The Clever Canine

Heartbreaker

Uncategorized Nov 02, 2019

My three-year-old grandson has a special gift.

Like most young children his age, he knows how to charm adults to get what he wants, but he has more flare than I’ve seen in most preschoolers.

I do realize that I could have a skewed viewpoint because he is my grandson, but I have been around a lot of small children.

This little guy has some real pizzazz.

Usually, when he wants something, I can first tell in his eyes.

His eyes twinkle until the twinkle spreads to the rest of his face and into a full-face grin.

Then he will come up next to me, grab my hand, and say something like, "How are you, My Sweet?"

I know I’m being played, but this kid is absolutely ADORABLE!

It takes everything in me to remain strong.

No, you may not eat an entire bag of candy.

No, you will not get away with hitting your sister.

No, you may not have all the toys to yourself. You do need to share.

It’s a struggle!

Do you know who my grandson reminds me of? My youngest...

Don't Look Under The Bed

Uncategorized Oct 26, 2019

In my house, unusual things are more likely to happen than in the average household.

About a month ago, my son Jon, who is 6’1" and the size of a linebacker, walked into my kitchen wearing a cattle skull mask.

He was prepping for a school project.

My dogs didn’t even look at him.

Around the same time, my daughter Lizzie brought Jon an Oriental Bamboo Cone hat from Chinatown.

He loved it and wore it around the house for a while.

My dogs didn’t care.

My younger sons will often play in their old Halloween costumes.

They will jump out from behind corners, yell, and run away.

My dogs ignore them.

Strange looking costumes, hats of all shapes and sizes, and frightening masks appear on people of all ages throughout the year in our house.

Halloween is just a happy excuse to go out in public wearing our fun gear.

Our dogs are not surprised or startled by any of these because it’s something they are used to.

Halloween is...

Never Test The Depth Of The Water With Both Feet

Uncategorized Oct 20, 2019

There is a show business saying; "Never work with kids or animals."

It’s certainly true if you’re worried about always performing well and never being embarrassed.

Any seasoned parent will tell you that kids do and say the craziest things.

I’ve lost track of how many times my kids have done or said something that made me look like an idiot.

Recently, I was taking a video of a dog I am working with, so I could send his family an update on his progress.

Right at the end, my little boys started arguing in the background-- over cereal.

Why?

Because they are brothers and they find ANY reason to argue.

Guess what, I still sent the video.

I just added an apology for the argument at the end.

This is my life.

I’m real about it.

Do you know what else I’m real about?

I’ll let you in on a secret.

My dogs aren’t perfect.

Yes, my dogs can do some really cool things.

They better be able to - my daughter Lizzie and I are trainers.

But they have bad days...

Late Night Shenanigans

Uncategorized Oct 12, 2019

What a crazy week I’ve had!

Three of my grandchildren have come to stay with us for a while.

Their ages are four, three, and two.

I’ve been busy working on teaching these three adorable little ones the rules of my house, such as food is only allowed at the kitchen table, little ones are not allowed to change the song I’m playing on Alexa, and never put your face in a dog’s face.

I’ve also been working hard on getting the three on our schedule.

The first night was a fun one, let me tell you!

My husband woke me up at midnight, saying, "The monkeys are running the circus."

They sure were.

Not only were the little ones up playing, but they got my six-year-old and nine-year-old to join them- on a school night!

I was not pleased.

The good news is, things are getting easier every day.

The little ones are learning the rules and the schedule, and there have been no more midnight parties, from the littles anyway- my...

Use It ... Or Lose It

Uncategorized Oct 05, 2019

Hi,

Right now, both my 6-year old and my Golden retriever are exhausting me.

The reason?

Every time I sit down to relax, they want to work.

My 6-year old has discovered reading and writing, and he wants to practice ALL the time!

Of course, it’s adorable.

It’s so cute when he brings me his Early Readers and shows me how he can read the sentences.

I love it when he wants to write about how much he loves school and his family.

But I swear the kid can practice until my eyes glaze over and all I hear is faint mumbling in the background.

My Golden Retriever isn’t much different.

Boy, that dog loves to work!

Guess what he likes to do?

Retrieve.

He’s not fussy.

Generally, he gets me the laundry out of the dryer so I can fold it.

He was trained to do that.

But if he doesn’t have enough work for the day, he finds other things to bring me like the toilet paper from the bathroom,...

Heartbreaker

Don't Look Under The Bed

Never Test The Depth Of The Water With Both Feet

Late Night Shenanigans

Use It ... Or Lose It

Two Step