Ruby Isabella Jones

Walk in the Woods

2011-03-11T20:03:00.002+10:00

Sniff. Run. Trott. Sniff, sniff, sniff. A person, hello. Sniff, sniff, sniff. Where's Tim? Quick run. A dog! Hello. Friendly dog. Oh the joy!

Couch Haiku

2010-09-05T12:41:00.002+10:00

Lying on the couch

Resting being happily

Something will occur

Content

2010-08-12T10:32:00.003+10:00

May, June and July have come and gone with no posts. I have been occupied with teaching Tim yoga. He has been going off nearly every day to study and I have been sharing my knowledge with him at home. Being in the moment, feeling the body, feeling emotions and moving with ease and grace have all been on the curriculum. He has been a diligent student. Now we are going to practice staring into the middle distance while being completely content.

Life is great when you are a yogini.

In the Nose of the Beholder

2010-03-15T10:33:00.004+10:00

Hello friends. I went to the forest with Tim this morning. Summer is over and it was a perfect temperature at 9 am. So we set off and I was so excited to be out and about in the forest. There were smells galore. Tim let me off and I went straight for a really smelly smell. I was bounding away and I vaguely remember Tim yelling about something. It was a very pungent smell. I just had to have it, so I rolled in it. Then Tim's words started filtering in, "RUBY! RUBY! COME! COME! BA! BA! BA!" So I dutifully went to him. I forgot how humans are a bit funny about smells. They seem really put out by something that is so great to have all over your fur. They really smell the world different to me sometimes. That was the end of the walk. We went straight home and into the dreaded shower. Something they appear to really enjoy and I'd rather skip. We have a lot in common and some differences. The differences are a good thing. They broaden our minds and force us to smell the world differently. Even though they can sometimes lead me to be in the dog house, so to speak.

Life is great when we are all different.

60 kilograms of playful pup

2010-02-11T21:00:00.004+10:00

I had a good play with a one year old Great Dane. She was playful, exuberant and 60 kilograms. I didn't let the 43 kg weight difference put me off. I did notice Tim get a tad nervous when she was headed in his direction bounding along. I don't have pictures as Tim never brings out the camera. He says it is good to have pictures as it enhances my readers' imagination. Tim's comment might help you picture the scene; "It looks she (me) is rounding up a cow." The Great Dane was white with black patches. However, I'm part sheep dog not cattle dog.

Life is great when you have a whole lot of puppy to play with.

The Houndly Teachers

2010-01-27T09:43:00.007+10:00

My last post was the first for a long time. I thought I would do the next one shortly after that. I chased a few balls, went for a few walks, played with some friends, lay on the couch a bit, lay on the floorboards a bit and suddenly a week and a half in human time had gone by. I think it's better if I go in dog time, which means I am doing this post at precisely now. And my last post was done at precisely now, (but a now which has gone, except when I think about it and then it is right now so it hasn't really gone at all but is now).

Dogs do a lot for humans; lead blind people, sniff out survivors in the aftermath of an earthquake, rescue people in snow, catch criminals (go Rex!) and loads and loads of other stuff. Did you know that dogs also teach kids to read? Mandy has been buying books from Better World Books, which is an organisation that sells new and used books to raise money to promote literacy all over the world. It is great thing to support so look there first when you want to buy a book. Mandy asked me to tell you that their prices are usually better than anywhere else. Recently they asked customers to vote for one of ten very worthwhile literacy programs to receive a substantial grant. The winner was a program that gives kids in libraries and schools a chance to read out loud to a dog to enhance their reading skills. I told you us hounds teach humans a lot. I am sure they will read something more suitable than Ecclesiastes.

Here is a completely unrelated picture of a rainbow lorikeet that Mandy took in our garden.

Life is great when you are being read to.

I'm back. Faster and Sleeker than ever.

2010-01-17T10:16:00.005+10:00

Good dog training requires giving lots of praise and direct orders, so, being an obedient hound, when I got this comment recently;

"Your blog keeps getting better and better! Your older articles are not as good as newer ones you have a lot more creativity and originality now keep it up!"

I had to do a new post. The use of treats is also necessary in dog training. So Anonymous, I like mangoes, apples and bananas. That might be why the message was from "Anonymous," so I couldn't find her/him.

Thanks people for not forgetting me despite me neglecting this blog. We are in the middle of summer. Beautiful 30 degree days. We've also had a fair bit of welcome rain filling up the dam and growing the grass to eye height almost over night. Who said it was boring watching grass grow?

I will do my best not to forsake you, dear faithful reader, again. Here is a photo of me being a good dog waiting for my treat from Anonymous.

Life is great when you have faithful followers.

Life is Useless?

2009-10-17T09:23:00.004+10:00

Tim went back to bed after breakfast this morning with the Good Book. I went with him. I have been shaping Tim and Mandy to allow me on the bed to good result. I'm still not permitted there during the night but it's just a matter of time. Anyway, Tim isn't religious but he was in a bit of a mood so he read Ecclesiates out loud to me. It goes like this, "1:2 It is useless, useless said the Philosopher. Life is useless, all useless." I listened to a couple of pages of this misery when he got to, "3:19 A human being is not better of than an animal, because life has no meaning for either." At that I had to get up and walk out. I mean being on the bed is one thing but don't you humans try and draw us non-humans into your existential angst. I went out to the front verandah, lay in the sun and found that life has lots of meaning. I'm sure as soon Tim gets up and takes me out for a walk in the sun he will too see that life is abundant with meaning.

Life is great when there is meaning aplenty.

Don't Be Lazy!

