Meeting Roxie At Last

Blogging Friends.... "Marley & Me" author John Grogan has a bit of advice for aspiring writers. Which is this. Write every day, even when it seems impossible. Great advice!! So that is what I, a "published" writer, has attempted to do. Well. Some days I "play hooky" on account of watching my two-year old niece, "Amethyst"!! Write every day, even when it seems impossible. Thanks, John Grogan!! And, while following this advice, I have been seemingly writing more stories about Rose!! Score!! Love you later.

Rose has wanted to meet Roxie so badly, silently whining, her big brown eyes looking longingly across the street, floppy ears perked, and forehead furrowed toward our neighbors Gary and Pat's curly "blond"-furred, pink-nosed Labrador Retriever/Chesapeake Bay Retriever cross. However. For a while, my super protective instincts took complete command over whether or not I wanted Rose and Roxie to meet. I mean come on. I do not know Roxie. She's so huge in comparison to Rose!! Is Roxie friendly? Or aggressive toward other canines? Is she territorial? Truth be told? At first, whenever I spied Roxie outside--off leash--I'd wait to walk Rose until Gary finished his gardening chores and she was brought back in. Because. When canines are not linked to their leashes, it makes me nervous!! What if the loose dog charges? I know, I know. I have since mellowed down a bit with Roxie, because she is obedient while off-leash and seldom ever wanders!! So during such moments of whining, ear-perking, forehead wrinkling longing when I walk Rose, I usually gently encourage her to "keep walking". I also distract my little girl. Yes, I take complete advantage of Rose's attention deficit disorder!! I lead her to bushes. I gently pull Rose along. I act nonchalant. Anything. Eventually, based on observation, I came to recognize Roxie as sweet-natured and calm. "She wouldn't hurt a fly", as that phrase goes. But Rose still hadn't met Roxie. Not yet. It was actually my Beagle-owning, canine-loving next door neighbor who encouraged that I walk Rose across the street to meet Roxie. She somehow sensed my nervous anticipation. Was it that obvious? The following day, Rose was granted a chance to meet Roxie!! At last!! Gary had been pushing his green-colored battery-operated lawnmower through the front yard. Roxie, as per usual, happily accompanied him. Gary's friendly, cheerful, talkative wife, Pat, was also outside. My youngest brother--Uncle Michael to Rose--had been walking with me that Sunday afternoon. We did it. We crossed the street over to where Gary and Pat reside, so Rose could meet Roxie!! This absolutely thrilled my crazy, excitable little girl. Before we even stepped foot onto Gary and Pat's driveway, she let out some high-pitched bays!! Her happy sound. I love, love, love it!! Apparently Roxie--who's aging and a bit white around her muzzle--is in the process of going blind. Thus, Rose's ear-piercing baying initially startled poor Roxie. I could almost read Roxie's thoughts. Who is that youngin.... And why does she have to be so darn loud?! Kids these days. Nonetheless. Within seconds, Roxie was greeting her new friend, with crotch sniffs!! And visa versa!! However. As I chat with Pat, Roxie kept walking away from Rose. She fetched pinecones.... Then ingested them. Roxie walked toward her outside water bowl for several drinks. She wandered freely onto Gary's newly mowed grass. It was as though Roxie had attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and couldn't stand still!! Not bad for an "old lady"!! Poor Rose seemingly couldn't understand why her new friend wouldn't stay by our side. And more importantly. Rose seemingly could not understand--or remember--that her purple harness was securely linked to a red leash. If I set Rose free? She would not only frolic around with Roxie--no leash attached--as canines should. But she might also run away without a trace. Rose is, after all, part Beagle!! I am not being overprotective this time. Just responsible!! While still chatting with Pat--and eventually a much more quiet Gary--I stretched my long right arm to allow Rose a little freedom with Roxie. I kept saying this. "We're connected!!" To quote Tony Stark from "Iron Man 3"!! Or Harley, depending on your perspective, as they both say it!! Eventually, we were all chatted out, the sun was shining hotter and hotter and hotter, plus I was insane enough to be wearing black jeans rather than blue shorts. So. I said my final good-byes to Pat--and Gary!!--as quite often once we begin that process, either she or I keep chatting away. Then {With some encouraging!!} Roxie walked back toward where Rose had been sitting and they said their goodbyes.... With crotch sniffs, of course!!           

