Ex-offenders, Ex-bad dogs

(Hi, Tamara, thanks for the long distance hug)

Mom has some awesome friends. Sometimes they call her up and tell her to give me a hug and say hello. Sort of makes me feel "famous." I like it!

There haven't been any incidents lately, and things have been pretty quiet around the neighborhood. I appreciate that. All that barky barky stuff wears me out and I need to take a nap.

The other night we were watching Cesar Millan (The Dog Whisperer) and he had a special episode about ex-gang members, some of which got out of prison. They all had dogs that needed some help. And of course, they needed help too...Cesar is good that way. Training people, rehabbing dogs.

While we were watching that show, it occurred to me that a lot of people have really cold hearts toward ex-offenders, AND dogs who don't know what to do. They just want them all gone or destroyed or back in prison. They simply don't realize that their thoughts are just plain evil.

You know, "recidivism" is the statistical thing about all the bad guys who end up back in the joint because they can't make it on the outside. Ok, there are some really bad people who just can't get it together. But there are a lot of folks who don't want to be bad, they just want to have a real life and have no clue how to get it. There are a lot of dogs who have no pack leader, and just act out of stupidity. They are the ones who need people like you to have patience, understanding, and can show them some discipline to keep moving forward in spite of their mistakes.

I'm so thankful I have my Mom and Dad who never give up on a dog, and are patient with people too. And I'm glad Cesar knows what he's doing- yay Cesar, way to go!!

Earth's groaning

You know, dogs can hear stuff that people can't. Well unless we're deaf and then that's another story. But today I heard about some weird noises in the earth- like groaning sounds or creaking in places like France, Poland, Sweden,Canada, Brazil and others. Now, I have to bark at that news.

The Scientists say it's because the iron core of the earth and its magnetic field are shifting. Woof. That doesn't sound very good, but I do know that Mom's not worried at all.So I'll try to remain calm and not act like a half-crazed hysterical dog (see Jan 18th blog).

Here's the deal. I'm pretty sure I've heard all this before in the Bible. Something I heard while Mom was talking at church one time: Romans 8 talks about all of creation groans while it waits for the revealing of the sons of God. Now I'm part of creation too, and I feel like groaning a lot. And RileySue groans too almost hourly. It could be because we're old, but maybe it's something else.Maybe we're picking up the vibes, huh?

Ok, I know, that's reaching. That magnetic shift thing could be devastating. But me, I'm thinking we've all got Jesus to take good care of us. So I'll lie down now and take a nap. If anything happens, wake me up please.

Hysteria is contagious

Mom started laughing today when she read an article by a researcher that mentioned that "hysteria" or the problems of having a bunch of people all come down with the same disease or problem at the same time is a neurological issue. She can laugh, but I can prove it. And it isn't just people that do it!

If you have two dogs,and one starts barking at something, pretty soon both the two dogs and the other one will be barking like crazy. And if they are let to continue, pretty soon all the neighborhood dogs will be freaking out over nothing. It's like a contagion that spreads like wildfire. And it's all in our heads.

There's something humans know about (but rarely remember) called "synergy." You get a bunch of folks together and when they are all psyched up about doing something they can all do it together. Or like when all the news media starts talking about 2012 being the "end of the world" or telling everyone that "gas prices are going up." (For some reason, doom and gloom seems to work the best with that problem). They are things that take on a life of their own, right or wrong, good or bad.

I'm just a dog, but I think we should be more careful about who we listen to, don't you?

A Canine View of the Presidential Race

You know, Mom has written that I have "sage wisdom." Well I don't know about that, but I'm going to give my personal opinion of the presidential race.

Anyone ever seen a dog fight? Say you have a couple of Pitbulls, a Labrador Retriever, a Border Collie, a Poodle, a Mountain Dog and a Shi Tzu. Get all those in a dog fight, and someone is gonna get hurt. Pitbulls are a warrior breed, and grab the bit and never let go, even when the path ahead is a little uncertain. They don't care. Hell or high water they'll hang on for dear life.

The retrievers aim to please and are always ready to fetch the bone or the bird. They're smart and adaptable to any situation, but sometimes they can get off track.

The Border collies are so obsessed with their toys and balls that they come off crazy.

The poodle is strong but looks so foo-foo that no one takes them seriously.

The mountain dog is strong and can pull their weight, but basically don't sound very intelligent when they bark.
The Shi Tzu...well, it's just loud and short.

I'll leave it to you to pick the candidate for each breed.