A dog owner's best friend

By now, I think everyone knows Danny is one extremely hyper dog. He has been officially labelled as "very naughty" by both his trainers, and even under strict training we are just barely lowering the grade to "naughty".

Just yesterday, he snuck into my room, grabbed my brand new chiffon blouse with satin trimming right out of the bag, and dragged it into the living room for us to give chase. Thankfully he didn't do any damage save for some drool, and thankfully for him, it was on clearance.

I recently discovered a way of wearing out some of that boundless energy. And it's all thanks to this:


Yes, the humble tennis ball.

Ping pong balls only last a minute and simple dog toy balls cost a good $5 at the store. I got him a set of 3 tennis balls at Cash Converters for only $1. They've been used before but Friend Dan doesn't care.


Directions for use:
1) Locate a good flight of stairs.
2) Bounce ball to get Dog's attention and then pitch it down the stairs.
3) As Dog scampers after ball, prepare second ball in hand.
4) Just as Dog reaches top of stairs with ball in mouth, send second ball flying down the stairs. Dog should automatically drop first ball and chase Ball 2. (Note: If Dog does not drop Ball 1, wave Ball 2 frantically in front of Dog until Dog released Ball 1.)
5) Repeat until Dog looks like this:




6) After which, you can read the papers, have breakfast, paint your nails, etc., and not have to worry about what Dog is up to.

Variations: For owner's amusement, you may consider releasing three balls at once in different directions.

Side effect: You may experience constant background panting from Dog which you'll eventually get used to. This is normal and indicates that Dog is in operation.

Note: When panting stops, it signifies the need to repeat process. Ignoring this may result in destruction of property and personal artifacts (e.g., chiffon blouse with satin trimming).

Caution: Continuing process after Dog has reached tongue-lolling state may result in Dog producing partially digested stomach contents. This may occur without warning.

This may also result in hubby scolding you for over-stimulating Dog and being a lousy owner.

List of Sins

Whew! The last few months have been busy, busy, busy. My brother's wedding is just over, I came down with the flu twice, and now, things are seriously heating up at work. Still, I had really good fun at the wedding. (My handphone pics didn't come out well but I'll see if I can get some good shots to upload later.)

Incidentally, Danny's been having a great time too. The last few weeks can be summed up in the following list.

1) Stole my lunch off the table and ate it in front of me. Was kind enough to leave behind the mashed potatoes and fries for me though. (He just ate the chicken).

2) Chewed up dad's socks.

3) Chewed up dad's shoes.

4) Chewed up mom's slippers.

5) Grabbed a brand new carton of eggs and ran around the dining room, breaking three eggs in the process. Had eggs for tea.

6) Grabbed a whole loaf of bread off the table and ate everything save for three slices. Kept one slice hidden in a corner so he could bite it and dance in front of us when we appeared.

7) Almost managed to pull a hunk of raw beef off the kitchen counter (which was meant to be our dinner).

8) Chewed up dad's new socks.

9) Chewed up mom's new slippers.

10) Spent several afternoons redocorating the living and dining rooms with rubbish.

11) Jumped on mom's bed and got hold of her eye cushion. Tore it apart in the living room, leaving grains all over the floor and carpet.

12) Chewed up a container of cockroach bait. Thankfully the roaches got to it first.

13) Jumped on the sofa and pulled off all the cushions.

14) Grabbed documents dad brought back from work and made everyone chase him around the house for them - right in front of the trainer.

15) Took off on my leg leaving me with a long scratch and three bruises.

16) Dug holes in the garden and tracked the mud and soil all over the house.

17) Chewed up mom's friend's drawing from Bible study class.

18) Act cute and innocent when we try to smack him.

And right now mom's telling him what a good boy he is.

Fake Schnauzer?

When Danny's trainer first saw him, he asked if I was sure if he was a schnauzer. He said he looked more like a terrier mix because his snout is a bit too short. That got me wondering. I started observing other schanuzers and realised that their snouts are longer than Dan's.

Take this photo, for example,...

...And compare it with Danny. Doesn't it look like there's about 1/2 inch missing?

Well, there were a couple of times Danny fell bang on his face but I doubt that would stunt its growth. Another theory is that Danny's still a puppy and there'll be some snout growth hormone that'll kick in later. But I kinda prefer him like this. I've always liked terriers and wanted a silky but mom threw a tantrum at the pet store and demanded we bring Danny home.

He didn't come with papers, and we didn't think of asking. We just took the shop owner's word that he was in every possible dimension a schnauzer. Then again, we also took his word that he would be a nice quiet dog, (RAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Good one!) which demonstrates what suckers we are.

Anyhow, I really don't mind. Danny the fake Schnauzer - full of character, and gives me more than enough stories to keep blogging.