2009-10-05T13:22:00.003+10:00

September came and went. I did not post because I have been busy doing nothing. Have you noticed that a lot of humans are too lazy to do nothing? They rush here, they rush there. They get things done. They do one thing and go on to the next. They do not have the discipline, the inner fortitude or the motivation to do nothing. Nothing does not get done by itself you know. It takes focus and perseverence. Sure it takes a long time to get nothing done, but it is worth the effort. Anyone can jump up and do something. Doing anything is even easier. So spend the rest of today, and tomorrow, alright the whole week doing nothing. You can't leave it all up to others.

Life is great when at the end of the day you can look back and say, "I did nothing all by myself."

Orangutan's best friend?

2009-08-22T15:56:00.005+10:00

This is Suryia and Roscoe, who live at the Tigers' sanctuary in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina .

I got this e-mail recently. I like it because we can see what good mates they are. Humans seem amazed by this sort of thing, as though only humans can have cross-species friendships. Of course, all species have good mates and they all have the capacity to have friends from other species. Make it a point to be open to friendships with those who are different from you, for example they might have a different religion or political views, or they might be a rhinoceros.

Life is great when you have an orangutan as a best friend...(I imagine).

It's carrotlicous!

2009-08-12T20:41:00.004+10:00

I love fresh, crunchy carrots! Fresh, raw fruit and vegetables are great for humans and hounds alike. They taste delicious and make you feel fantastic. If you're feeling low or lethargic, get some fruit and veggies into you. You'll be feeling on top of the world in no time. I love apples! Tim and Mandy share their apples with me, biting off bits for me and giving me the core. When I'm out and about I sometimes find a partially eaten apple. I also love pears, avocadoes and bananas.

Life is great with fresh, raw fruit and veggies.

What's Wrong with Schools

2009-08-08T18:36:00.003+10:00

"When I was six years old we lived in an urban Californian neighborhood. It is unclear to me how I came to have ducks there, but have them I did. I remember being sent home on the first day of first grade because I had arrived accompanied by two ducks who would not leave my side."

Jeffrey Masson, The Pig Who Sang to the Moon

The Prime Minister of Australia, Kevin Rudd, promised before the last election to provide a laptop for every school child in years 9 to 12. He has it all wrong. Kids have more than enough technology in their lives. What they don't have enough of is ducks! Imagine how their learning would be enhanced with the calming, grounding, joy-making influence of a duck by their side. Academic scores would surely sky-rocket, but more importantly these young people would go on to make the world a better place. I call on the Prime Minister of this country to really make a real difference to the lives of young Australians. Provide ducks to every school.

I personally love ducks. When I see them, I race up to greet them like long lost friends. For some reason they fly off, but I'll persevere.

Life is great with ducks.

You Do Not Own Them

2009-08-04T13:13:00.006+10:00

This a message to all you dogs out there. Your person or people might prepare your food, take you for walks, pick up your poo, wash you and do many other things for you, but you do not own them. They are not your slaves. They belong to you and you belong to them, but you do not own them and they do not own you. You can not own another sentient being. This is the message of, "The Pig who Sang to the Moon. The Emotional World of Farm Animals." It is by Jeffrey Masson.

"Those who live with pigs often speak of them as we normally speak of dogs- intelligent, loyal and above all, affectionate." Page 42.

I have never met a pig but I would love to. I think they should make the dog park the dog and pig park. I think we could have a lot of fun. It also describes in the book how playful they are.

Life is great when you are intelligent, loyal and above all, affectionate.

Completely Sane

2009-07-29T19:47:00.003+10:00

"All sanity depends on this: that it should be a delight to feel heat strike the skin, a delight to stand upright, knowing the bones are moving easily under the flesh"

Doris Lessing

Dogs know this. That is why dogs are so sane. If you don't believe me, go and study a dog. Watch him or her going about his or her business. You will see it and some of the sanity will rub off on you.

Life is great when your bones move easily under your flesh.

Winter Sun!

2009-07-24T09:33:00.005+10:00

There is nothing like lying in the winter sun. It is usually around 21 C (70 F) here in the winter. But yesterday was 26 C (79 F). The mornings are a bit chilly, then the sun warms up. The feeling of the sun is just joy. It is warming, relaxing and invigorating all at the same time. Troubles just melt away. Thank God for the sun!! It just lifts the spirits.

Here I am catching the morning sun on the front verandah and basking in the afternoon sun in the back yard.

Life is great when the sun is on your fur.

My Mate Benny

2009-07-18T14:07:00.006+10:00

Let me introduce my new friend. His name is Benson, a.k.a Benny. He comes around once or twice a week to spend the day. We have a great time. We chase each other, wrestle, play tug and then lie down for a good rest, only to get up and do it all again. He is part kelpie, like me, and part dachshund. He doesn't let those little legs of his slow him down. As you can see, he has a lot of energy and spirit. I get so excited on the days he arrives that I leap on him as soon as he puts his paw through the door. I'm so happy that he responds and loves to frolic in the back yard. I just love running around playing that it gets a bit frustrating when I come across a dog who doesn't want to play. But not Benny, he is well up for it.

Life is great when you've got a good mate.

What Happened to June?

2009-07-04T09:09:00.002+10:00

It was a cool, early June day. Winter had just begun. I curled up in bed. I got out of bed. I had a stretch. It was July! I haven't been able to post due to June deciding to do its own thing and disappear. I find it hard to get the days and months to stand still in order. Can anyone give me some tips about how to do this?

I have July lined up and waiting. I apologise, loyal readers, for my absence but I am back now. Thank you Domi for missing me.

Life is great when you are curled up in bed.

A Bit of Culture

2009-06-02T21:12:00.003+10:00

I think this blog is lacking in culture. So today's post will be a poem. This poem is dedicated to the owls who sit silently and wisely on the electric wires in our neighbourhood. Also to the many cats who I try to befriend. So far, they have run away, hissed at me or taken a swipe at me but I will persist. Sooner or later they will realise I am a friendly hound. Enjoy this poem and I encourage you to find a human to read it out loud to you, or just read it out loud yourself if you happen to be a human.

