatball the terrible”, that’s me.   Then on the way out there was another guy like me! Four legs, long nose, big teeth, tail, check…yeah, he’s kinda’ like me but a little bit bigger, (for now anyway!, HA!). But then he wanted to come near me, aaaaaahhhh, run away! I don’t want some stranger smelling my naughty bits! So of course, then I barked crazy at him, HA!,…I think I scared him.

Life Lesson:  So, even when you think you’re big, there is somebody bigger. My advice is to stay out of range and bark crazy at them.