Buud and Precious were so excited when we got out of the car we were a little concerned about how they would react when we got to the crowd. Precious was her usual, happy, docile self but Buud was a little on the hyper side. Well, we shouldn’t have worried. They were both perfect. We walked in and out of the crowd greeting everyone and every dog at the park without an incident and they were petted by almost everyone they passed.

Buud only took exception to one dog. It was a Jack Russell Terrier that we passed on our way out. He barked at Buud, and of course, Buud had to respond in kind. I shushed Buud and he immediately quit barking but the whole thing was a little more than he could handle. As we turned to leave Buud kicked dirt in the Jack Russell’s face and the cloud of dirt dusted the entire group of people who were sitting on the ground with him. I apologized for Buud’s actions to the people and to the pup and then made a hasty retreat.

Now, was I embarrassed? Nah! I was proud of my boy.

Did you eat my mango?

Oh boy! I heard that familiar sound. Here comes Buud, down the hall with Maw Maw in hot pursuit. What did he do this time? He rounded the corner between the hall and my office and sprang to my lap. Maw Maw was not far behind. Buud sat erect, facing front, with no sign of fear or intimidation. He’s now sitting on “base”, he’s safe on my lap. He always runs to my lap when he’s in trouble.

Maw Maw, shaking her finger in his face, demands, ”Did you do this? I know it wasn’t Precious. She doesn’t do this kind of thing.” Maw Maw thrusts a half-eaten Mango in front of his nose and inquires with a scolding voice, “Did you eat my Mango? These are Maw Maw’s, not yours. You have your own treats. Mangos are my favorite treat and you ate my last one!”

Both Buud and I sat there, looking up sheepishly, and then It struck me… I had no reason to feel guilty. After all, I didn’t eat her Mango.

Then I did it! I don’t know why I can’t keep my mouth shut. I have a propensity to say things that are absolutely unnecessary. This time I realized, as the first word left my mouth, that this was one of those ill thought-out responses. But I just couldn’t stop the words from flowing. I said, “Oh look, Buud likes Mangos, we have to get him some more!” Wrong thing to say!

Now, Buud and I are both in the dog house.

Precious doesn’t even know what the dog house is. She has never seen the inside of it. Precious is “Miss goody-two-shoes”!

Buud and I, on the other hand, are a little more of the world. We visit the dog house quite frequently.

Precious fell into the pool a few months ago and she tried to get out at the side of the pool. She couldn’t pull herself out but hung on until we got to her. For safety we are training both Buud and Precious to swim to the steps of the pool where they can easily walk out.

Robin, our daughter, has a dog, Mouse, who does it perfectly and likes to show off, so we invited him to help with the training.

How can she say he's bad?

Maw Maw says Buud is a little bad. Well she really says Buud is very bad. I just don’t see it. Now “Precious”, Maw Maw says, “does nothing wrong.  I agree but my little Buud is perfect too.

Maw Maw says that Buud steals her pencils, takes them behind the sofa and chews off the erasers. Well, duh, who hasn’t done that?

Maw Maw says he collects paper, plastic, hair brushes and other small items and hides them under the bed. Doesn’t it seem to you that it’s better than having those things strewn all over the house?

Maw Maw says he’s always snitching peppermint candies from her purse. What’s Maw Maw doing eating all that candy anyway. It’s a health issue.

Maw Maw says you have to watch him as he likes to take people’s wallets and distribute the money. Now, I know that doesn’t sound good, but I think, with a little training that could fund our retirement.

Maw Maw says he runs to my lap when she scolds him. I love it!

Maw Maw says he plays too rough with Precious. She’s always scolding with, “Buud, no roughhousing!” Robin, our daughter says that when Precious came to live with us she had “a little junk in her trunk”. She’s getting svelte now. Roughhousing is a good thing.

Maw Maw says he hides when she calls him or is looking for him. No comment!

I’m sorry, Maw Maw, but I see no flaws in my little boy. I see only perfection.