The Owl And The Pussy-Cat by Edward Lear

I
The Owl and the Pussy-cat went to sea
In a beautiful pea green boat,
They took some honey, and plenty of money,
Wrapped up in a five pound note.
The Owl looked up to the stars above,
And sang to a small guitar,
'O lovely Pussy! O Pussy my love,
What a beautiful Pussy you are,
You are,
You are!
What a beautiful Pussy you are!'

II
Pussy said to the Owl, 'You elegant fowl!
How charmingly sweet you sing!
O let us be married! too long we have tarried:
But what shall we do for a ring?'
They sailed away, for a year and a day,
To the land where the Bong-tree grows
And there in a wood a Piggy-wig stood
With a ring at the end of his nose,
His nose,
His nose,
With a ring at the end of his nose.

III
'Dear pig, are you willing to sell for one shilling
Your ring?'Said the Piggy,'I will.'
So they took it away, and were married next day
By the Turkey who lives on the hill.
They dined on mince, and slices of quince,
Which they ate with a runcible spoon;
And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand,
They danced by the light of the moon,
The moon,
The moon,
They danced by the light of the moon.

This is described as 'nonsense poetry,' which I find odd. Of all the things written and said by humans, this is probably the most sensible.

Life is great when unlikely relationships are so successful.

Read All About It

2009-05-26T19:01:00.002+10:00

The news is full of negativity, bias, sensationalism, distortion and misrepresentations. That's why we don't watch, read or listen to the news around here. Life is all the more joyous for it. There is one exception to this. There is one news hound who has the nose for truth and optimism. That hound is Bo. He finds the news from all over the globe that matter. He is not species-centric like the regular news, which is full of homosaipiens doing all sorts of trivial things and a dog has to save a persons life to get on.

Lead story today is about Duck Man. He caught little ducklings who fell from the second story because they were following their mother and were too young to fly. There are lots of people like Duck Man who are heroically performing deeds without recognition, and I'm sure they don't mind, while the mainstream news is full of much less worthy subjects.

Life is great when there is someone to catch you.

How to Get Rich

2009-05-21T10:28:00.003+10:00

We have had a couple of rainy, rainy days here. We got out for just one short walk in that time. So there was nothing for it but to curl up in bed or on the couch. Some of you may think this is a waste of time but not Laut, Combs and Kitter, who wrote Money is My Friend;

"Laziness leads to self-esteem leads to riches. Mastering laziness with self-esteem is an important factor in increasing your income. You can practice this by staying in bed all day at regular intervals until you can do it without feeling ashamed of yourself."

They recommend doing this one day a week. So if you will excuse me, I'm off to create riches.

Life is great when you are creating riches.

No Drama

2009-05-16T17:19:00.002+10:00

It was yet another beautiful day today. It was mid-morning, about 25 degrees celsius. We were in the dog park after going for a trot around the woods. There were just a few dogs in the park. I went to say "g'day" to a cattle dog cross. She took offence at something and turned on me. She barked and growled and was on top of me. I made a retreat as I am a lover not a fighter. I went over to Tim but I wasn't really scared. It was more noise than anything. The rest of the day consisted of food, lying on the couch, another big walk with Mandy, another small walk to the library with Tim including a few throws of the frisbee and dinner. The altercation in the dog park was the high drama of the day. I wouldn't normally blog about such a thing but it got me thinking that when everything is good and there are no dramas, it doesn't make very interesting blogging. Of course, there are people and dogs who are addicted to drama. I am not one of them. So you will have to be content with sunshine, walks and food, not that we can always avoid drama. I heard it said that there is a Chinese curse which goes, "may you live in interesting times."

Life is great when you don't have anything interesting to blog about.

Happy Birthday Mandy!

2009-05-12T13:29:00.003+10:00

It is Mandy's first birthday today. Well, it is her first birthday since she has been my person. I believe that she has had a few before this one. One of the purposes of us hounds being on the earth is to influence our people in a positive manner and make the world a better place. I think I have done a good job of this with both of my people and my people have had a great impact on me as well. Just today we were walking through a vacant block of land. Mandy was very happy to be out in the day and gave a spontaneous leap of joy. I was about ten metres but instictively mirrored her action with lots of joy. Mandy is a very happy and joyful person. She has passion and exuberance for life. Her presence fills my heart with glee. She makes the most of every day. In the morning, she comes out full of excitement and gives me a great greeting on the couch. Any dog would be proud of giving this greeting. Her enthusiasm is infectious. I am doing well teaching my people but it is a two-way street and I have learnt a huge amount from Mandy. So a big;

Happy Birthday! I love you Mandy.

Life is great when you have Mandy.

School is in.

2009-05-09T15:46:00.005+10:00

"You two have an amazing ability to sleep all afternoon."

Mandy to Tim and me.

It has been another great day of sunshine, walks, breakfast, playing with dogs, getting pats, giving licks, lying in the sun, daydreaming, watching the world go by and snoozing on the sofa. When Mandy said that to us I had a great idea. With this amazing ability, we could open a school. "The Ruby School of Relaxation." I think we will have students come here as well as courses by correspondence. I think places will fill up fast so if you are interested you had better let me know quickly.

Life is great when you are having a nap.

You Can't Fool Me

2009-05-03T19:15:00.003+10:00

"My father would take Rusty's head in his hands and talk with him with real interest- 'So, old mate, what do you think of the snooty new labrador across the street?'- as if he actually expected a reply. It seemed a bit odd at first, probably because I'd never seen anyone else talk to a dog, only at them.

