I Wanna Go!

"Properly trained, a man can be dog's best friend."

(Corey Ford)

As the weather has been warming up our two dogs--Maddie and Dora--have begun to show a little more attention towards the wife and I.  They see opportunity . . . opportunity for a ride.  They love going for rides in the pickup trucks.  They enjoy critter creeping as much as we do, maybe more so--they still bark at the cows.  We haven't had the heart yet to explain to them that they are not wild critters or fat, ugly cows.  We just keep telling them that they are exotic European deer imported just for their pleasure.  They don't care--I think they just like to bark.

Maddie Rose is a Boxer and Dora Bell is a Dachshund--good, stubborn German breeds.  Maddie was born in Grant, Nebraska, and has been my dog for nearly eight years now.  She is quiet, well-mannered, playful, and faithful--she is a good dog.  She pees on the command "take a break" thanks to her human grandfather (Dave) back in Grant.  Dora, well, I am not sure where she was born--Nebraska we think--and she is loud, stubborn, fat, sassy, and loves to eat.  She also loves to cuddle, and she pees whenever she wants to.  We love our two dogs as they make our lives fuller--especially when the weather warms and they want to go for a ride.  To say they get a little excited is an understatement.

Most often they get to have rides around town--down to the post office or bank, sometimes the library, and then around the outskirts.  It is a big ten minutes depending on how long it takes to get the mail or go to the bank.  The two of them are in heaven--Dora is on her tippy-toes stretching her long body so she can stick her nose out the window--Maddie curls up in the seat next to me and takes a snooze.  I'm always afraid that Dora is going to fly out the window whenever I hit a bump, so I keep the windows nearly closed.  This creates little nose prints across the passenger window--about three to four inches depending how low I keep the window.  They are only nose prints that you can see when the sun hits the window just right.  She often locks my doors with her bottom feet while leaning out.  Because of that I have learned to take my keys with me when I get out when she is riding with me.  Nothing is more embarrassing than explaining to people that your dog locked the keys in the truck as you are standing in the parking lot waiting for the wife to bring the spare key.

I appreciate the extra attention the pups give--especially after a long day in the big city working.  I appreciate their enthusiasm as it often rubs off and makes me want to take a ride too.  It is always an adventure and their reactions to what they see are often nothing short of pure unadulterated joy.  It just makes a person feel good.    It is always good to spend time with friends--even if they are barking their heads off.  Jumping out of the truck they always show their appreciation with a quick lick and wagging tails.  I think my dogs like me and I appreciate that.  I like them too--even if they are bed hogs!  Like them, "I wanna go" too!

"My goal in life is to be as good of a person as my dog already thinks I am."

(Unknown)

(The pictures in this entry are by Ron Burns--a wonderful artist who specializes in dogs.  You can visit his site and learn more about his wonderful outreach at www.ronburns.com.)