dogs

Farley’s Friday: When a Dog Visits

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 5 Comments

Farley here.

After a wild weekend of playing with my new girlfriend,  Jersey, I had to nap. Jersey is a 10 month old Portuguese Water Dog. And don’t you think she has the best hair ever?

Farley and Jersey- Done

If you have a visiting dog, make sure they play nice and can share. Once a a golden doodle visited me and snarled and snapped when I tried to take her bone.  After that incident, my humans supervise the first time I play with another dog’s toy. Jersey didn’t have that problem.

Being young, Jersey has trouble settling down. The humans picked up every shoe they could find and placed them on the railing. Ha, don’t they know dogs are patient? All Jersey had to do was wait for her moment, and then, and here’s where she gets a bit silly, she runs straight to the closest human and shows her prize.

SHOES

This is me chasing Jersey away from the shoes. Okay, it looks likes she’s got the upper hand, but I saved her first by distracting her from the shoes.

Dogs sharing a toy.

Jersey didn’t listen very well and didn’t seem to care when the humans got all excited. She even knocked over a table. Kristina is strange  – she just laughs at it all and says she likes having other dogs around.

When another dog is visiting, especially a puppy, the house needs to be dog-proofed. No food can be left on counters, no chemicals can be left out, for sure put away your favourite shoes, and don’t forget dogs love to chew leather so any electronics with a leather cover should be out of reach too.

Don’t leave young dogs alone with children. They don’t know how to be gentle yet. Don’t let the dogs eat in the same room as another dog.  I don’t mind other dogs eating my food, but some dogs growl a me if I go near their bowl.

But really,having said all that, how could you not love a dog with hair like Jersey’s?

Woof Woof.

Farley’s Friday: A Dog Dreams Of Sailing in the Bahamas

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 4 Comments

Farley here.

I had a dream last night, and I thought you’d like to see what I look like in my dream.

Farley Dreaming

I dreamt about the Bahamas and sailing on my Lagoon 380 catamaran (with my humans of course).

Why am I dreaming? My papers arrived. Here’s how it works. Kristina sends $10 to the Bahamas with a form telling the lovely Bahamian people all about me. Then they decide whether I can enter the country, and I’m so wonderful I don’t see how they could refuse.

They mail back my visa along with a receipt for the $10, that’s US dollars by they way.

Right before we sail to the Bahamas from Florida I have to go to a vet. I don’t really like this part, but I have to have a health certificate. That doesn’t seem fair because my humans don’t need one.

Then we set sail across the Gulf Stream. I don’t like sailing overnight. I just can’t go to bed until Kristina does and she likes the midnight to 4 am shift. I try to convince my humans to only sail to Bimini. We can get there before dark and I get a good night sleep.

Once we arrive, my humans visit customs with my papers and then I’m set for the season. It’s a great deal – $10  for an entire year.

Now all I have to do is wait until November and we can get going.

Woof Woof.

 

Farley’s Friday: Can Dogs go Tubing?

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 6 Comments

Farley Here,

I’m the kind of dog who likes to be included in every activity.

It’s summer. We’re in Canada at the Lake. There’s a boat. There’s a tube. There’s flat water.

I know what’s coming.

“Can I go? Can I go? Can I go?” I bark.

Kristina rolls her eyes at me. Yes, she actually rolls her eyes. I take that to mean my question is so silly it doesn’t warrant an answer.

But I’m too smart for her, and I jump before she can get me.

Farley Tubing

One of my humans, Oliver, doesn’t seem to mind sharing the tube with me, but here comes Kristina.

I’m thinking, boo hoo, it’s back to the dock for me, but she surprises me and lets me come in the boat for the adventure.

At least I get to howl at the kids with they fly behind the boat.

Humans are silly and they do silly things.

Woof Woof.

 

Farley’s Friday: How to Stop a Dog From Begging

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 6 Comments

Farley here.

My humans trained me not to beg by never feeding from the table. This means at all meals and even happy hour if you can believe it.

There are advantages for me and not just my humans:

  1. I get to attend happy hours with my owners.
  2. I get to sleep under the dinning room table while they eat – as long as I don’t even look at them.
  3. They save me yummy tidbits to have in my bowl later.
  4. I’m very svelte – and you know I’m very sensitive about my looks.
  5. l never (okay rarely) get tummy aches.

So what I don’t get it why this guy no only got to eat at happy hour, he got to eat right out of the nut bowl.

Squrrel 2008 08 31

Was he scolded? Did they make him sit in the corner?

No. The humans thought he was cute and let him return time after time to fill his cheeks and take the nuts away.

Could someone explain this to me?

Woof Woof.

Farley’s Friday: Can a dog be a lifeguard?

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 6 Comments

Farley here.

I’m at the lake this week. That’s a cottage for eastern Canadians and a cabin for western Canadians, but to a dog it’s a place on the water.

Now humans are strange. They like to run, scream and jump off the end of the dock. See my concerned look?
Farley looking concerned

How am I not supposed to be excited about this? My humans tell me not to bark as they jump in.

Well, duh. Don’t they understand they can’t breathe under the water? I need to tell them.

“Stop,” I bark.

“Don’t jump,” I bark.

“No barking,” Kristina says and then like a crazy woman, she jumps in.

Well pardon me for caring. I chase her. And look what happens.

Farley Falling in Water

I don’t like swimming. Let me stress, “I DON’T LIKE SWIMMING.”

And yet, here I am chasing my humans. Kids, adults, they’re all nuts.

The things I do for love.

Woof Woof!

Farley’s Friday: One Lonely Wheaten Terrier

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 9 Comments

Farley here.

“Woof Woof,” I bark at the window. “What happened?”

I knew my life had taken a dark turn by the time bedtime came and went. Sometimes my humans go out but never over night. Confused is an understatement.

