The love of a dog

I have been hearing a lot of dog talk around work lately. A co-worker just had to say goodbye to her faithful dog of many years, while another just brought in her new six week old puppy. Definitely the two extremes of owning a dog colliding at once. The joy of a new puppy and sorrow of letting one go.

All the canine banter has got me thinking about my own dog, Walter, and how lucky I am to have such a good little beagle. I could not ask for a better companion. Walter is five years old now, and it just seems like it was yesterday that I was standing outside in the bitter cold potty training him.

Walter's been through a lot of changes since coming to live with us. With the two biggest changes being the arrival of Ari and Emilie. It's silly now to think we were worried about how he would react to Ari, because he has done nothing but love them since they have been born. In fact, he has become much more protective of the house since they have been born; barking at every strange noise, and every person or animal he might see walking by.

I've said many times that he will be the last dog I'll ever own, just because I don't think we could ever have a dog as good as Walter. I really wanted to give a quick tribute to the good dog. He's always there to give us love whenever we need him and asks for nothing in return. He does his fair share of the barking in our neighborhood, but if that's my only complaint, I think he turned out pretty good. Here's to you, Walter!

We're gonna need a bigger gate...

Five years ago, Valerie and I become the proud parents of a cute little fur-ball we named Walter. At the time, we thought it would be a good idea to put in a fence so that he could go outside to run and frolic. There was no good way to connect the fence to our house, so we decided to just fence in the grassy area of the back yard; I liked to call our yard the "box".

As Walter got older, it became apparent that he was no lover of the outdoors. We would take him out to the yard and he would just stand at the gate and bark, even if we were right on the other side. The only way he was content in the yard is if we were in the fence with him. He would also sit at the gate and bark if he was alone outside, and even if he had some other dog friends over to play. He did not like to be inside that fence without any other humans. Go figure.

So, we got him a tie-out so he could spend time outside with us outside the fence. The problem then, was the fence. If he was on his tie-out, he couldn't really get into the yard because of the fence. We didn't want to take the fence down since it was so new, and it kept the kids in the yard and out of the alley, so we were content to leave things the way they were.

Because of his lack of access to the yard when he was outside alone, Walter got into the unfortunate habit of relieving himself on the driveway or patio. Too much information, I know, but it lead to us making a decision about the fence. We couldn't continue to let him display that behavior, but we also knew he really had nowhere else to go. We could take him out to the yard every time we let him out, but that would just lead to a barking fit. We realized we only really had one solution to our ongoing problem.

What we ended up doing was taking down the section of fence that was between the yard and the house. Ari and I headed outside, tools and shovels in hand, and disassembled the fence. It was a pretty quick process, really, aside from digging those posts out of the ground. Removing that part of the fence enabled Walter more access to the grass and still kept the kids at bay in the yard. We are retraining Walter to relieve himself in the grass and all things are going well so far.

I am really happy with the way the backyard looks now, too. Removing that piece of fence really opened things up and makes the area look bigger. We are going to have to find another place for our garden this spring, but that's really no problem at all. We are also going to get Walter a longer tie-out so he can go further into the grass. I just love stories with happy endings.

121 weeks ago...

this picture was taken.

The Real Fordly VonBeaglesford

The August topic for the Ditalini Press was to create a Tall Tale and make up a folk hero and build a legend around that character. It was a daunting task, indeed, but ultimately fun to write. Inspiration struck as I thought of my dog, Walter, and decided to build the story around him and some of the adventures we have shared together. There was no doubt of the name I would give my canine folk hero; one of my favorite nicknames I have given Walter...Fordly VonBeaglesford. Don't ask.

We have taken many a walk with Walter happily romping along; nose down ever so close to the sidewalk. Sometimes we get the strangest comments from people as we pass by. One of the most memorable, and one we still laugh about today, is when someone inquired "What's that? One of them smell hounds?" I've never heard the term 'smell hound' before that day. Another comment came as we passed a shirtless man with a beer bottle in his hand, and out of nowhere he said, "I got three pits at home." How do you respond to that? We just smiled and walked on.

Another element of Walter I had to include in the story was his insatiable appetite. Some of you may remember the Food Snatcher Extraordinaire post I did a few months ago. Well, the hound's appetite still hasn't changed and he still eats anything he thinks might be food. I'm just thankful he didn't develop an appetite for tomatoes or we would have had to watch him like a hawk every time he went outside. I can't say the same for the peanuts we throw out for the blue jays, though; if there are any left in the yard when he gets out, they are as good as gone.

