Mar
26
2013
I think my dog, Tilla, likes to make me laugh. I called him in and he immediately rolled on his belly tail thumping vigorously (???) Expecting a belly rub. I don’t know about that but he made me laugh. He stayed in that position for a little while and finally trotted in the house when I beckoned him in again.
Mar
23
2013
Three of them were in: “Tilla” was the only dog out. Three times I urged him to come in and three times he turned over on his back to demand a belly rub. I ignored him all three times. Finally he “trotted in” so we were able to leave the house. All four dogs had gone out and now were in.
Nov
28
2012
There are differences between Tilla and Coco, who I call my “pups” (we raised them from pups}. Coco when she wants her belly rubbed, will demurely, ever so slowly raise her right paw to indicate that. Tilla will simply flip himself on his back and demand his undersides be rubbed. He has no shame. It is, though a very vulnerable position to expose your soft underside. He must trust me. I do usually rub his belly whenever he wants.
Coco loves her bones. I have more than once seen her sitting so dainty like cross her front paws with a big bone laying over her front paws. Tilla is more aggressive and if he chooses will easily take away her bone with almost no fight from her. But do not mistake Coco: she can quickly let us know if she wants to go out or come in. Coco often can be found sleeping in our bedroom next to the bed when it is time for us to retire.
Oh by the way both dogs are black, Tilla is short haired and Coco is long haired. Both weigh in the vicinity of eighty pounds. And Coco has a reddish tint to her body. Tilla is barrel chested and sleek while Coco is rolypoly and looks like she could stand to lose a pound or two.
Tilla is really more aggressive. I call him “small woof”. He is more unpredictable than Coco. I can’t tell Tilla apart from his Dad when either bark. His Dad (who we call “Big Woof”) is a rottweiler mix over ninety pounds. These are just a few observations particularly of the two dogs first mentioned.
May
19
2012
Coco is a long haired eighty pound dog completely black with a splash of white on her throat. She is a real lady. When she wants a belly rub, she will raise her leg slowly and demurely to indicate it. She will sit there crossing her front legs real lady-like. At the moment she is the only one outside. She likes her privacy. She is out cradling her bone. No one is going to get it. She knows our bedroom routine and almost every night is found lying on one side of the bed. She is extremely gentle although when she gets excited she will “mouth” you although she has never bitten anyone. She is one sweet dog. Sweetie, her Mom, always defers to her (and her brother Tilla). Her Mom does not have one aggressive bone in her body. Her Mom is a golden retriever so Coco’s gentle nature is not that surprising although Coco can be quite insistent when she wants to go out–a quality her Mom would never have.
Apr
11
2012
I think Tilla is being amusing and also likes to make me laugh. Sometimes when I call my four dogs in he will be last. He will trot toward me and stop about twenty feet from me and immediately roll on his back as if to say, “Rub my belly. Then I will come in!” He knows I stopped doing that a long time ago. I simply refuse to do that any longer just so he obeys me and comes in when I call him. I come to the conclusion he is being silly and simply likes to make me roar when he does that. Even dogs have a sense of humor. He is not trying to be difficult. He just wants to make me laugh.
Feb
25
2012
The differences between Tilla and Coco, my two “pups”. I call my dogs that for we raised them from pups. They are both black: only Coco is long haired and female. Tilla is more athletic, barreled chested and lean. He was the only dog who could jump the fence and necessitated building it higher. He is a paradox: aggressive but at the same time timid. He still won’t let my son pet him. He simply goes in the opposite direction from him. Drop treats in front of the four dogs and he might get most of them. He is quick. Coco though can be quite insistent when she want to go out into the yard. She also likes what I call “crunchies”: when she hears us crunching on something she immediately plops herself in front of us and wants her share. When I approach Tilla and act as if I am going to give him a belly rub he rolls on his back immediately. Coco will demurely and slowly raise one leg and turn on her back to indicate she wants one too when I approach her. Coco likes her privacy. She will often go into a room or stay in the yard by herself. Tilla is more my dog although I often find both of them in my bedroom when I retire, Tilla on my bed next to me and Coco on the side. I love both dearly.
Feb
23
2012
“Pumpkin” is a grey cat with white feet and large splashes of white under his neck and belly. He occasionally sleeps on my bed and like his belly rubbed: he will turn on his back as I do that and sometimes “tooth” me if I rub him too hard although he has never bitten me. He is a mild mannered cat bigger than his mom, “Jasmine” but small, nevertheless. He gets along with all the other cats, which is saying something for there are six others in the house. He was the only survivor from “Jasmine’s” first litter. It is not that unusual to see Mom and “Pumpkin” and his other three half brothers hanging out together. “Pumpkin” is just a nice cat.