Rusty couldn't get enough of it. He would gaze into Dad's eyes and make odd little groaning noises I'd never heard before. Yet when I tried it, Rusty just looked bored. It was years later before I understood what Dad meant about animals only reacting to 'true voices': if our inflections don't match our feelings, they ignore us."

Lucky for Me Frank Robson

You can't hide your feelings from a dog. I find it interesting that dogs do many jobs from guiding blind people to pulling sleds. Also in the police we do many jobs such as finding drugs and physically apprehending villians. So why don't the police use dogs for lie detection. We have been watching the TV program "Lie to me" and I reckon I could do that job (they pick up on facial expressions to spot someone lying). If anyone from the police force is reading this, consider it a job application.

Life is great when you know if someone is fair dinkum.

My Pink Ball

2009-04-27T15:48:00.009+10:00

I haven't posted for nearly a week, a record long time. This is because I have been very busy. One activity that has kept me occupied is staring into the middle distance, otherwise known as daydreaming. I have seen humans do this a bit; Tim is fairly good at it. However, most humans are not good at it. I have heard it is because older humans strongly discourage younger humans from doing it. They go to a special place specifically designed to stop them from this very worthwhile pursuit. That place they call "school." The benefits of daydreaming are too many to list here but to get you started; creativity, entertainment, relaxation, improved intelligence and a greater sense of Dog.

Something else that gets my attention is my pink ball. I love tearing after it and catching it on the bounce. It is great to chase it on my own but much more fun with other dogs. My pink ball is the pride of the dog park. This is the ball that all the dogs want above any other. I love the competition of trying to get it before the other dogs. I am faster than all the other dogs in the park (just stating the facts) so I often do. However, the person throwing it usually throws it to the advantage of other dogs to keep it even and interesting. I don't mind if I get the ball or not, I just love running fast and going after the ball. I think competition is about putting in your best effort. This makes competition rewarding. It is when dogs or people put the importance on winning that competition becomes a negative influence. In summary, competition is good; attaching significance on winning is bad. Little humans intuitively know this but once again big humans sometimes come in and mess things up.

Life is great when you have other dogs to chase a ball with.

What Would you Have Done?

2009-04-21T10:25:00.002+10:00

I don't read or watch the news too much because it is usually depressing and from this state one can't make the world a better place. However, this story caught my eye. A bus driver was taking bus full of commuters home after a day at work. She stopped the bus because there was a frog on the road and she didn't want to run the poor fellow over. So she got out, put the frog to the side of the road and then carried on. Some of the passengers weren't happy and complained to the bus company, which sacked the driver. The media picked up the story, there was a public outcry and the driver was given back her job. She did have to promise not to do it again. I am not here to tell you what to think. I will simply report and let you draw your own moral from this story.

Life is great when you take the time to save a life.

Lost and Found

2009-04-18T16:33:00.003+10:00

We have been bleesed with two more sensational days. "Beautiful one day, perfect the next." That's what they rightly say about Queensland. (Admittedly, "they" is the Queensland Tourism Board, but it is still true.) We were on a pack walk on the perfect yesterday when Mandy found a silver earring. She looked for somewhere to put it so that the owner might find it, but it didn't look likely. So I said, "You could put up a sign on the fence." Well, I would have but I'm a dog so I can't talk. Instead, I sent out the thought. Tim picked it up and said as if it was his idea. (I'm OK with it. I've got used to it.) Mandy declared him a genius and, being a woman of action, went home and did it right away. The next day the earring was gone and written in black at the bottom of the paper it says, "Thank you so much. I have been looking everywhere for this." A very satisfying result!

Life is great is when you do a good deed and receive gratitude.

What a Day!

2009-04-16T19:46:00.003+10:00

I went for a shorter walk with Tim this morning down to the soccer fields. What a magnificent day it was. Tim didn't take a camera so I will have to paint you a word picture. There is a small creek on one side. Several soccer fields in a row make a great, big expanse of green. It is bordered by trees. After the rainy Easter, we have perfect autumnal weather. Clear blue sky with a sun that warmed your bones but wasn't too hot. The high today was 28 degrees celsius. There was a gentle, fresh breeze. Tim had the throwing stick, which sends the ball flying three quarters of the length of one field. In short, it was a bloody marvelous walk. Fresh air, plenty of grass, sunshine and a ball to chase. Then this afternoon I went on a bigger walk with Mandy.

Life is great when it is a stunning day.

Dog Overboard

2009-04-14T19:29:00.003+10:00

A rainy, rainy Easter. There is no agility training today, not because it is raining but because the field is too sodden. Anyway, it is better to stay safe and dry unlike Sophie. This hound fell overboard in choppy water in North Queensland, swam 5 kilometres and then survived 4 months on a deserted island!!!!!!!!!!! Much better to remain safe and sound in bed until the good weather returns I reckon.

Life is great when you warm and dry.

A dog Substitute

2009-04-12T09:02:00.008+10:00

We went to West End for lunch (well, two of us had lunch and one didn't) and I got my tongue on four kids, not a bad consolation. Earlier I went for a walk in the woods. Tim got talking to an interesting man. He said I had a bit of greyhound in me, not the first time someone has said this. He then said Tim had some German in him, which is true. He obviously has an eye for spotting ancestry. On more careful inspection he thought Tim had some Northern Italian due to his tanned skin. It seems Tim is as much of a mongrel as I am. Tim and Mandy celebrated with Mandy-made pizza and red wine last night. He also suggested that I was a substitute for a baby. Tim let this one go through to the keeper but I read a more interesting response last night to the very same remark.

I finished reading a book called "A Dog's Life" written by a first-time author called Boy, who happens to be the dog of Peter Mayle. For some reason, it is Peter Mayle's name on the cover. I guess it is because he is well-known and it makes the book easier to sell. (A reader recommended this book. I can't remember who but if you are reading, "Thank you. I enjoyed it.") Anyway, in the book they having a dinner party, when...