Playing With Zeke

Rose is my "Social Butterfly". She loves everybody!! Man or beast matters little to my mongrel!! In Rose's mind, everyone is here for three reasons: Like her. Bring the treats. And lavish attention upon her!! Well!! She would be correct about that!! Rose is very, very, very cherished by me!! Our next door neighbors own two canines. Venus, an old, stiff-moving "blond"-furred purebred with white around her face. She's cantankerous too. Apparently Venus dislikes other female dogs, so this aging girl is aggressive toward them. As a protective Mama, Venus frightens me. But Rose is submissive, so she allows Venus to boss her through the wooden fence which divide our yards!! Then, there is Zeke. He's an absolute sweetheart and would never hurt a fly!! Beautifully unique, too!! That's right. Zeke is a black and white Border Collie/St. Bernard cross. He was the first canine to display "neighborly" love toward Rose!! With his lengthy tongue, Zeke slobbered kisses all over her face!! It was so sweet.... Rose sometimes searches for Zeke. She balances upon her hind legs to peek over the fence. But only if nobody is back there!! Because of Venus, Rose seldom ever greets Zeke. But on Saturday morning, cranky old Venus was temporarily absent!! So Rose seized the moment!! She playfully pranced up toward Zeke. Then, being the tease that she is, Rose ran a full-speed half-circle around our backyard!! Then back to Zeke. A full-speed half-circle. Back to Zeke. A full-speed half-circle. Back to Zeke!! This is, evidently, how Rose interacts with her own kind when fences are involved!! It was as if she were attempting to lead Zeke in a merry chase through our backyard!! Come, on, buddy!! What are you waiting for? And if the fence had somehow magically disappeared that day, Rose and Zeke would have been chasing each other with abandon....

Four-legged Neighbors

Residing along our cul-de-sac are seven canines, excluding Rose. Zeke, Venus, Puffy, Sammy, Nero, Ariel, and Brandy. Behind our house lives Sophie, who I affectionately count as canine number eight. Among all of these four-legged neighbors, Rose has become acquainted with literally half!! Sammy, Zeke, Puffy, and Sophie!! We have yet to meet the happy-go-lucky, tail-wagging barking Nero, or his massive-sized "sister", Ariel. Perhaps someday.... Our encounter with the tiny ebony-colored yapping Brandy was proven unsuccessful!! Her owners were walking. It was around 10PM, from the opposite end of our cul-de-sac. We were walking as well. Our paths crossed. Rose, eager as ever to meet this creature, bellowed her high-pitched bay. Unfortunately for us, the mini black Brandy is a "scaredy-cat", so she swiftly scurried away from my howling hound!! Oops. Her masters seem amicable, at least!! Then you have Venus. She acts aggressive toward all canines, minus Zeke!! One of Rose's many little buddies is Sammy. According to Sammy's owner she's a Miniature Schnauzer. But there seems something different about this girl.... Sammy's fur is curly, and Schnauzers possess wiry coats. Plus Sammy's ears stand erect, far from a Schnauzer's typical floppy hearing organ!! Rose's first meet with this unique-looking "Schnauzer" began with an escape on Sammy's behalf. While we were walking, her owner had opened the front door and.... Out ran Sammy!! This surprised me, but he was aware of her fleeing!! Rose and Sammy exchanged some sniffs.... Quickly they became buddies!! Sammy wore no collar, so he had to pick his canine up. But she seldom ever wanders far!! Rose has visited with Sammy twice during the "Schnauzer's" walk, although mostly they greet each other when Sammy escapes!! (On more than one occasion, Rose and I have needed to "herd" Sammy home!!) Either way, each chance she gets, Rose loves seeing her!! Sammy seemingly adores my mongrel.... The other afternoon, I was walking Rose, when suddenly, there was a loud, frantic "No!!" We were just past Sammy's house. I turned around, as did my girl, to witness Sammy!! Immediately, I was on "herding" alert again. "Come on, Sammy, let's take you home." I coaxed, calmly. All she wanted was Rose.... The "Schnauzer" caught whiff of my dog's scent and darted toward her!! How I love the fact that Rose is friends with half of our "neighborhood" canines!!

Racing Sophie

A dog desperately needs early introductions to his own species!! She reaps benefits aplenty, as do his owners, too!! Socialization fosters positive temperaments, and evades unwanted behavioral problems!! Having never raised any puppies, I've no clue how this works. But based upon research, from the moment a newborn canine enters our fast-paced world, through six weeks old, she begins to glean social skills. A puppy that is sold away too soon will develop problems regarding interaction with his own kind once mature!! Fascinating.... I am friends with this neighbor, Deborah, who resides behind us. She is a kindly, white-haired, experienced dog lover. I have truly enjoyed our conversations, plus her insights about canines!! Deborah owns this sweet, female grey-furred miniature Schnauzer, named Sophie. Sophie loves Rose, and enjoys rousing my mongrel into play through the cyclone fence which divides our backyards. Usually, however, Rose is occupied by snooping around, squirrel chasing, or exploring!! She will refuse to engage!! Until one Saturday.... While Sophie encouraged play Rose must have been in a mood of participation!! Because she decided to race Sophie up and down that fence!! This play began when our two dogs greeted each other by touching black noses.... Then the race was on!! Up. Down. Up. Down. Back and forth!! There was periodic joyful baying from my Beagle mix's vocal chords, elated yapping from Deborah's purebred's mouth....Then, as if Rose could somehow will that cyclone fence to magically vanish, so she can run free with Sophie, Rose circled our backyard with "Italian Greyhound" velocity!! But, in the blink of an eye, Rose returned. And resumed their race!! Socialize your puppy. Drive her to places where people, noises, canines, and strange smells exist. Organize "play dates". For people who decline to do so may miss out on wonderful moments such as Rose racing Sophie.