Why do I always get the blame when the ice cream is missing? Finding the empty carton behind the sofa proves nothing.

Who ate the ice cream?

Well, it wasn’t me! I didn’t eat all the ice cream right out of the carton!

Safe in Paw Paw’s arms

Maw Maw comes chasing Buud into the bedroom scolding him all the way. Buud jumps in bed with me and scoots up against my side, sliding his head under my hand. He lifts his head with my hand on top, looks at Maw Maw, and with his eyes says, “Take it up with Paw Paw”.

They listen well.

Paw Paw: Maw Maw, don’t you think you should close the door so the pups don’t get out?

Maw Maw: Why, I told them to stay.

Precious has a better way.

Buud does his tricks for treats. Precious thinks the tricks are unnecessary so she just climbs on my lap and takes the treats.

Precious got the better of Buud.

Yesterday morning both Precious and Buud were on the bed with me. Buud was in his prime spot between my legs and Precious took up her usual, second-rate position on the bottom of the bed next to me. Buud is Alpha and won’t let her near me in the bed.

Maw Maw came in and asked, “Who wants to go outside?” Precious, with great enthusiasm, jumped up in response, and ran to the edge of the bed which caused Buud to spring to his feet and leap to the floor. Well, guess who didn’t jump off the bed. Precious stopped just short of the edge, turned around and took over Buud’s position between my legs.

I think I saw her smile.

Bad water

Sometimes, in the heat of summer, water evaporates from the swimming pool and we have to add some. When turned on, the water squirts from a pipe imbedded in the pool deck and makes a constant splash when it hits the surface of the pool. Well this drives the pups crazy. It actually drives Buud crazy and he passes crazy along to Precious. There must be something bad about this, so Buud and Precious go into their “Protect the Family” mode.

Buud is afraid of the water so he stands behind Precious and barks her on. Precious, our brave child, attacks the water while Buud barks. She bites the stream and tries to pull it out of the pool so it won’t hurt us. Within a minute the deck is all wet from her brave attack and Buud, who won’t go near the evil water, is all wet.

Buud runs to me to let me know that I’m safe and jumps to my lap to explain. Now I’m all wet. He jumps down and runs to where Precious is still at war with the stream of water, barks some more, wets his feet some more and runs back to my lap for an update.

So as not to disturb the neighbors with the barking, Maw Maw turns off the water and Buud one final time leaps to my lap, wet feet and all, to receive his praise for saving our family.

The neighborhood terrors

Buud and Precious at the gate waiting to terrorize the next passers-by

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We haven’t had our pups trimmed before, we bathe them ourselves, and so we didn’t have a regular grooming parlor to go to. Several months ago we tried a mobile dog washing service but there were problems. When we were paying for the service, just in conversation, I asked, “How did they do?” The lady said both of our dogs are spoiled brats. Now that was an affront to our family and a reflection on the up-bringing of our dogs. Well that was the last for mobile dog wash.

Sandy, another of our daughters, has two balls of fur, Bella and Mason, both Shih Tzu’s, who we knew must need frequent grooming. Sandy always knows the best places to go so we asked her for a suggestion. Jazzy Pet Grooming was her choice so we gave it a try.

It was a long way from our home but Buud and Precious didn’t care; they sensed they were going somewhere special. We opened the side door and the hatch of the van and each pup jumped in. Buud got right into his pet carrier that we keep in the back of the van and Precious took her place on the back seat. Maxine and I both wondered how they would like this new experience. Buud was going for a bath with instructions not to cut a hair, and precious was going for the works…a new do.

Jazzy Pet Grooming is behind a seafood restaurant and mechanic shop, in a metal warehouse. It was a little difficult to find as it doesn’t look like most grooming parlors. We had no reservations, however, as Sandy said they were great, and we ran into a good friend who was at the mechanic shop when we got there and he agreed. Precious had no concerns…when we stopped and opened the door, she jumped out of the car and disappeared through the door of the shop. We could hear someone in the back greeting her so we collected Buud and went in.

