My Friendly Pets

Some of you might have seen the entry where I talked about the expression,”dog days of summer”. I discussed how it originated and what it truly meant. Well there are many other cliches and terms we use with the word “dog” in it and we use these sayings to describe a variety of life situations.

The term “top dog” usually means to us that the person is considered the highest person or leader of the group, whatever that group might be. But why do we use it? Well, dogs are basically pack animals and “top dog” infers that there is a particular dog that is regarded as the leader. So if a person is called the “top dog”, they are distinuished and recognized as the leader or one who possesses leadership characteristics.

We have all either heard or used the expression, “sick as a dog”. To us as humans, it means that are way past not feeling well and usually means that we were throwing up or laid up ill for a long period of time. The saying originates from times gone by when people were bitten by a dog that had contracted rabies. The dog was actually very sick by that time, so they were “sick as a dog.”

One of the expressions that I had heard only a few times was that it was a “three dog night” This saying came from the fact that years ago people used to sleep with their animals to keep warm and if it was an especially cold night, there would be a need for three dogs to share the sleeping quarters with the person just so they could keep warm. So it was a “three dog night”. Clever, right??!!

Finally, how about the saying, “barking up the wrong tree”? We usually say that to someone when they are looking for a clue or answer and they are totally off the topic. The saying oringinated from an old hunter’s phrase that meant that the dog had picked up the wrong scent while it was hunting for its prey. When the dog stopped to bark at something in the tree, it probably wasn’t the oringinal prey the hunter was tracking.

It is clear to see how easily these terms become part of our language. We have incorporated dogs in most all aspects of our human lives, so putting their behaviors into terms that discuss aspects of our lives seems perfectly natural. Next time you hear a phrase, saying or cliche that uses the word dogs, think of the literal meaning and then how that phrase has become commonplace in our venacular. It is an amazing thing!!!

For those of us who can’t get enough info, stories, stats and other things about dogs, it will be interesting for you to know that there is a great deal of folklore, both British and American about dogs, specifically about black dogs and ghost dogs. One of the most interesting sets of Southern American folklore about dogs can be found at: www.blairpub.com/folklore/ghostdogssouth.htm . I’ll put this in my blog roll, but below is information from the site. The stories are extremely good and I’d recommend the reading for some good dog entertainment. They would perfect going into the Fall when we’ll all be inspired by Halloween and the tales of ghosts and goblins!!!! Enjoy!!!!

“Award-winning husband-and-wife folklorists Randy Russell and Janet Barnett have gone to the dogs. Digging deeply through the rich field of Southern folklore, the authors have discovered that a dog’s devotion to its human does not always end at the grave.

Dogs can be as peculiar as people. Their relationship with humans is complex. In story after story from Southern homes, there is strong evidence that this relationship can extend beyond death.

Do dogs return from the other side to comfort and aid their human companions? You bet your buried bones they do.

In Ghost Dogs of the South, you’ll meet the following:

–A stray dog that warns Kentucky coal miners of impending disaster

–A literary critic of a dog with the gift of speech

–A dog-snatching mermaid on the Mississippi River

–A Tennessee dog that returns year after year to go trick-or-treating

–A pair of Georgia hounds that stumble upon an enchanted woods

–A girl whose pain is eased by the ghost of a butterfly dog

Dog ghosts (dogs that have become ghosts), ghost dogs (humans who return as ghosts in the shape of dogs), dogs that see ghosts, dogs that are afraid of ghosts–all make an appearance in these twenty stories that illuminate the shadow side of man’s best friend.

about the authors
Randy Russell and Janet Barnett previously collaborated on Mountain Ghost Stories and Curious Tales of Western North Carolina and The Granny Curse and Other Ghosts and Legends from East Tennessee. They live on a shaggy dog-dug acre of yard outside Asheville, North Carolina.”

Dogs have been prominent fixtures in human lives for hundreds and thousands of years. Even Greek mythology gives recognition to the wonderful creature as a guard and hunter for Orion, a Greek mythological character.

The two dog constellations that are part of the 88 constellations of our galaxy are known as Canis Major, as seen above and Canis Minor. Canis Major, is said to be a large hunting dog that accompanies Orion on his hunts and can be seen hunting a rabbit or perhaps helping Orion battle a great bull. The brightest star of this constellation is called Sirius, also known as the dog star.

The other dog constellation is called Canis Minor and is smaller and made up of only two primary stars. Canis Minor represents the second and much smaller dog of Orion. The constellation is known for one of its two stars, Procyon, which is the 8th brightest in the galaxy.

Even the myths of the ancient Greeks consisted of dogs and their roles in society at the time. It is evident to see how dogs have grown through our culture to be one of our most endearing friends and loyal companions.