"Finally, having run out of hard news, she put forward the offensive theory that people have dogs as child substitutes. Misguided and discourteous, of course, but hardly original, and I thought the remark would receive the lack of attention it deserved.

I hadn't reckoned, however, of the effect of the monologue on the other half...At this point- inspired no doubt, by a surfeit of propaganda on the joys of fetility- he pricked up his ears and bit back. Good stuff it was, too, the gist of it being that many couples in these overcrowded times live in small apartments where dogs are forbidden. Desperate for companionship, the couple either buys a budgerigar or has a baby, depending on available cage space. Therefore, one could just as easily put forward the opposite argument that children are, in fact, dog substitutes. Have another drink.

..Vibrating with emotion like a blancmange on heat, the earth mother fixed him a furious and incandescent eye. 'That's outrageous,' said she. 'Are you comparing my little Tommy with a budgerigar?'

..'Why not?' said he. 'They're both small. They're both noisy. They both spill their food. And they both have difficulty controlling their bowels.' All true of course, but not really what a mother wants to hear."

The result was she stormed out. This is certainly a different approach to the same situation. I have pointed it out to Tim and Mandy. We'll just have to wait and see if they adopt it next time it comes up in conversation.

This photo is called, "tea and chocolate." It is a ritual in this house. The chocolate is 70% cocoa dark chocolate, which I never get because it isn't good for dogs and the tea is rooibos (red bush) from South Africa, which I sometimes get. Mandy and Tim learnt about it reading Alexander McCall Smith's series of books, "The Number One Ladies Detective Agency." They highly recommend the tea and the books.

Life is great when you have a good book to read written by a dog.

Aren't humans a funny shape?

2009-04-10T12:29:00.008+10:00

Their feet are the shape of a head, more or less, which makes them a great place to rest your weary head. Their heads are the shape of basketballs. Their ears are stubbornly immobile. They are mostly hairless except for random places. Sometimes their hair just doesn't know when to stop. They have great big noses which aren't all the better for smelling with. They plod around on two legs when it is obviously faster on all fours.

I am not anti-human. I love humans. My favourite beings are human. I am just saying, that's all. What do you find odd about them?

Life is great when you are well proportioned and sensibly built and life is great when you are not.

They're on to us!

2009-04-08T20:01:00.005+10:00

Dogs beware. We have kept our practice of walking on hind legs secret for years from humans. Unfortunately, Steph posted a picture of a hound doing just that. Just the other day I was strolling through the living room when Tim came out of the kitchen. I got a surprise and just stared at him for a few seconds. He had a camera in his hands and took a shot. Luckily, he didn't frame it too well. If you are caught in the act, it is very important not to let on why we are doing this. Under no circumstance are you to say. They must not know.

Life is great when you can choose between four and two legs.

More Friends

2009-04-06T22:02:00.004+10:00

Here are our two resident brushtail possums (Trichosurus vulpecula), they are a mother and her young. They live in the ceiling above the kitchen. They descend through the wall and come out under the house shortly after dark. We live in a typical Queenslander house, which is made of wood and raised off the ground. They are our friends but not entirely welcome tenants as they might do damage up there. But I'm sure they will take good care up there.

This is what wikipedia has to say about them;

Brushtailed possums are also very intelligent creatures, with brainpower comparable to a dog. This makes hand reared possums ideal to teach tricks. Common tricks can include "sit" and "hiss" but they can also be trained to "fetch" with enough time. It is important to remember when training brushtailed possums to be firm with the instruction and always give a reward such as fruit or vegetables.

This is interesting as Tim and Mandy use apples to give me during agility training, so I don't see why they shouldn't come along. Their brainpower is comparable to mine (although I have never read a possum's blog.) I reckon they might do all right if we take them along tomorrow.

Life is great when you have lots of furry friends.

Strange Human Behaviour

2009-04-04T16:30:00.003+10:00

I am a keen observer of human behaviour and yesterday I saw something I had never seen or heard of before. Tim went to the phone just before lunch. We have a business line which is used for outgoing calls as it is cheaper. He dialled a number and the home phone rang. He answered it, said "hello" three times, each after a short pause, the last two with a quizzical tone of voice. Then he suddenly burst out laughing and hung up. It was most baffling. It was only after he made another call that I could figure out what had happened.

He had intended to call his parents but dialled his own telephone number instead. It was only after answering his own call that he realised what he had done. I would like to know if this kind of behaviour is common to humans or is it just Tim.

Life is great when you have humans who provide much behaviour for your study and general entertainment.

Of Drought and Flooding Rains

2009-04-03T09:30:00.003+10:00

I love a sunburnt country,

A land of sweeping plains,

Of ragged mountain ranges,

Of drought and flooding rains,

I love her far horizons,

I love her jewel sea,

Her beauty and her terror -

The wide brown land for me.

Dorothea Mackellar

We are up to the flooding rains part. Down south they have had bad floods. We are fine here but we did have a day and a bit of rain. This is a photo from our back deck. Yesterday, I only got a short walk at 10:30pm! This is unheard of. The only thing that one can do is curl up in bed "like a pretzel" as Mandy says. The rain has stopped so I am confident that Tim will take me out for a walk. I think I'll go and give him licks as a subtle hint.

We are grateful for the rain because our dams are low. The drought was taking up the madia..oops Freudian slip... media space and people's attention. Then, as a friend pointed out, along came the financial crisis and swept the drought from the front page. Then, down came the rain. Once people's attention had been taken off drought, drought, drought, it allowed the rain to fall. Don't put your attention on what you don't want. I should say, put your attention on what you do want.