Puppy Love

~Happy Valentine's Day, Readers!!~

When dog owners walk their canines every day, they meet some interesting and diverse individuals. Like a friendly bleached-blond haired homeless guy. Or an Arabic man whose beautiful skin tone is dark as the midnight heavens. You converse with these encounters, or sometimes pass along nothing but a smile. But when our exercise routines occur daily at the same time and location, opportunity presents itself frequently for those casual greetings with such unique people!! We have this neighbor, Gary, who walks a fawn-colored male Pug named Puffy. As characteristic to the toy dog, he is short, loose skinned, and has that scrunched-up black nose. I had for several years known of this duo, but until we adopted Rose, our paths never crossed. Once my super social mongrel saw Puffy, her brow furrowed, she grew excitable, her tail curled.... And she let out that eardrum-piercing "Beagle" howl!! Rose was new to me at the time; We were still in our adjustment period; Thus I had yet to correctly solve her baying!! So I asked Gary if Rose could meet Puffy. He said yes, we crossed our cul-de-sac and while the two dogs sniffed each other's private parts, I proudly introduced my canine. Thereafter, I secretly joked that Puffy is Rose's "boyfriend", because he was the only dog she ever howled for.... But then, the Pug happened to be our first canine encounter!! I would teasingly express: "She loves Puffy!!" "I bay for you".... Nearly every night, before ten, we met Gary and the Pug. Especially on Tuesdays. They would enter from the opposite side of our cul-de-sac and as I crossed, Puffy freely followed suit. Gary walked him on a retractable leash, which enables wanderlust. Our dogs both anticipated these meetings!! Puffy has not been neutered, so swiftly it became obvious to me that he was "flirting" with my mongrel!! In their case this seemed completely harmless, because Rose is spayed!! And what canine wouldn't "flirt"? She is this beauteous Beagle/German Shepherd/Italian Greyhound mix, with attractive slender legs, a cute face, plus floppy ears!! It was too much fun to watch them engage in dog greeting--Rose and Puffy sometimes played during these times, as well--I did not mind one bit that he probably lusted my canine!! Then, an unfortunate experience occurred. Darkness had befallen our skies. We were meeting and greeting, as usual. Until Puffy walked in circles around Rose. The black thin rope-like extension of his retractable leash inevitably tied up my mongrel's hind leg, trapping her!! It was 10:00 PM, dark, and most of Rose's fur color matches Puffy's retractable leash extension, so I did not even notice what had happened.... But Gary saw. By then, my dog appeared frightened, attempting to escape this trap, while Gary gingerly released her. What a traumatic experience that was for poor Rose--now whenever Puffy circles, she grows visibly nervous--yet my resilient girl still excitably anticipates seeing him!!

Welcome, Neighbor!!

Rose was the new dog in town. A stranger. An outsider. And as naturally with canines that don't take kindly to change, she was not welcome here. Everywhere I walked her, we were barked, yapped or howled at!! By neighborhood dogs!! So much for fitting in.... There is one "blond" furred purebred named Venus who resides next door. She seems territorial, aggressive toward canines, dominant. Allowing dogs to enter her world has never been a priority with Venus!! Fortunately for Rose, this wooden fence divides our backyards. When facing canines, Venus will growl, bark and lunge at that fence!! Yet Venus shares her world with this sweetheart of a St. Bernard/Border Collie mix called Zeke. Rose cares little about Venus' behavior!! She will inch forward and nearly touch noses with Venus.... Until the fluffy yellow purebred demands: Back off!! Then Rose playfully runs away.... Only to teasingly inch forward again!! What a comical game Rose plays!! Meanwhile, Zeke desired more than anything to meet this newcomer. Yet each opportunity he had was thwarted by Venus!! One afternoon, Venus appeared absent. Rose was exploring her backyard, sniffing scents behind our shed, when bounding toward us came the large-sized black and white haired Zeke!! Part of that wooden fence which divides our backyards is slightly broken down, so both mixed breeds were allowed to balance upon their hind legs!! Then Zeke did something special: His lengthy, saliva-drenched tongue kissed Rose's face--cheeks, ears, nose--and my mongrel willingly accepted, her eyes closed in blissful contentment. What a fine welcome!!