If Jazzy Pet Grooming is as good as the people are nice, we’ve got a winner. Miss Dianne took Buud in her arms and carried him to the back; Precious was already there. When she returned we discussed what we would like done and we asked if she would take a photo or two for their blog. She agreed and we went home to wait. Now here is a nice feature of Jazzy; they don’t close at 5:00. Sandy says they are there sometimes as late as 11:00. That meant we didn’t have to rush back and could miss the peak traffic. For us, that is really nice.

We returned at 7:30 and the pups were almost ready. Miss Dianne just wanted to take a picture of the two together, all dressed in their new bandannas. While we waited we met the nicest young lady, Chelsea, who is their dog walker. No idle paws at Jazzy, Chelsea walks them three at a time. Buud came out first in Miss Dianne’s arms and then Precious came sauntering through the door as if she was showing off her new hair style. They both looked beautiful but Precious was the lady of the hour. She was gorgeous, a beautiful young lady, at least in our eyes. Who looks like a boy now?

I was thrilled at how nice they looked after their grooming but I think my main concern was that they enjoyed the experience. Miss Dianne took sixty pictures, documenting the entire process, and there is no doubt they enjoyed it. I’m happy and We’ll be back.

Groomer’s report:

They both did beautifully. (No spoiled brats)

Buud loved the other dogs in the grooming room.

Buud liked the hair dryer but not so for Precious.

Neither pup liked having their nails done.

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Well that was not to be. On his third hop Buud saw him from ten feet away and was on him in a matter of seconds. He trapped him with his foot but he got away. Buud jumped on him again and caught him in his mouth. I just knew the little frog was a goner. Buud looked up at me like there was nothing going on but when he put his nose to the ground the frog got out of his mouth and took off again. Buud had been holding this live frog in his mouth without hurting it. Can you imagine having a live frog running around in your mouth and you displaying no change of expression? To look at Buud you would never guess that he had the frog in his mouth.

When the little frog got free from Buud’s mouth, he didn’t get far, maybe a couple of inches, before Buud scooped him up again. The game now was to catch him in his mouth and let him go so he could catch him again. The little creature must have been scared to death. I tried to intervene by placing my wheelchair between Buud and the frog but Buud just went under my chair to get at him. I was no help at all; all I could do was watch.

This went on for a while. Buud would release his little play thing and then catch it again. But one time when he put it down it didn’t run off. It didn’t move. Buud nudged it with his nose but there was no response. He carefully pushed it with his paw but he couldn’t get his little friend to move. I think he finally realized something had changed and his little playmate wasn’t going to play anymore, because he stopped trying to get him to move. He looked so sad, lying down on the ground next to his friend just watching to see if he would want to play again.

He didn’t want to hurt him, he just wanted to play.

Buud and his frog

Buud and Precious

I’m frequently asked if Buud likes the newest addition to our family, Precious. The question is do they get along and is Buud ok with bringing someone new into his domain. My answer is a quick, “He loves Precious!”

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But here’s the full answer:

• Buud wants to be boss. When MawMaw lets them out to the yard he has to be the first out of the door, trampling Precious or anything in his way.
• He pulls her tail to get her attention.
• When the two of them get treats, Buud eats his in a gulp and then takes hers.
• When going to the dog park Buud won’t let Precious wear a bandanna. All Bandannas are his.
• When I pet Precious, Buud pushes her out of the way and puts his head under my hand.
• When Precious lies next to me in bed, Buud springs to action, wiggling his way between the two of us to stop her from taking his prime position.
• When I sing to Precious she wags her tail. If Buud notices our interaction he immediately runs to her, stops the tail wagging, and then returns to whatever he was doing.

“And now for the rest of the story”, as Paul Harvey would say.

