Sweet Dreams

I was having a nice nap when DixieLee kicked me.  I work up quick, scared that the house was being attacked. I should be used to being kicked awake by her since it happens lots.

When she dreams she is running in her dreams her feet move like she is really running. If I am sleeping too near her, I get kicked. She kicks Mom or Dad too but they don’t jump up thinking the house is being attacked. Good thing I am on guard duty all the time cuz we would be in big trouble if I left it up to them to keep us safe.

Some peoples think that dog peoples, like the ones who read my blog, treat their dogs like humans and make believe we do things that we don’t do. They think humans are the only ones who get to dream.

There are studies by science peoples showing that, not only do dogs dream, but that our dreams are connected to things that happen to us. They say hunting dogs move like they are pointing game or flushing birds when they are dreaming.

Mom says I dream softly. I almost never “run” or whimper when I sleep. DixieLee does it all the time. Sometimes she even woofs.

There is an expression, “Let sleeping dogs lie” which has a human meaning but it is good advice when dealing with a sleeping dog. Mom or Dad can come up to me and pet me while I am asleep and I wake up nice. When DixieLee is woofing or whimpering in her sleep, Mom talks softly to her, telling her she is safe or makes little shhhh sounds.

We learned the hard way that if you wake DixieLee up unexpectedly, you could get nipped at. Not so much anymore but when she first came to live with us, oh boy, look out. Mom says it was because she was always scared back then and maybe dreaming about bad stuff that happened.

If dogs dream like humans do, we think they have nightmares like humans do too. When I ask her about her dreams, she says she can’t remember. I hope she is dreaming about catching squirrels or warning that the mail person is coming to our house and not having nightmares about when she was little and scared.

The one good thing about being a dog is that we can fall asleep any time, any where. All this talk about dreaming is making me tired so I think I’ll say “good night” and take a little nap.

Sweet dreams,

Zeva

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I’m Cute And You Love Me

It’s a good thing that DixieLee is cute and that Mom loves her because it she wasn’t so cute and so loved she would be in the biggest trouble ever.

We had all eaten our suppers and Mom was cleaning the kitchen.  Dad did a big painting project and he wanted Mom to see how nice it looked so she left for a minute.  It was only a little minute but when she got back to the kitchen, DixieLee was chewing on the left over spare ribs Dad had for supper.

She took it right off of the kitchen counter! 

She did so many wrongs….

1.  No jumping on the kitchen counter

2.  No eating people food

3.  No eating cooked bones

She knew she was bad cuz as soon as she saw Mom she took the rib, ran and hid in her crate so she could finish eating where no one could get to her.

I know that some dogs steal people food off of counters all the time. Trainers call it counter surfing.  When dogs didn’t live with peoples we had to do scavenging and unattended food was, well food.

   

I might do some begging now and again but I never thought to just take food from the counter.  Now that DixieLee knows how easy it is to get really yummy food, she told me she is going to do it again.

I hope not!  The only thing badder than taking leftovers off of the counter would be to take Dad’s dinner off of the counter before he got to eat it.  I bet she wouldn’t look so cute or be so loved then!

Some peoples try tricks to discourage counter surfing but punishing a dog for doing something so natural is not good.  The bestest way to prevent counter surfing is to not leave food unattended or to place it beyond the reach of even the most determined dog.  Keeping dogs completely out of the kitchen is also another way to prevent food theft.

Well, what's done is done.  Now Mom has to watch to make sure that the cooked bones don’t cause any problems that involve trips to the vet.   Living with DixieLee is always an adventure.

And it's my turn to watch her so I'll see you later.

Love,

Zeva

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A Day In The Life Of This Dog

It’s four o’clock in the morning and I haven’t been fed yet! It doesn’t happen often but every once in a while Dad oversleeps and I have to wake him up to feed us.

DixieLee and I doze on the bed until he is dressed for outside and then follow him to the back door to be let into the pen. When we come back inside, our breakfast is waiting in our bowls. We get fed half of our food in the morning, a snack at lunch and the other half in the evening so it doesn’t take all that long to finish.

We always get desert, even at breakfast. Unlike Mom, who has to be reminded about desert, Dad has the cookie jar open and our desert ready.

Then Dad goes to get his newspaper and we go back to sleep until Mom gets up. Mom is in charge of giving DixieLee her itchy pills (I get a lick of peanut butter too) and we both get a scoop of coconut oil. We like coconut oil and it does lots of good things like keep our coats shiny.

That’s the way we start every day but then our routine changes depending on the day.

Sunday is our bestest favorite because if the weather is nice we always go for a big walk or a ride in the car. We like to go for big walks everyday but we don’t get to decide. We try to let Mom know we want to walk by leading her to where our leashes are hung. We know she understands and some times she listens but not always.

Some days we hang out in the office while Mom works on her computer or in the Studio while she makes gift baskets. Those are good days because she take breaks and plays games with us. When Mom does work away from home, we hang out with Dad while he plays in the garden or on the lawn.

DixieLee and I spend lots of time napping or lying on the big bed watching the birds and squirrels play in the yard or playing with our toys in the living room.

After supper we usually lie on the couch and watch TV with Mom and Dad until it’s time for bed. Night time is an important time since it is the dog's job to guard the house while our humans sleep.

DixieLee and I divide guard duty so that one of us is always sleeping on the bed. We switch off until almost morning and then both of us sleep on the bed until four o’clock when we start our day all over again.

It’s a good life and having a structure is nice because it makes us feel safe and we know exactly when we are going to eat which is the mostest important thing.

Now, I see it is time for a nap.

Your friend,

Zeva

P.S.  Blatant self-promotion.  For the bestest pet gift baskets in the universe, go to pawpalsboutique.com