A Dog’s Favorite Objects (in words)

I am taking a nap among a few of my favorite toys.

I have a few favorite objects, and treats are my favorite of all the objects in the world.

Why?
Because I get to eat and enjoy them and then remember that I had the enjoyment, so I seek more to relive the experience.

I have a few other favorite objects, including:

• My white teddy bear that’s bigger than me that I use to do Foot, a relaxing, zen-like technique of biting the neck and moving my front paws back and forth in a repetitive movement, just like I used to do when I was feeding as a puppy. (By the way National Puppy Day was last month on March 24, when lots of memories of my puppyhood came to the surface, such as when I would bite at the snow and run barking wildly after birds, wanting to be their friends.)
• Coffee shop chairs where I can be noticed by passersby or sit on laps.
• Laps of all kinds, because I like to cuddle and be loved.
• Floors and the ground and anywhere else I can bounce on my hind legs in an eager plea for petting, or where I flip onto my side to show my belly, begging for the pets.
• The bed where I sleep, so I can hide underneath when I need alone time.
• My box of teddy bears and toys that, somehow, always gets picked up, even when I take everything out for playtime.
• My hedgehog teddy bear, because he happens to be my best friend.

Oh wait, Shelley, my pet parent, is my best friend. And then I have friend friends. And I have friends I want to make. And friends who could become so. It helps, though, that I’m cute and extra friendly, attracting the attention.

(See what Shelley says about writing about objects in her blog shelleywidhalm.wordpress.com.)

A Cute Dog’s Story

As a cute dog, I’ve got a story to tell. Check it out.

As the cutest dachshund in the world, I am the main character is my and everyone else’s story.

While Shelley talks about characters in books, I thought I would try my paw at some fiction, writing from the third-dog perspective:

Zoey the dachshund lives in an apartment in a city in the middle of somewhere. She is looking out the window, waiting for Shelley to come home from a long day at work.

“Let’s play!” Zoey says with a tail wiggle when the door clicks open.

Shelley puts her work stuff away, but she doesn’t pay Zoey any attention except for a kiss and a quick pet.

Why is she in a hurry? Why won’t she play? With! Me!! Zoey thinks and drops her head onto her paw.

Upon hearing a noise, Zoey lifts her head. Shelley’s talk-talking away on the cell phone, the big antagonist to Zoey’s playtime.

In a huff, Zoey runs under the bed, her place for pouting or hiding or taking a time out from the busy-ness of being a cute dog.

Zoey wants to be the main character in Shelley’s life. The leash rattles and that beautiful sing-song voice she has asks, “Do you want to …”

“Duh, of course I want to do anything that involves you,” Zoey thinks as she sits, still waiting for what she had been waiting for all along: time with Shelley.

It’s a love story, a girl and her dog. It’s also a mystery when Shelley will come home. It’s a horror, too, when Shelley can’t play. It’s drama. It’s comedy. It’s a dog’s life. This love that does not end, unconditional in its beingness.

On Being a Cute Dog

As the main character in my own story, I am on vacation this week.

Check out my BFF Shelley’s blog on character identities.

But before you do, I want to demonstrate that my identity is that of a cute, darling dachshund, so here a few photos of cute me.

Don’t I look cute as I concentrate on eating a treat?

I’m cute when I’m atop toys. I love, love to play!

And I’m cute when I chew on coffee cup straws.

A Dog’s Best Environment

As you can see, I’m quite happy in my doggie bed with my best friend, Lenny the Leopard.

The best settings for dogs are those in which they receive attention.

Dogs need about 24 hours of attention a day—okay, that might not be the correct answer, because dogs need to sleep and nap, and their owners have to work.

The amount of attention dogs need varies according to their personality, age and needs.

Dogs can be left alone while their owners work, do errands and engage in other activities, but puppies can’t be left alone as long as adult dogs and shouldn’t be left in their kennels, if they’re being kennel trained, for more than four hours.

According to online research I conducted, the average dog gets an hour or two of playtime, walking and other types of exercise a day. That should be enough attention to keep us happy, as long as we get the physical and mental stimulation to keep our bodies and minds active.

Mental stimulation can come from toys, playtime with humans, other dogs and food puzzles like Kongs, and training activities, such as teaching us to sit, lie down and do other tricks and navigate through agility courses.

Some dogs experience separation anxiety, becoming agitated when their owners leave them alone or they don’t receive the attention they need. This is a matter for the dog’s veterinarian to handle or referring to books and online materials on the subject.

At the other end, avoid giving dogs attention whenever they demand it, a matter for spoiling them, and instead give it when you want to and are able. It’s okay to ignore our attention-seeking behaviors, because we eventually will entertain ourselves and resort to our own devices, such as taking a nap or playing with our toys.

I seek attention, by the way, by making cute squealing noises, jumping on my hind legs or bringing out the toys (which are put away in my toy box, which I don’t really like because I want them all over the house). In fact, my favorite activity is napping, and that’s what I like to do when I’m alone in the house.

My BFF often comes home to find me on or under the bed, sleeping or just waking up because I heard her come in. I love to tease my BFF by going under the bed, so that she has to lure me out with treats, and I snatch them to get more. She’s doing the treat bribe, so that I’ll come out from down under and go on a walk.

Yeah, she wants to give me attention, and I’m playing games with her. It’s because I want my walk and to eat the treats, too (the whole cake cliché thing).