Happy! Happy! Holidays!!!

As many of you probably know, I've been working with my new dog, Emily, on her walking on a leash skills. She's a tugger. Actually, more of a pull-me-off-my-feeter. Emily wants to always be in front and in charge.

Since I don't ascribe to the belief that I need to dominate Emily - at our house no one is pack leader, there is no alpha, there is only... Mom, and everyone knows Mom is always in charge. (Tom is sometimes in charge as the "Dad"... but, the saying, "If Momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy" rules at our house) Even Emily gives me my due indoors.

Are we pet people out of control? I don't think so, but some folks who are not as "pet friendly" as we are might think so.

Looks like Christmas has become a pet holiday, sort of. This article, "We Woof You a Merry Christmas and a Happy Mew Year" from the WSJ, is hilarious on one level and oh so true on another! I'm already receiving cards from friends' pets! And, Twitter has hundreds of accounts written by pets. Additionally, my favorite online greeting card site consistently offers greeting cards from pets.

I find the mystery of how dogs came to be dogs, fascinating. The old ideas of looking backwards to the wolf are being challenged. Oh, all right - we know domesticated dogs came that route, but how we ended up with the many breeds we have, and how they came to be the loyal, loving companions they are, is a story that will be told over and over, for centuries to come. And, each time it's told, it will change.

I'm reading a great book called The Dog's Mind: Understanding Your Dog's Behavior, and it's teaching me a lot of the scientific insight into how dogs think - more so than any other book.

I'm into the book and taking my time because it's so focused on science and anatomy than I expected. And, it's not really helping me understand my dogs' behavior. But, I still have a ways to go.

I do know that this is true, "Through genetics," the authors Bruce Fogle and Anne B. Wilson write, "we can quantitatively influence behavior but no more than that. We can make dogs less aggressive, or more maternal, but we can't teach them to understand abastract thought or conditional sentences. 'If you do that again, I'll be very angry!' will only ever be a tone of voice or a body gesture to a dog - no more."

Well, let's be clear - most domesticated dogs are far from "savage beasts!" They're more like kitty-cats. At least, mine are.

Still, as we learn to manage the three pet dogs we have now, we're also learning ways to keep them calm and sedate. Mostly, Emily, our Treewalker Hound, is the wild one. She's always up, always on, and always into something!

Olive is the calmest, I think. She's our Boston Terrier rescue. After five years in a puppy mill, she seems happy to just nap and eat and walk and play. Mostly nap...

Sometimes I think the dogs are in charge. It's not meant to be that way. We want to be good pet parents and make sure the dogs tow the line (in a nice way). But, we work all day, we walk them in the morning, we feed them, we throw the ball for them, and they get to nap a whole lot in-between. Not so for us.

Consequently, we sometimes let them get away with things they shouldn't. Such as: jumping up on us as if to say, "Tag, you're it!" before they race away like the wind. And, sometimes they race up and down the stairs the way my kids did, back in the day, chasing each other nose to tail, until someone stops and all of them tumble on the rug, falling all over each other. Seriously, could you resist a face like the one here?

A couple of weeks ago a friend, Kyla Duffy, stopped by our house for dinner and she brought Bill. Bill is her Boston Terrier. She rescued him from a puppy mill. He's a true gentleman and just adorable! Kyla asked if she could bring her foster terrier, Olive, also and we said, "Sure." Our dogs love other dogs.

Well, true to form, all the dogs had a ball together. Emily (our treewalker hound) and Chester (our coon  hound) both rescue dogs themselves, thought it was 'keen' having two little buddies to run around with. I'm probably dating myself by using the word 'keen' but...hey, that's what it seemed like to me.

All the dogs chased each other, did the little barking thing ("hey, stay away from my rump!") and basically enjoyed each other's company.

Olive was especially active. She ran around and sniffed the big dogs and just wanted to figure out this new place she was in.

We're on a mission at our house. A mission to teach Emily, our new treewalker hound dog, how to walk on her leash without pulling. OMG! She's really strong and also head-strong, if you get my drift. The lovely Emily wants to be in charge, everywhere, all the time!

At home, we're making strides in showing her that we call the shots. She does run the lives of the other two dogs, until one of them says, "Enough already," and puts her in her place. But, with Tom and I, we're teaching her that a stern "no" means just that - no chewing on our feet, no jumping, no pushing, no unnecessary barking. Ok...the barking part needs work, but she only barks when the doorbell rings or when she sees another dog out the window.

Dr. Nancy Kay of Speaking for Spot, writes a great blog and has a fab book that I've recommended several times. She's showcasing some guest bloggers on her blog this week, while covering from survery (get well soon, Dr. Kay!) and this one seemed important to share with our readers.

Lots of people travel with their pets during the holidays. Maybe they're not traveling far, maybe they are. Regardless, taking your pet with you as you visit friends and relatives requires some thought. According to PetRelocation, sixty-three percent of pet owners say they travel at least 50 miles with their pets, during the holidays. I know I'm already planning a summer vacation back East and I'm bringing Chester, Emily and Olive! No way I'm leaving them behind!

I have a soft spot for pets and the elderly. I've always felt that our senior citizens are the true lifecore of our country. They give so much and ask for little in return. Mostly, respect. And, sometimes, the ability to have pets.

Recently I discovered the Pets for the Elderly Foundation - a group formed for "Joining friends together for life." They help pay the fees associated with adoption through a shelter. Included in their support is the veterinary exam and spay/neuter, where necessary.