Dec
9
2011
“Coco”, my adult female “pup” was cute. “Coco” is a midsized long-haired black dog (about eighty pounds). She was quietly and comfortably sitting on my wife’s Lazy Boy chair cradling her eight inch bone to her chest. No one was going to take it away. I just smiled looking at her. She was all female sitting there so demurely. When she wants her belly rubbed, she rolls slowly on her back–ever so slowly raises her one front paw to indicate that. She is definitely sweet but can be quite demanding when she wants to go out into our fenced yard and we are not so quick to comply. She definitely has the sweet and good natured personality of her Mom, a golden retriever, appropriately named “Sweetie”.
Dec
9
2011
It should be always that easy. “Tilla”, one of my four dogs, is my buddy and friend. I did not do much: I fed him regularly and made sure he had water in his dish. I, also, gave him a belly rub whenever he wanted. Now he is my buddy for life. Too bad it is not that easy with humans although getting a belly rub anytime you want is not a bad idea. Humans can be so complicated (and dogs so easy to love). Maybe that is why others trust dogs more than their fellow men. They never disapprove of you or criticize you. They are always loyal. And always glad to see you. And always act as if you were gone forever when you return to your house (no matter how short that period was). You can’t beat that.
Jun
24
2009
Everything is by grace. The first dog I ever raised from a pup, “Daisy”, who died over two years ago, I missed terribly. She was one stubborn dog and the first one that I trained. And I trained her when she was an adult.
Her training started when I got tired of replacing broken windows in our front door. “Daisy” would go crazy every time I left my house. She would jump at me repeatedly and bark uncontrollably. When she startled me once and I slammed my front door a little too hard cracking the window again, I decided despite her age it was time to do something about it.
Every time she barked at me when I was leaving the house, I would put my hands around her snout and keep them there for a short time. When I released my hands, if she then barked I did nothing but if she did not bark I praised her. I repeated this technique countless times. Finally at some point I realized I broke her of the habit of barking at me frantically every time I left the house. All I had to do was “Shush” her and she would immediately quiet down.
My wife was amazed that when she slept on our bed she would go to the furthest most corner and curl up. She had no idea how many countless times I had pushed her away from me.
Daisy would never take her eyes off of me when I was in the same room. She was my dog and when she died I missed her terribly. I never thought another dog would come along like her.
Well, one did, finally to my surprise: “Atilla The Hun” or “Tilla” for short. Unlike “Daisy” he was very eager to please. He was just very undisciplined. I never had a dog that would want so many belly rubs. I, almost, never denied him. It was hilarious. He would turn over every time I went to bring him in the house. The turning point with him was when I started giving him walks.
I knew he had become my “Dog” when just about every night he would join me in the bedroom and usually curl up at the base of my bed. He is not “Daisy” by any means but I realized God had sent me another dog. Everything is by grace.
Jun
19
2009
Coco is a darling. She is a mid-sized female mongrel, almost completely black with a small splash of white under her neck. Her spirit is lovely: she is gentle and loving. She likes her privacy. She will often spend hours outside by herself. She is one of four dogs we own.
She is bowlegged and is “mouthy”: she will grab you by her teeth although she does not bite. She has never bitten anyone. She is quiet and can be quite insistent when she wants to go out.
She is confident, will not beg for attention but of course likes it. Once in awhile she will roll on her back to get a belly rub but only once in a while.
Her brother the infamous “Tilla” or “Atilla the Hun” as he is originally named, will want a belly hug almost every time he is approached but “Coco” will only ask for it once in awhile.
I love “Coco”. Don’t tell me dogs don’t have spirits and personalities. They all do. Every pet I have ever had had a distinct personality. Coco is one lovely affectionate dog. She is just not as demanding as her brother. I have fallen in love with Coco.
I love all my pets: all eight cats and four dogs. Yes, we have a menagerie. As time goes on, I will write about the other pets, too.
Jun
7
2009
I have a new personal trainer and he is one tough disciplinarian. He pushes me all the time. He want me to go faster and faster. Sometimes he gets waylaid. He would do anything to run after a rabbit.
He is sixty-six pounds and is black and would take umpteen walks if he had his way. He is cheap. All he wants is to have a bowl of food and water and be petted periodically.
He keeps wanting me to go faster and faster. We just came back from a predawn walk; he walked at the fastest clip yet. My wind is getting better and better.
If I am not careful, he will fire me and get another trainee. He wants walks all the time. All you have to do is rattle the metal leash and within five seconds he is at my feet or say the word “walk” and his ears immediately perk up.
I am grateful for him and I make sure every time he rolls over on his back he gets his belly rubbed. I do not want to take any chances he will be hired by any one else. He is the best trainer I ever had.
Copyright © 2009 - Siggy's Blurbs: Siggy's Edge of Country … | Entries (RSS) | Comments (RSS)
WordPress theme by 
9th sphere website design