Life is great when you have a cosy bed to curl up in like a pretzel.

Who Teaches the Spiritual Teacher?

2009-04-01T10:59:00.004+10:00

I found an interview with Eckhart Tolle about dogs in Modern Dog magazine. Eckhart Tolle is the best-selling author of The Power of Now and A New Earth. I recommend these books, I thinks humans can get a lot from them and by being in the present can connect more with Dog. Here he is with his Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Maya. (Who said people don't look like their dogs.) For the full interview go here. These are some extracts from the interview.

"Something else that's very important for many people is they realize, consciously or unconsciously, that their dog is not judging them. For some people, it's the only relationship that they have where there's no fear and where they realize they are being accepted and not judged. For many people it's the only relationship they have with another being. That's a pity, because really they should have deep relationships with humans also, but that's difficult because every human being has a mind and every human being judges and so people become afraid, they withdraw, they put up barriers. I believe that dogs are keeping millions of people sane who would otherwise become deeply neurotic in our alienated world."

"There are teachings that say every being is a spark of the divine of God. You can see it sometimes more clearly [in dogs] than in a human being because the human being has the veil of mind, negative emotions, and ego, and plays a role. I believe that dogs fill a vital function in the collective consciousness of humanity. I would call them "the Guardians of Being." They show us what we have lost and, once we realize that, they can help us in our shift into a deeper state of consciousness."

"Before Maya came, I didn't go out in the forest here, which is right next to the building. Now I go for a walk in the forest every day, and I know it's good for my body, it's good for the soul."

Life is great when you have a dog to keep you sane.

Friend

2009-03-29T16:53:00.003+10:00

This is one of our friends. She is an Asian house gecko (hemidactylus frenatus). She is on our kitchen window. They hang around and eat insects. They have only been in Australia for about ten years and live in houses, business and wharves. Mandy calls them "friends". They are good and nice. We welcome them into our home.

Life is great when you have friends.

Still Great

2009-03-27T21:10:00.005+10:00

Thanks everyone for your great response about greatness. Honey made an interesting comment,

"Actually, my human is Chinese and she says that in her culture, it is very rude to talk about yourself - everyone should be very humble. But sometimes she thinks that it is good to also be proud of yourself too - not to just put yourself down all the time. I guess it's a balance!"

I think balance is fantastic and it is a benefit of knowing different cultures. We can learn different ways of looking at the world and have a more balanced view. I think that maybe being humble and proud at the same time might be the answer. This sounds contradictory.

We all have gifts given to us by Dog, (or God or the Universe or Nature or whoever it might be). So we can honour these and we are actually honouring Dog, (or God or the Universe or Nature or whoever it might be), which includes everyone. We, therefore, achieve balance not by being in the middle but by having both. This is getting heavy and I am just a young dog so I will leave it there. Keep being great everyone.

This photo is called, "I've got my eye on you."

Life is great when you recognise your own greatness.

Greatness

2009-03-25T14:18:00.003+10:00

"I believe that one cannot have too high an opinion of oneself. If I don't think I'm great, why should anyone else? And since loads of other people think I'm great, I must be onto a winner with this theory."

Clive

Clive is a very profound thinker. Being falsely modest doesn't do anyone any good. If you put yourself down, you are not allowing others to be great. By shinning yourself, you allow others to shine. I think we can all take a leaf out of Clive's book. So here goes; I am beautiful, intelligent, graceful, agile, fast, sociable, friendly, gentle, loyal, popular and enthusiastic. That is enough to begin with.

What is great about you? Please tell me. It will help me to shine bright.

Life is great when you are great.

Comparatively Speaking

2009-03-23T15:05:00.005+10:00

We went to the beach for the day on Saturday and had a great time. I like running in the shallow water but I'm not going to swim in that crazy unpredictable beast they call the ocean. Tim goes in and swims right out. I get worried but he always comes back looking no worse for wear, he looks better actually. There were a couple of golden retrievers to run around with so that was a lot of fun.

There is a programme on TV here called The Biggest Loser, there is a US version and maybe a UK version too. In the show overweight contestants have to lose weight and they can get voted off. Cameron, a middle aged bloke, lost 3.3 kilograms for the week, which is great in the real world but in the contest is nothing special. He was upset and said that it was terrible compared to Bob, also middle-aged, who lost more than 7. Later Bob told a story to everyone. When he was about 14, he got chosen for the hockey team. He played a good game but missed a goal at the end. On Monday, the teacher told him, infront of the class, that he was as bad in the classroom as he was on the hockey field. He never played a team sport again. He also said that he often passed on participating in things because he always saw people who were better than him. He added that if he compared himself to Cameron he would come up short in many areas of life. It was an inspirational story to show the folly of compring yourself to others.

Life is great when you follow your heart and don't compare yourself to other humans or hounds.

How to Care for a Human

2009-03-21T08:29:00.002+10:00

This is a message to all dogs on how to properly look after your people. Obesity is becoming a big problem in many countries so it is important that you take your person for a walk everyday. A person who is well exercised will be healthier and happier. Another problem of modern society is that some people are becoming isolated, so you need to socialise your people. A good place for this is the dog park. Even though it is called a dog park, there are just as many humans as dogs. The people in the dog park are usually not in a hurry and are happy to talk. It is important to show affection to your people as they thrive on this. Affection can be given in many ways; kisses, leaning on them, gazing lovingly at them or simply sitting at their feet. Occasionally it is necessary to give corrections to your people when they step out of line. Foe example, if they are eating something good-smelling and they haven't offered you any, you might have to give them a look which says, "how could you eat in front of me and not give me any when I am clearly starving?"

Having a person or people is a big responsibility. You need to look after them well. Remember; a person isn't just for Christmas.

