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'Tis the season to be thankful. Tomorrow's the last day before all the insanity begins: the shopping, the wrapping, the parties, the travel, the stress.  

So in the lull of Thanksgiving eve, I wanted to pause and remember all the good stuff, the things I sometimes call simple pleasures:

* The warmth and tickles from a dog sniffing my ear

* Waking up to a dog's head on my chest

* Wagging butts that greet me every time I come home – whether I've been gone all weekend or just went to the mailbox

* Old friends (Rocky, the 1st service dog we raised is here for a visit!)

* A husband who not only tolerates, but enjoys the dogs as much as I do

* The special communication the dogs and I have developed – we grunt, we sigh, we whine. And each of us knows what the other means.

* The unbridled look of joy when they're playing

* Doggie dreams – they run, they bark, they howl!

* The teamwork and cooperation I've developed with my dogs – we have FUN together!

* Friendship – there's no better friend than a dog.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone and everydog. Woofs to you all.

  We had a happy, uneventful Halloween 2009. I gave the dogs some rawhides and put them behind a sturdy gate. The door knocking, the bell ringing – I thought it might be too much for the hounds.

As we got a feel for the pace of the trick-or-treater's I felt comfortable bringing Talos out for a few rounds of kids. He started wagging his tail the moment he heard the kids. I had plenty of delicious dog treats on hand to pair with the approaching kids. He brushed off my treats – the kids were his reward!

After about three herds of kids, I thought it prudent to put Talos back in the house. Tango was very happy to take Talos' place and did just as well at Talos did with the kids. In fact, I believe Tango got a bit bored toward the end. He laid down on the porch and tried to get in some sleep.

We hope you and your dogs had a happy Halloween and enjoyed more treats than tricks! 

If you're crazy about your dogs like I am, you want to get that perfect photo that displays your devotion to and love for your dog. If you're in the Metro DC/Baltimore area, I've got great news for you – I found someone who can do that very thing for you.

Her name is Mary Kate McKenna and she's fantastic. She does amazing wedding and engagement phtography, AND (best of all) she has a special place for dogs – and it shows! I took all four of my dogs (what was I thinking?!) to a local park to let Mary Kate work her magic. It was chaotic, it was hectic, but through it all Mary Kate was so calm and collected. Which helped to calm both Lily and me down after our off-leash visitor.

Take a look at her blog and you can see a few of the pictures she snapped of the dogs. I will be updating the Smart Dog University website with some of those pictures soon!

I had Mary Kate spend a few extra minutes with Tango and me so we could get some special shots. I love all my dogs, but Tango and I have something special. She SO captured that special element between the two of us.

That's really hard to capture in your backyard with a point and shoot. I've been trying to get it for seven years now – it's not easy! I can't wait to get some of those photos up on my wall in my office, as well as on the site.

If you want a dog-loving, phenomenal photographer, check out Mary Kate! My dogs gave her four paws up! 

Lily's very reactive when she's on leash and she sees another dog. She's not aggressive, but the scene could get ugly if the other dog isn't friendly. Lily makes all kinds of racket, jumps in the air, and is pretty much "crazy dog" until the other dog is out of sight.

Out for a photo shoot, I chose the quiet end of the park on purpose – I know Lily and I try to control the distractions as much as humanly possible.I also had Talos – all 110 pounds of him – out at the same time. I constantly scan my surroundings when I have Lily out, so if a distraction does come into view, I'm hip to it long before she is and I can prepare myself (and Lily).

Nightmare of nightmares happened today.

An off leash dog.

Not just an off leash dog. An off leash dog with no recall.

Fabulous. It doesn't get any better than this: I've got a reactive Labrador and a 110-pound Great Dane who takes his cues from the Lab. And now, I've also got an unknown dog directly in the mix. And an owner who isn't in any hurry to get her dog!

My mind is racing as I hurtle along, my feet skidding on the wet leaves. All I'm hoping is the dog is friendly and that the owner gets her dog as quickly as possible. Because it's very likely that I'm going down on the ground. And wouldn't that be pretty: three dogs (weighing in at a combined weight of about 250 pounds) and one woman amidst the tangle of leashes.

The poor photographer – what a sight (and a fright!) she must have gotten!I'm skidding along helplessly at the end of two leashes, there's growling, there's jockeying for position, there's barking, it's a whirlwind of fur and noise.

For all the noise and the fur, there wasn't any damage to anyone (except my psyche!).The woman got her dog and I got Lily and Talos back in this universe. Lily was too worked up to be any good for the rest of the shoot, and Talos was largely unaffected. He's a laid-back boy, he thought the incident was nothing but fun.

This is my plea: please (please!) leash your dogs! YOUR dog might be friendly, but other dogs don't appreciate having other dogs in their face. And you run the very real risk of letting your dog run right into an aggressive dog.

It's not fair to people who don't like dogs, who are afraid of dogs, or who don't want to be bothered by a dog. It's not fair to everyone else whose dog is on a leash. It's not fair to your own dog, who could really easily run off to chase a squirrel and wind up under the tire of a car.

Don't do it. Just leash your dog and be a responsible dog owner and considerate park user.

 

Remember my post a few days ago about the local elementary school kids reading to Tango?

Here's an article from CNN about the impact the program is making across the United States.

I think it's fantastic to see dogs helping people, especially kids. Tango loves the attention he gets from the kids, the librarian, the principal, and the whispers (and squeals of delight!) when he passes the kids in the hall.

Tango listens intently, sometimes interrupting with a quick kiss, as the reader deliberately pronounces her words. Sometimes he's so relaxed he sleeps, other times he's on his back, legs reaching toward the ceiling, begging for a tummy rub.

We visit a local elementary school once a week and spend 20 minutes each with three readers who have been chosen to participate in the R.E.A.D. program.

We're on our third week and finally the kids are beginning to settle in and really enjoy the time with Tango.

The first week or two, the kids are shy. They read haltingly, sometimes embarrased if they don't know a word. Long about week three, they start noticing that Tango doesn't care if they struggle with pronounciation. He doesn't care if they have to ask for help. He doesn't care if they don't quite follow the punctuation.

Today, two of the kids who have been a little distant let down their guard. And I don't think they even noticed. Two of the kids sit on the floor with us, the other still prefers the more traditional setting: sitting at the desk in a chair. Whatever works for him works for Tango and I. We're flexible.

What a thrill it was for me to see a standoffish boy reach over as he was reading and gently feel Tango's fur. He never skipped a beat, never slowed down, never even looked over at Tango. He just kept right on reading. I don't know that he intentionally reached over. I think rather, his comfort level is reaching a level where he can read and do other things at the same time. Which is a real breakthrough if you ask me!

I didn't mention it, Tango didn't either. We just let the story unfold and let ourselves get lost in the story as the boy read it. These are kids who generally don't like to read because either they're not good at it, they have speech problems, or they're easily embarassed. With all three readers – kids who don't like to read – I'm the one telling them their time is up, they have to stop their story.

I'm not sure who gets the most out of it: Tango, the kids, or me.