Scrub a dub dub

Well, Mom tells me that pretty much the only candidate left for the Republicans is that Romney guy. So here's my dog advice for all of you out there who want to see what's going on: 1. Send him to the groomer right now. Just because he looks neat and tidy doesn't mean anything. He could have leaves, bark, poop, and all sorts of issues in his coat. He needs a good comb through and a nice bath. 2. Make sure his nose is clean. I know my mom sometimes gets upset with me when I root around in the black dirt behind the house. Ok, I lie down in it and it gets stuck to my face and I end up looking like I have a black beard. So make sure he doesn't look like that. Someone might think he's evil because his nose is covered with dirt. So make sure that nose is clean! 3. Since he's not covered with my kind of Great Pyrenees fur, you might want to check to see if he's well protected from the elements. I get a little hot in my suit, so make sure he's well ventilated. Then if he gets hot he'll be able to worm his way out of the situation by claiming it's the heat in the room. Panting is a good method. If I pant a lot, my mom lets me outside. Maybe Mr. Romney can do the same. Especially when the press makes him mad. 4. Religion doesn't mean anything, by the way. I've met lots of humans who say one thing and do another, so a nice flea collar might be good. That way anything that has attached itself to him can be snuffed right away. Kill the flea eggs, and you've got a better candidate. Don't you think?

Happy Resurrection Day!

Ok, tomorrow is Resurrection Sunday, affectionately (or not so affectionately) known as "Easter."
I've noted that humans seem to be divided rigidly about whether it's ok to have bunnies, candy, and eggs on the holiday that celebrates the resurrection of Christ.
I am a dog with an opinion, so fasten your leash and here we go:

Chocolate bunnies, marshmallow chicks, and other assorted jelly bean thingies: they give people an overdose of sugar (kind of like Halloween).And kids always seem to be the targets of the cavity-makers. Of course I'm coming from the viewpoint that says I can't have sugar due to the diabetes, so I may be prejudiced on that point. So you can take that opinion with a grain of salt.

Colored eggs: honestly, "Easter eggs" are a tradition in the Eastern Orthodox and Western Catholic churches because they are considered ok to eat during the Lenten fast period. And frankly, I like them. Many countries have traditions of colored eggs that range from plain to ornate. Mostly they taste good and Mom and Dad are usually kind enough to give me one. (Minus the shell, of course), so I'm all about the eggs. Quit harping about those, they're ok in my book.

Yes, I know Jesus, by the way. He loves all of us creatures, and I think especially He likes dogs. (Dog is God spelled backwards, so hello...). Tomorrow is entirely about reconciliation- the cross is a place where humankind becomes united with God and even His Creation. All of a sudden all the barriers are taken down. Sure, "Easter" was probably a pagan word at first, but let's be blunt, most of the holidays celebrated by Christians once had a pagan bent. It's not about the history of the holiday, it's about Who you love and Who you serve when that holiday shows up.

And it's all about love- He sacrificed for you, you get the privilege of loving Him. Pretty cool, that Jesus. He's my favorite dog Lover.

Cool People

Wow, Mom sometimes forgets me in her run for the computer. Finally she is letting me talk!
Sure wish I had fingers so I could do this myself...

Mom is working on a book about a former drug trafficker. He writes the chapters and she tweaks them, as well as adds parts here and there. I was reading over her shoulder the other day and came across this statement:

"The flower of recidivism blooms with the inability to better oneself with education that can be found in a library." (c)2012 Robert L. Wilhelm, "BobbyConvict"

Pretty profound, coming from a former drug guy. I wonder what would happen if all the people in prison would choose to actually set foot in a library and start reading. Some of them can't read, which is really sad, but they tend to not ask a human to help them. I can sort of read when the light is good, and I'm just a dog. 9When I have treats, of course). Point is, they could have help if they really wanted it.

Recidivism is the "revolving door" to crime and punishment. So often when criminals are let out they end up back in the joint. But that is not what could happen with education and the ability to read. Libraries are awesome things. Sometimes Mom reads to me. And I love that. Just the sound of her voice makes me happy. Most criminals never got that, by the way, even from their moms and dads. I can hardly wait to see how much influence this big deal drug guy will have to help other inmates and ex-cons who have no idea that the path to freedom is found in books.

Spoon-fed politics

You know, humans have perception problems. They don't think clearly like dogs. They get all wrapped up in "rationalizing" so end up in a big pile of mud. And I think the media is feeding that false perception to you humans on a daily basis.

Take the current bunch of political primaries and caucuses, for example. There are those whose brain tells them that Romney is the only one to beat Obama. Grrrr. Makes me want to snarl. The humans in America need to take a close hard look at the candidates before coming to that sort of conclusion. Just because he looks like he just got out of the dog groomers does not mean he's got the same values as the rest of America. And values, my human friends, are the bottom line issue for any of the candidates.

Newt is rough around the edges, but who isn't? At least he understands what you humans are going through and occasionally leaks some tears. That's good. And Santorum has similar values to many Americans and has been through difficult personal trials- another good thing. If they can't relate to you as humans, they shouldn't be President.

In the dog world, there are pack leaders. They are leaders who make the rules and enforce those rules with their "energy." If they are cruel, the Bible says they are "wicked." A pack leader must have the inner strength born from personal experience, the common values, the pack mentality that makes everyone else balanced and free of influences by outside dogs. I don't think Mitt can do that. The whole thing makes me want to hide behind the couch.

Dog Hibernation

Allison snagged RileySue this morning and took her to see her grandparents. It's cold and lonely in the back yard today. Mom keeps calling me to come in the house with her and Dad, but I just want to sleep. She says she's worried about me ignoring her like that. (What? Me ignore Mom? I never ignore her at dinner time!).

Last night when she got home I had disappeared into the basement. She couldn't find me.
No, I wasn't playing hide-n-seek, I was snoring behind the bathroom door. The older I get the less I can take heat and noise. My Dad snores, (so do I- together we sound like an orchestra of water buffalo), and it just gets too hot so I hibernate downstairs.

One time she panicked when she couldn't find me and thought I had sneaked out under the garage door and went for a walk by myself. Actually, I got stuck behind the bedroom door that had slammed and I didn't have fingers to open it. And I couldn't quite reach it with my teeth.She finally found me, but I had a couple of panicked moments myself.

And so I hibernate wherever I can find a quiet, cool place. But don't worry, when it's time for dinner, my doggy senses are like alarm clocks for humans. I'll be right there, Mom!

Presidents and Pets

For a couple of centuries now, the United States has had dogs in the White House. Most Presidents have had them, a few had cats (no accounting for taste). But pet lovers they have been. One President even had a Newfoundland- now THAT was a "ginormous slathering dog" as the commercial goes. We're better than most ordinary ambassadors.A pet here, a treat there, people for the most part like us a lot. (If we're trained of course).

I heard a disconcerting story this morning on the TV. Mitt Romney supposedly took a 5 hour car trip and made his dog ride in a carrier ON THE ROOF OF HIS CAR back in 1983. What was he thinking? Then when the dog had an accident (I'd have had one too being separated from my owners), he just took it out hosed it off and put it back on the roof of the car.

Now it IS election year, and people are prone to spread stories all over the place. And until the guy confesses or explains himself, we might take it with a grain of salt. But if it's true, he is a problem. It would mean that he does not have a compassionate bone in his body. IF he can treat an animal like that, what does it mean for people?

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!!