About Me

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Hello, my name is Beowulf. My human named me for the epic warrior because she loves the tale, as well as mead. My sister(Ursula) and I love the delectable treats she bakes, as well as our homemade meals! We are likely two of the most spoiled and well-fed dogs around, so if you need any tips, tricks, or recipes for dog fabulousness you are in the right place! You ask, I answer. And just so we are perfectly clear, I will not "candy-coat" anything!

April 18, 2015

Are You Friendly?

   Have you ever noticed any humans asking if you and your dogs are "friendly"? Apparently, there is not one common meaning for this term. In our world, friendly means calm, cool, and collected, able to function out in society without aggression. Being friendly means we can all get along, it doesn't mean we have to "like" eachother on Facebook or anything! Over the course of my 11+ years of socializing(parks, beaches, campgrounds, trails, etc.) I have heard that question of "friendliness" about a million times, and half of the people asking have UNfriendly dogs! Is this a paradox? Is this some sort of reverse psychology greeting? It is definitely very confusing! I am bringing it up today because it just happened again, at the beach this morning.
   Stranger(from a distance): "Are your dogs friendly?"
   My human: "Yes."
   Stranger(as he approaches with his dog off-lead): "My dog doesn't like other dogs." He states this while eyeballing me as I engage in sniff-butts with his dog.
   My human: "So keep walking." She does a shooshing thing with her hand to make sure the stranger understands, because they don't really speak the same language.
   So the stranger walks on, and we continue playing in the ocean at the spot where we had parked our stuff. I never wander far from my human because we are always occupied with swimming, retrieving, etc., so she doesn't need to yell to people from a distance. She also never asks if another dog is friendly because if they are running loose, off-lead, it is assumed that they are. That statement brings me right back to the issue at hand, assuming that all dogs and their humans are "friendly" in the way we think of the term! In response to this confusing state of dog affairs, I have a few tips on etiquette for both friendly and not-so-friendly people and their dogs:
     A. If your dog "does not like other dogs", do not take it to dog-friendly places!
     B. If your dog is not friendly, keep it on a leash in public, possibly muzzle him/her.
     C. If your dog does not stay close to you at all times when off-leash(running up to other dogs or
          people is actually called "charging" and is illegal.), and you must yell to it or approaching
          people/dogs from a distance, then your dog needs to be on a leash.
     D. If you and your dog are friendly, beware of those who are asking.
     E. If someone tells you that their unrestrained dog is not friendly, tell them to put the leash
         on or face a fine.
     F. If a strange dog charges you and yours, while the owner is miles away, be sure to educate that
         person about "charging" and how it is not O.K.! (If their dog starts a fight, who is going to
         break it up? Who is going to get injured?)
   In conclusion, whether you and your dogs are "friendly" or not isn't relevant. What is important is that everyone respects other people and their rights to play in public spaces! If you want to take your unfriendly pup to the beach, great! Just know that you are in public, and that a majority of the others there are friendly so you cannot expect everyone else to worry about you! Keep that pup on a leash until he/she learns some manners!



                                                                  Happy Tails!!!

April 13, 2015

Beowulf the Dragonslayer

    Oh happy Springtime! All the crazy critters are out, just waiting for me to chase them! I especially love my Grandparent's yard because it is not fenced-in, and all kinds of animals come up from the canal. Turtles, ducks, iguanas, and such creep into the yard all the time, while the typical backyard fauna(small lizards, birds, squirrels, oppossum, etc.) try to play "keep-away" from me. My human let's me chase all I want, but I am not allowed to kill anything. She feeds me plenty of raw meat, so it's not like I am hunting for food, anyway. Her favorite saying is "You have to eat what you kill!", and lizard just doesn't appeal to me. So I just enjoy the play-hunt, and when I do actually catch something(I am a highly skilled stalker, after all!), I make sure my human saw the feat then drop it. All but the oppossum(who is playing "possum") shake it off and run away. Occasionally someone leaves a tail behind(lizards), and I have been caught with a mouthful of feathers. But when my humans says, "Stop!", I freeze. (As long as I am in hearing range, hehe.) There was that one time on a trail with the fox...I was long-gone before she could even open her mouth! Of course those super-fast red-heads are like lightning, so I didn't catch it. Then I ran to tell my human all about it, and she praised me for coming back. She couldn't be mad at me for not listening because I never heard her!      
    So my advice to all the humans out there whose awesome animal companions are ready to hunt down the wild beasts just to prove their worthiness? Please remember that we are animals, too, and hunting IS our first instinct! Good training is very important, but if you don't keep an eye out, we may be out-of-sight before you can shout the command! Then, if you punish us upon our return, that only teaches us not to return. We will hardly want to come back if we think we will be reprimanded. If there are wild animals coming into your yard which you want to protect(And hopefully you do!), just go out before your buddies and scare them off. A good hose-down ought to do it!

                                                           Happy Tails To You!