Life is great when you have people.

5 Minute Post

2009-03-18T08:31:00.002+10:00

I am giving myself just 5 minutes to write this post to see what I will come up with. It might not be too much as it is difficult to type quickly with paws. The problem is I hit the right key but also one or two next to itr. We went to our third agility class last night. It was good because the pace was fast and we got some flow going on the jumps. The instructor is great. He has passion for it, which really comes across. Also he emphasises that it needs to be fun.

Life is great when you are having fun.

Loyalty

2009-03-16T08:51:00.004+10:00

"Marley taught me about living each day with unbridled exuberance and joy, about seizing the moment and following your heart. He taught me to appreciate the simple things- a walk in the woods, a fresh snowfall, a nap in the shaft of winter sunlight. And as he grew old and achy, he taught me about optimism in the face of adversity. Mostly, he taught me about friendship and selflessness and, above all else, unwavering loyalty."

Marley and Me John Grogan

You've all probably heard about Marley. He has touched a lot of people. A lot of dogs are given and killed when they can't find a new home. They are given up because the people move, the dog chews, the people have a baby or the dog is too energetic and uncontrollable. John Grogan and his family expeienced all of these things with Marley. They experienced a lot of trouble and expense and never regretted any of it. Only by accepting a dog as an unconditional member of your pack will you experience the enormous benefits of living with a dog. The dog will still try to give loyalty and affection but the person will not be able to receive. Oh, by the way, the same applies for human-to-human relationships.

This is lying postion number one-hundred and forty-nine.

Life is great when you are stretched out on the sofa.

Licks a.k.a Kisses

2009-03-14T08:58:00.003+10:00

All humans enjoy getting licks from a dog on the face. This is a fact. Most humans pretend that they don't. (It's just a funny human quirk.) Therefore, you must be stealthy. The young are the easiest to access. Some are small enough that you can just walk up and lay your tongue on them. Others are bigger and you need to get onto your hind legs and lick them on the face. This takes some co-ordination but with practice you will get it. Kids absolutely love kisses. You do have to be careful not to knock the little people over. Occasionally, a little person looks like they might be overwhelmed and might cry. In this case it is good to have a human to re-frame the situation. "You got a kiss! You are so lucky!" This always gets them to smile.

Adults pose a problem because of their height. From time to time, you get an adult lower his or her face and say, "kisses," but it is rare. You really need to be an opportunist. For example, there is a 3 month old pup in the dog park, a lady bent down to give pats, I was nearby and lay a big kiss on her. It is important to always be on the look-out. Being on the couch with your people is a good time to get a kiss in. It is a good idea to make hay while the sun shines. If one of my people is lying down, I go in and get lots of kisses in before they have time to escape. I often find my other person will help out by holding down the one lying down so I can get more in. Of course, I am able to get non-face kisses in all the time.

Here is a photo of my big tongue. All the better to lick you with.

Life is great when you are giving kisses.

Are you optimistic or pessimistic about the future?

2009-03-12T09:55:00.002+10:00

I hear a lot of humans talking negatively about the future. Maybe a better question is; are you optimistic or pessimistic about the present? Look around and appreciate what you've got and the future is bound to be brighter.

Life is great when you give thanks for what you have right now.

A beach haiku

2009-03-11T10:08:00.003+10:00

Sun is shining strong

Sand is squeaky under paws

Smells and fun abound

Kenta, one of Tim's Japanese students, gave a presentation on writing haiku. The first and third lines have to have 5 syllables and the middle line has to have 7 syllables. Tim explained it to me and I thought I'd give it a go. Why don't you?

Life is great when you are writing Japanese poetry.

An Adventure

2009-03-09T14:43:00.005+10:00

What an adventure! J1 and J9, our French friends who live in New Caledonia, came and picked us up. We had a short drive, about 20 minutes, and then drove onto a boat. This was one of the many firsts for me and I found it a bit strange but OK. After 40 minutes we drove off at North Stradbroke Island or Straddie as everyone calls it. We drove about another 20 minutes and went into a new house with unfamilar smells. It turns out we didn't know the owners but exchanged money to use the house. I found this somewhat discombobulating (thanks for the word Steph) but I soon got used to it. We heard there was a dog beach somewhere on the island but didn't know where. We wandered 100 metres down the road and there it was. I was running free on the beach. There was white sand, blue ocean and thousands of new smells to explore. Tim ran straight into the water. I followed but stopped at the shoreline. I was unsure about this vast expanse of water which came in and out with a mind of its own. Tim coaxed me in. Which was working until I was in to my shoulders and a wave came in, picked me up and dumped me on the shore. My first dumping. Oh my god! I didn't know what had happened. What did the wave have against me? It was a shock to the system so I ran around and around in big circles to come to terms with the new events. I wouldn't go near this unpredictable mass of liquid but I got my confidence back. I went into the water to half way up my body then did big leaps backward (good exercise by the way) lest another wave came after me. The beach was fantastic. Water, smells, a big expanse to run on and dogs to play with.

J1 and J9 were part of our pack for a few days but now we are home they have gone their separate way. It was great having them in the pack while it lasted. I was just starting to get the hang of French. I gave them big licks on the leg to let them know how I felt about their inclusion in the pack so they called themselves "ice cream." They were planning to go to Fraser Island but changed their plans so we could all go together. Dogs aren't allowed on Fraser Island. They have their own resident dogs; dingoes. There is a big cyclone at Fraser Island so they were happy they changed their plans.

I am now getting over the excitement of all the firsts and relaxing at home. We also saw turtles and dolphins.

Life is great when you are running free on the beach.