• At the dog park Buud sticks by her side, leading her around as to proudly introduce her to all his friends.
• Buud shares his toys with Precious. Often when she is sleeping he brings one of his favorite toys to her, places it near her and, without waking her, he pushes it under her neck. He then quietly returns to his position on the sofa. A true gift! I think the nicest of gifts are those given anonymously.
• Buud brings her their rope toy and puts one end in her mouth so they can play tug-of-war together. That’s her favorite game and she often brings the rope toy to him.
• When Precious fell into the pool, Buud was scared and lead us to her to save her life.
• When MawMaw and I eat Yogurt we save a little for the pups. Buud eats some and shares the rest with Precious.
• Precious gets all the kisses. Buud doesn’t kiss me but he kisses her.
• When Precious sleeps, Buud cuddles up next to her and lays his head on her side. He doesn’t sleep; he just wants to be near her.

Yes, I think Buud does loves Precious.

Buud and Precious Together

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Waiting for someone to scare

Their favorite area of the yard is the driveway. They have a long path to run and, while they can see the world going by through the gate, it’s secure and they can’t get out. We live on a busy corner with adults, children and pets passing all day. Both Precious and Buud sit at the driveway gate waiting for an opportunity to terrorize passes-by. What great sport! They wait for pedestrians to pass on the sidewalk and just as they get near enough to be startled, Buud and Precious begin to bark. As ferocious as they look and sound, no-one seems the least bit scared. Most people stop and talk to them, which absolutely ruins the barking mood.

As the passers-by disappear down the sidewalk, along the fence, Buud and Precious run to the other end of the driveway to continue their intimidation. At that end of the driveway they have no view of the people on the sidewalk even though they are walking only a foot or two away, so the pups can only accost the people by pushing their noses under the bottom of the fence in a viscous posture, and remind everyone that their challenge is not over.

We'll scare them with this!

Now for the ultimate in disrespect! Frequently the subjects of the pup’s aggression, noticing the intimidating protrusions under the fence, will bend over and pet each dog on the nose.

How patronizing!

Our Sweet Precious

Last week we had a visit from Glenda and Mia. Glenda is one of our almost daughters and Mia, her adorable little girl who is about three years old. They stop by frequently to visit after Mia finishes school for the day. Glenda tells us that Mia really comes to visit Buud and Precious as she truly loves them. We sit in the den, they do tricks and Mia rewards them with special treats, French fries from Burger King. For Buud and precious, there is nothing better.

This day, however, was a little different. It was the first warm afternoon in a while and Glenda suggested they go out on the patio so Mia could eat her fries in the sunshine. Maw Maw followed them to the back door to let them out and to check to make sure everything was in order. Buud and Precious were already out in the back yard and Buud met Maw Maw at the door. “Hi Buud!”Maw Maw said. “Where’s your sister. Where’s Precious?” “Buud took off running to the far end of the yard and stopped at the deep end of the pool. Then Maw Maw saw it, something large and black floating in the water. She knew immediately what it was. Our sweet little Precious had fallen into the water and couldn’t get out.

She was floating totally still. Maw Maw ran to the far end of the pool where Precious was floating, afraid to look down, but when she did, Precious’s eyes were looking back up at her. Precious was floating there motionless with one paw hanging onto the deck of the pool. She had obviously fallen in and wasn’t able to pull herself out. She was tired but still hung on with one paw.

Maw Maw pulled her from the water and carried her inside, hugging her the whole way. When she told me the story, she prefaced it with, “She’s ok!” That helped but just the thought of what had happened brought tears to my eyes. It’s our job to protect her, she relies on us for everything, especially her security, and we failed her. I forced myself not to think of what almost happened and just petted her.

Do you believe in Angels? That morning I would have answered my question differently than I do now. Glenda and Mia have always been angels to us but not literally. Today, I don’t know. What brought Glenda and Mia to our home that day, and what caused them to ask to go out on the patio. They never do that. On their own those coincidences seem only normal but add in the exact right timing and it takes on a different light to me.

Our Angels saved our sweet little Precious and they saved us too.

Never again! When Precious and Buud go outside, we go with them or watch from the window.

They are both sleeping on the sofa now. We took them to the dog park and then to a festival for dogs called “Dog Day Afternoon”. They played hard and now they sleep. What a beautiful sight. Thank  you God.