Do you talk to your dogs? I find myself walking around the house saying things like “Hey Teddy-Weddy… Whatcha doin Holly-Wolly” and “Hey my pretty babies, what did you do today?” Of course, they have no idea what I’m talking about, but they sure do get riled up when I talk to them. They may not know what I’m saying, but they definitely know I’m talking to them. My husband laughs at me, but I catch him doing it too. The dogs also try to “talk” back to me. Teddy whines and barks at me until I pick him up, and Remy makes the growling sound when he wants to play. Holly isn’t very vocal, but she finds her own little ways of getting my attention, like licking me in the face until I rub her belly. There are certain words that they know as well. For example, they know “go” means we’re getting in the car. They really go nuts when they hear “go” because it means a car ride! Another one is “pee-pee.” All I have to do is say “Gotta pee-pee,” and they’re all three standing at the door barking and wimpering with excitement.

dogs, pets, animals, communication, canine, barking, whining

My father-in-law recently adopted a dog from a shelter, which he definitely gets kudos for doing. She’s a mutt, plain and simple, but as sweet as can be. She’s a medium sized dog, with a playful and pleasant demeanor. I think she’s some type of Labrador mix, but who knows really. You would expect her to have a girly name like Gracie, or Daisy, or something along those lines. However, my father-in-law, being the strange old man that he is, decided that the perfect name for her would be “Bob the Dog.� Yes, that’s her name, not just plain old Bob, but “Bob the Dog.� Aside from the fact that Bob is definitely a male name and she’s definitely female, what exactly is the point in adding ‘the dog’ to the end of her name? Hmmm… what if I introduced myself as ‘marlena the person’, wouldn’t that sound stupid? I tried arguing my point to him, but he wouldn’t budge, and insisted that we call her “Bob the Dog.� Poor dog, she has been cursed with the most dreadful dog name ever.

I’m sure there are many more stupid dog names out there. What’s the worst name for a dog you’ve ever heard?

dogs, pets, animals, names, dog names, mutts, humor, stupid

Everyday when I come home from work, my three dogs bombard me and wrestle each other for my affection. The same craze happens at night when it’s time for bed. Holly and Remy both want to sleep on my pillows, nearly on top of my head. I have to shuffle them around just to get myself comfortable! Teddy likes to snuggle by my side, but if Remy and Holly get too close, he gets irritated and jumps down, only to wake me at three in the morning by barking until I pick him up. Our bed is tall, and he’s old and has trouble jumping. There are times when they all three play together, peacefully, but this is usually not the case. For some reason, they all seem to want the same toy. We have a zillion toys for them to choose from, so it baffles me as to why they all three want the same one! This is when the romping begins, and they chase each other around the house swiping doggie bones and chew toys from each other. I suppose it’s just what dogs do, but it reminds me of sibling rivalry.

dogs, pets, animals, puppies, small breeds, toy breeds, behavior

This is Holly, my four-year old Toy Poodle. She weighs less than seven pounds, but she thinks she’s a German Shepherd. I find it quite amusing that some little dogs are so unaware of their own size. Take Holly for example, her favorite thing to do is sit in our huge living room window and bark at anything and everything that passes by. Dogs, cars, or people - it doesn’t really matter to her. I think she assumes that the entire neighborhood is her territory. The funny thing is, when we go downstairs for walks, she’s happy to greet people and loves the attention. But, for some reason, when she’s upstairs, in the window, she turns into a guard dog. Quite the quirky one!

Holly at her perch

dogs, pets, animals, toy poodle, canine behavior, funny dogs, small breeds

I recently brought home a new little baby named Remy. He’s a Bichon Frise (pronounced Bee-shon Free-Zay), and was seven weeks old when we got him. He’s twelve weeks old now, and weighs about four pounds. I have to say he is the best puppy I have ever had to train. We live in a condo, without a yard, so I immediately started taking him outside on the leash. He resisted a little, but after about five minutes we were walking around the building with ease. I was amazed. It took me several months to finally get my older dogs used to a leash. Holly, my four-year old poodle, flopped around like a fish and then sat down and refused to move at all. It took tons of effort on my part to finally get her going. He’s already fetching and knows what “sit� means. This could possibly be the best dog ever.

Remy also loves people, as well as other animals. He absolutely doesn’t meet a stranger. He’s very friendly and outgoing. Just the other day, we were walking, and we came across an elderly neighbor. I see her out walking often, but she usually seems somewhat oblivious to my presence, and I assumed she probably can’t hear and/or see very well. On this day, Remy decided to go over and say hello, so I let him. Pleasantly, her face lit up as he approached her; she bent down to pet him and he showered her with kisses. She cuddled and played with him for a few minutes, and then we both went our separate ways, her with a big smile, and me with an idea in my head.

It occurred to me that Remy might be perfect for Pet Therapy. Therapy dogs are allowed into places such as nursing homes and hospitals to visit with patients and hopefully brighten their day. For a dog to become a therapy dog, they must first pass the Canine Good Citizenship Test. I’m still looking into this idea, and I don’t exactly have all the information I need as of yet. I’ll keep posting about Remy’s progress, and Therapy Dogs.

Do you know any ‘Therapy Dogs’?

dogs, pets, animals, bichon frise, puppies, therapy dogs, pet therapy, cgc test

When I was born, my family owned a sheltie mix named Button. He was already a member of the family when I came along. My brother and I basically grew up with him. I giggle when I look at the pictures of my first Easter; I was only about six months old, and there’s Button in the pictures with us trying to get into my Easter basket. I can remember chasing him around the yard as a child, feeding him ice cream, and I absolutely loved playing with his ears. They were kind of floppy and I thought it was fun to gently wrap them around my fingers. He would lick my face and sit there with his mouth slightly open like he was smiling at me. I was thirteen when he died, and still laugh when I think of him smiling at me.

I always loved dogs as a child, I suppose most kids do, but I wanted to have a house full of them. To me, dogs seemed so wise and gentle, like an old friend who’s always around when you need them. My favorite movie was All Dogs go to Heaven; which, I still believe that they do! Several years after Button was gone, my Aunt got a Maltese named Tiny, and so my love for small dogs began. I love dogs of all sizes, but there was just something about that little white, ball of fur that really stole my heart. I absolutely adored her, and I couldn’t wait to get a dog of my own.
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