Favorite Emme Photo, Number 9

This picture was taken by Darlene, Emme's breeder, when Emme was only five weeks old, summer 2006.

Sit

Emme has known the command "Sit" since she was a little puppy. She sits on command before she gets a treat, when she is given dinner, before we put her collar and leash on and many other times during the day. The time she doesn't sit is first thing in the morning or when one of us returns to the house after being away. She is so excited that she forgets everything she knows and jumps up on our legs. This is not something we want her to do, so we continue to try to get her to sit.

Suddenly something has clicked; after all this time, she is getting "Sit" even when she is super excited. First thing in the morning when she begins to jump up on one of us, we say "Sit" and she actually does. She is so excited that she wiggles while she sits and actually wiggles across the floor in her enthusiasm to start the day. After she has burned off some of that excitement and energy, she is a champion of sitting on command. I guess training a puppy is never ending. It is nice to identify a new success.

Dog Chewing Gum

Yesterday I was working in my sewing room and both dogs were visiting me. As I sat at my sewing machine, I could hear Rudy chewing something. Since I had not given either dog a chew treat, I couldn't figure out what he was chewing. I got up from my machine and went around the desk to where both Rudy and Emme were lying. Rudy had something in his mouth and Emme had her mouth as close to Rudy's as she could get. I pried open Rudy's mouth which is no means feat with an 80 pound Labrador Retriever. After I got his mouth open, I ran my finger around the inside of his mouth and could feel nothing. I figured I was too late and he had swallowed whatever he had in his mouth. I went back to my sewing machine and Rudy started chewing again. I got up a second time and fished around in his mouth. Nothing. Back to my machine. Back to Rudy chewing. This third time when I got up, he had dropped the item out of his mouth. It was a piece of fabric about 3 inches by 5 inches.

Rudy used to always fish around in my trash basket for little pieces of cloth I had thrown away and chew them like chewing. I got smart and bought a trash basket with a lid and that ended the dog chewing gum. Recently I was straightening up my sewing room, putting things away in their right places. I must have dropped that piece of fabric on the floor for Rudy to find. After I picked up the soaking wet fabric from the rug, I took it to the bathroom to rinse it out, prior to throwing it away. I put it on the counter top to dry and forgot all about it.

Later that evening, I heard Emme whining and crying. I got up to take her outside and she was not at the door. I looked all over the house and finally located her on the second floor, took her outside, and went back to my chair in the living room. A little later, more Emme whining. Ken discovered that she had gone up to the second floor to the bathroom and was sitting in front of the counter whining for the piece of fabric. I brought her back downstairs and not much later she was back upstairs in the bathroom crying for that piece of cloth.

I didn't know how to get her to stop. Ken suggested that I go to the garage and find a "new toy" one of the toys that are currently not in circulation, take it upstairs, call Emme and give the toy to her. Maybe that would make her forget the cloth. So I went out to the garage and got two plush toys. Of course, I had to get one for both Emme and Rudy. I tucked them under my shirt (giving me more chest than I have ever had) and snuck upstairs to the bathroom. I called Emme and "discovered" the toy on the counter top. She was ecstatic. She ran downstairs with the toy. She forgot the fabric. Some times distraction works.

Favorite Emme Photo, Number 8

Emme is laughing.

Some Thoughts on the Economy

Like everyone else, my husband and I have been talking a lot about the economy lately and how many people are experience life-altering events. I said I had such empathy for those people who are losing their houses and having to seek other homes. In many cases they cannot take a family pet with them because of restrictions with their new homes. Rental units often prohibit pets. We have read of the increase in numbers of family pets that have been given to animal shelters because of a family's move.

I can't imagine how devastating it would be to have to give up Emme and Rudy. Our dogs are sometimes an inconvenience and are certainly a financial burden especially with Rudy's fragile health. But they enrich our lives in so many ways. They bring us such joy. Emme is one of the loves of my life. I can't imagine how we could give them up if we lost our home. They have become members of the family and I love them both. Ken and I are so blessed that we are secure in our home and I feel so bad for those who lose a loved family member as well as their home.

Favorite Emme Photo, Number 7

Christmas, poinsettias, and puppies. What could be better? This picture was taken in December 2007.

Favorite Emme Photo, Number 6

Look at that tongue! Emme was licking peanut butter out of an old marrow bone. Her tongue is so long, it came out the other end.

Just Another Throw Pillow

Our couch in the living room is Emme's window on the world. Often she sits on the back of the couch to look out the window. Other times, she looks like just another throw pillow, tucked down by the arm of the couch.

Yesterday Emme almost lost her prime viewing spot because I considered moving the couch. Last weekend, I won a huge fern as a door prize at a fall gardening seminar. I put the fern out on the porch where it looked wonderful but I needed to bring it in the house as we have had a few pretty cool nights and days. I wanted to place it in front of a window and thought about moving the living room couch to open up the area in front of that window. That didn't turn out to be a great idea because there seems to be no other location to put the couch in the living room so Emme's viewing spot was saved. We wound up moving the piano in the family room and placing the plant in front of that window.

So Emme can continue to monitor the activity in the neighborhood from her favorite spot. And she can continue to look like one of the throw pillows when she naps.

We Love Greenies

Both Emme and Rudy love Greenies. They are billed as a treat that cleans dog's teeth. We have read that some times dogs get pieces of them stuck in their intestines, but we do give them to the dogs occasionally.

When Rudy gets a Greenie, he thinks "FOOD!" He immediately starts to chew it up and it is gone quickly.

When Emme gets a Greenie, she thinks "TOY!" She drops it on the rug in front of her, growls at it, jumps and pounces on it, pushes it with her nose and has a wonderful time playing. She knows that it is something to eat because she has eaten them before but their entertainment value outweighs their nutritional content.

Of course by this time, Rudy's Greenie is just a memory and Emme has yet to begin chewing on hers. We need to monitor Rudy so that he leaves Emme's Greenie and we encourage Emme to eat hers so that Rudy doesn't have to be so good for so long a time. After considerable play, Emme begins to chew the Greenie. What a difference in approach from each of the two dogs.

New Lovies

Last week, Ken and I stopped in a gift shop that was closing. Everything in the store was 90 per cent off. That was too good a deal to pass by so we made some purchases. We found two lovies: a pink bunny for Emme and a blue bunny for Rudy. They didn't seem too substantial, but for the price, we couldn't not get them.

When we got home, the dogs were ecstatic. New Lovies! They each got down to the business of loving the new toys. Rudy's interest held but after a short while, Emme returned to Big Momma Gorilla. Notice in the photo BMG is not far away from Emme. Some times the old friends are best.