I love my beagle, and I could not ask for a better dog, really. He is wonderful with the kids, a good listener, and just a lot of fun to have around. I've told Valerie that Walter is going to be our last dog. Not because I think he is going to live forever, but because I really don't think there could be a better dog than good ol' Walter. If you'd like to read my Tall Tale that was inspired by my trusty 'smell hound', just click here. I hope you enjoy it.

Cheers for ears!

Ahhh...corn on the cob. Here in Indiana, it just doesn't get any better than that in the summertime. There is more than corn in Indiana, but there doesn't need to be. Biting those sweet succulent kernels off the cob one row at a time sometimes feels like a religious experience. Add a little butter, salt and pepper...mmm...no words can describe the flavor sensation.

Yep, the corn is finally in season this year here in Indiana. Pick-up trucks with their beds full of corn dot the intersections and it's hard to resist stopping to pick up a few ears. So easy to prepare, so fun to eat, truly a treasure for the taste buds.
Even Walter can't resist.

Food Snatcher Extraordinaire

His name is Walter, and he is proud to call himself a food snatcher. He may look like an innocent ordinary beagle, but something ominous lies beneath that soft silky fur. Food snatching capabilities unmatched by no other are what make this harmless looking beast so unusual. His choice of prey provides an interesting glimpse into his shrewd mind. He chooses not to seize food from the hand of an adult, but from the hand of a child. What a monster, I know! Yet, he is not malicious in his ways; never has he inflicted the tiniest bit of physical harm to his victims themselves. But the emotional toil could be everlasting.

His methods are curious to say the least; I even find myself in awe of his abilities at times. The way he obtains his food is akin to that of the "Jedi mind trick" of Star Wars fame. He seems to impose his will onto the children; as strong as their desire may be to eat their food, Walter overpowers their minds and makes them to give the tasty morsels to him. This is evidenced by the fact that almost immediately after the food is given to Walter, the child begins to cry once it is realized that the food is now gone; the trance was broken once the food was apparently given to the dog freely.

His craft must have been developed with much research and care. He knew he could not be scolded for eating the food if it was given to him. I can only imagine the countless meals he had to sit through trying to hone his ability. Once he figured it out, he could not be stopped. To see that small hand reach out with a cracker or cookie only to have it hastily snatched without a thank you or any other form of gratitude is heartbreaking to say the least. Can he be stopped? Will he be stopped? Only time will tell...

Finding a new way to walk

There is one thing I would like to do this year that I didn't do a lot of last year; take Walter out for some leisurely walks. A couple years ago, we took Walter out for walks all the time. We would meet Ang and Michael at their house or they would come to our house and we would just take off for an hour or two. As the years went by, we went from walking two dogs, to two dogs and a stroller, and then to two dogs and two strollers. As our families grew, it started to take a lot more effort and a little luck to get everyone together on a regular basis. Then, last year we strayed from our walks way more than we should have, and I think there are a couple reasons.

The main reason being that we went on more bike rides last year. I prefer riding my bike to walking, so when the opportunity presented itself, I always chose the bike ride. Unfortunately, that left Walter at home. The other reason is that Emilie was just a newborn last summer and she had her share of problems the first couple of months of her life which resulted in lots of crying. So I think, at least subconsciously, we didn't want to take her out on a walk just in case we couldn't get her to stop crying. But now, seeing that she is as happy as can be, I'm hoping that our evening strolls will become more frequent.

I still plan on going on a good number of bike rides this year, but we'll just increase the number of walks we go on with Walter. Ari now has a bike that he can ride as we walk, and we can put Emilie in the jogging stroller. I'm looking forward to getting Walter back out on there and getting reacquainted with all the other neighborhood dogs he likes to exchange pleasantries with. It'll be fun to watch him track the path of a squirrel and bark at an oncoming dog only to hide behind me if it gets too close. It's so much fun to watch him with that spring in his step, and I'm sure he's ready to get back out there, too.

Ari TV

"Wanna do Ari TV?"

Hearing those words from my two-year-old, I know he is in a rambunctious mood. And if I'm in the mood for a raucous good time, myself; I'll take him up on his offer.

I reach for either the digital camera or the camcorder and plug it into the television and let the party start.

Once Ari sees himself on the television, something in him clicks and he becomes a wild little man, or as I like to call him, fearless D. Nothing gets him going like that. It really is something to see.

Jumping off the couch, pouncing the dog (even the camera man on occasion), and throwing himself around with reckless abandon are part of the norm during Ari TV; with me taking snapshots the whole time.

This is one of my favorite shots during an Ari TV session. Looking at this mid-flight jump always brings a smile to my face.