“Come back,” I bark. But nothing happens. I slink up to the bedroom where my temporary humans are sleeping and flop beside their bed trying to make noise. Maybe they’ll wake up and tell me what’s going on.  Nope.

Day two of loneliness. I sit by the front door. If I can just catch sight of them, they’ll remember I’m here and come and get me.

Where oh where did my humans go?
Where oh where did my humans go?

Day three of loneliness. “Where are they?” I whine. My temporary humans just smile and tell me I’m okay. That Kristina and Matt will come back.

But when? I don’t get this time thing. And how is a dog supposed to get a good night sleep when his humans are out on the street somewhere. What if they need me? I stand guard at night, so who is guarding them now?

When I can barely stand the stress anymore, on day five the door opens and they arrive. I try to pretend I’m mad at them, but I can’t hold to it. I run and wiggle and jump all over them. Then I head to my favourite corner. Finally a guy can take a good nap.

Woof Woof.

 

Farley’s Friday: Dogs and Porcupines

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 5 Comments

Farley here.

Why am I trapped?

Trapped

My human, Kristina, is explaining to me the dangers of porcupines.

Like I don’t remember.

“If you don’t run up the hill, I’ll let you off leash,” Kristina says.

“Yah, Yah,” I bark and nod enthusiastically.

“You remember the vet?”

I shudder inside. What dog doesn’t remember the vet. Two years ago, I chased a porcupine up the hill behind our cottage. It stuck its head in a hole and left its whole body out for me to see. I don’t think porcupines are the smartest, but who am I to say, since I’m the one who ended up with quills in my face?

Kristina put the cone of shame over my head so I couldn’t bite at the quills and drove me to vet. The waiting room was full and everyone saw me wearing the cone. Very embarrassing.

The vet said she’d have to anaesthetize me and for Kristina to come back later that night.

I frantically looked from Kristina to the vet and then put on my most submissive pose. I held in the bark that wanted to burst out from me. The vet took me into a room without Kristina. Yikes. She said I was so good, yup that’s right – so good – that she was going to try to take out one quill without using anaesthetic. I sat calmly as she took them all out and Kristina got to take me home.

I bring my focus back to the present and run my paw over my nose to show Kristina I remember.

“You remember the pliers?” Kristina asks.

I groan and roll my head on the deck.

“I see you do,” she says.

Last year, I chased a porcupine again. I don’t know what I was thinking. I guess I wasn’t.  Kristina didn’t take me to the vet. I knew it was going to be bad when I saw pliers in her hand and she said to Matt, “Hold him tight.”

They pulled out all the quills without the help of a vet. Kristina likes to learn these things for herself.

Now you have to remember I’m a dog. So today, I catch the scent of a porcupine and blast toward the hill. Kristina grabs for me and misses. Unlucky for me, Matt doesn’t miss. He catches my harness and drags me behind the gate.

Now I’m stuck. No running free for me.

“Why didn’t I listen?”

Woof Woof.

Farley’s Friday: Why choosing a human is important

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 5 Comments

Farley here.

One of the most important things a dog does is choose his humans. Humans often think they choose the dog. But any good dog knows it’s not true. Even some cats know this.

The human my choose a breeder or shelter to visit, but when I ask my dog friends they all say the same thing.

They know instinctively which human will be a match. And then here’s what you do:

  • Approach human
  • Wiggle, wag and generally make a fuss
  • Stare at human with doting eyes
  • If human is sitting, put head on humans lap. They seem to like it.
  • I’m a wheaten and wheatens are known for their ability to hug. So of course, run to human and hug them.

At that point they can’t resist.

I love my humans. I always seem to bark about Kristina, so here’s Matt picking a burr out of my paw. All I have to do is look sad, give him my best brown eyed stare, hold my paw in the air, and tada! I am taken care of. I don’t even have to bark.

Sometimes I wish I had thumbs
Sometimes I wish I had thumbs

I could tell the first time I saw Matt that he was the guy for me.

Woof Woof

Farley’s Friday: A Wheaten Terrier Sails North

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 8 Comments

Farley here.

So my humans tell me it’s getting hot in the Bahamas and it’s time to start the sail north. Sound exciting? Not really, for a dog anyway.

When we travel, Matt and Kristina sail the boat and I do a lot of sleeping. Sometimes we anchor for the night and there’s not even a beach to go to. Sometimes there isn’t even land in sight over night. They’re crazy.

My problem. I don’t sleep well when Kristina is awake at night. I sit in the cockpit waiting and waiting to go to bed, but I just can’t do it while she’s in the cockpit. She needs my constant protection. Matt, on the other hand, can stay up all my himself.

As we head to Canada, Kristina promises none of this . . .

Canada can't always be like this, can it?
Not sure about this white stuff. Me thinks it’s cold.

And lots of this . . .

I think this was in Canada.
Green stuff. Much better.

But should I believer her?

Woof Woof

Farley’s Friday: Dog Walking or Human Walking?

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 9 Comments

Farley here.

So I go for a walk with my humans. They have shoes on, meaning I should have known it was going to be a tough walk. They don’t wear shoes often and I don’t own any. Go figure. I’m a dog.

We get halfway across the island, we’re in the Bahamas, when I stop.

“My feet hurt,” I bark.

“What’s the matter, Farley?” Kristina asks. She always notices first when I’m in trouble. I’m beginning to think she has a soft spot for me.

I hold out my paw to her and look as pathetic as I can.

“My feet hurt. These rocks are too sharp,” I bark and then wag my tail, just to make sure I’m being cute.

She understands and gives Matt her most pathetic look. He laughs, and I know I’ve won.

Matt picks me up and carries me across the sharp bits. Do they love me or what?

Dog Walk

Woof Woof.