On the Move

2009-03-06T07:20:00.004+10:00

Things are happening. Bags are being packed. We are migrating, for a few days anyway. I counted the scoops of dog food and calculated we will be back on Monday. It is a natural thing for us dogs to go walkabout with the pack. I have read that it is for humans as well. Bruce Chatwin wrote in one of his books that being nomadic is natural for humans. When a baby cries, the mother or father picks her up and bouces her up and down. This mimics the motion of an adult walking with a baby and it soothes the baby. I don't know where we are going but I'll give a full report when I get back.

Life is great when you are migrating with the pack.

Agility

2009-03-04T09:22:00.004+10:00

Last night we went to our first class of agility. Agility is a competition for dogs where the dog jumps over jumps, goes through tunnels and weaves through poles. It was just the first class but we went over a jump, through a tunnel, jumped up and stopped on a table and weaved through two poles. The man said that he was there to teach the humans. I must say that my humans are very intelligent and picked it up quickly so we completed them all no trouble. It was great to see lots of dogs there. I saw the more experienced dogs running with speed through all the obstacles. I really wanted to just run up and join them.

This photo isn't from agility but is a suitably active one.

Life is great when you have intelligent humans.

Take Your Time

2009-03-02T16:49:00.006+10:00

Things are pretty laid back in Australia. We don't rush too much. Especially, this Grass Tree (xanthorrhoea johnsonii), which we see on our walk in the forrest. They grow at a rate of 1 centimetre a year, that's a metre a century. This is probably a couple of metres tall. They live to about 600 years old. You can learn more here. They realise that there is no point rushing around madly, much better to get the job done in the end.

Life is great when you take your time.

Learning about Humans

2009-02-28T11:02:00.007+10:00

We are a mixed-species pack. Tim and Mandy often read books about dogs so I thought I should read books to learn how humans work. I picked up a book about NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming.) Mandy is an NLP professional and is excellent at her job. She can help you to quit smoking, to lose weight and with many other things. Check out her websites. The book is called "Using your brain for a change" by Richard Bandler, who is one of the pioneers of NLP. It was an interesting read and an eye-opener. Apparently, what a lot of humans do is have an experience that makes them feel bad and then play it over and over in their mind. They also have something called a sense of humour which allows them to laugh at themselves but usually not for a long time after the event, and in the meantime they prefer to watch the movie again and again and feel bad. Fascinating creatures.

Richard Bandler says that usually when they play the movie and feel bad, they are in their bodies. When they can laugh at themselves is when they are outside their bodies and being an observer. He says;

"The best kind of humor involves looking at yourself in a new way. The only thing that prevents you from doing that with an event right away is not realizing that you can do it. When you get good at it, you can even do it while the event is happening."

I think it is good to look at things from a new perspective. I like to think about things from a human's point of view sometimes. I hear that some dogs actually write blogs under their humans name and pretend they are human. Personally, I think this is taking things too far.

Life is great when you get a new perspective on things.

Your Life is Exotic

2009-02-27T07:15:00.006+10:00

A while ago I posted about a lizard in our backyard and a kangaroo in the forest. People gave more enthusiatic responses than I expected. Of course, Australia is where I was born so it is normal for me. Mandy grew up in England and is very excited about living in a lizard filled country. It is good to be reminded about what is special about where you live. I find dogs running around in snow to be very exotic. We are all exotic to someone. Here is a picture of me under the frangipani tree, which you may or may not find exotic.

If I ever have a problem, there is someone who can help me out. My good friend Taya Micola can help out dogs, humans and other animals with their problems, whether they are near or far. Click on her name and check her out.

Life is great when you are exotic, and we all are.

Street Food

2009-02-25T10:55:00.004+10:00

There is some great street food in Brisbane, for dogs not people. My favourite is apple, either a core or a whole apple if I'm lucky, and I am lucky. Some things are better not mentioning as I know humans tend to have very bourgeois values about such things. This, however, is something you might find pleasing. I saw this big, bright, yellow flowers and had a good snack on the nectar. You can see some yellow on my snout, you might need to enlarge it. It was tasty. Nectar of the Dogs.

Life is great when there are flowers which are both beautiful and tasty.

Enjoy Yourself

2009-02-24T10:19:00.010+10:00

Hello, it is High Priestess Ruby Isabella with the word of Dog. Today's first reading comes from the book of Carol of Black Jack.

"Dogs have a way of figuring out what they like, and then enjoying it to the utmost."

The second reading is in the book of Steph, in which she quotes Anthony Bourdain.

"When you let pleasure control your life and not your life control pleasure, you'll find great passion."

People often think, "I shouldn't be doing this," "I should be doing good for someone else," "if I am enjoying myself, I mustn't be productive or doing good," "what will other people think." Some people think it's character building to be miserable. A happy animal (human, dog or other) will be spreading goodness wherever she goes. So I say, go forth and enjoy yourself.

This is the word of Dog.

Adogs.

Life is great when you figure out what you like and enjoy it to the utmost.

The Sabbath

2009-02-23T08:19:00.006+10:00

Tim took my last post to heart and declared Sunday to be the sabbath. This meant experiencing the day more as a dog and less as a person. So there was no computer, no reading, no listening to the radio and no TV (until 8:30 when a good programme was on, "Cranford." It was the sabbath but we are not fundamentalists.) Instead there was a lot of lying around feeling the peace and serenity of the day. It is a bit similar to Saturday for Jewish people where they cut down on other activities and give the day to Dog (or is it God? I get confused. Are they one and the same or am I just a bit dyslexic?) I also cut out my human activities, that's why there was no post yesterday. Of course, this was no big deal for me and was natural but Tim found it very rewarding and thinks it might be a nascent religion, where I am the high priestess. It is very flattering but I think it might lead to trouble to organise ourselves thus.

Life is great when you are a dog, or at least acting like one.

Doing Nothing

2009-02-21T14:58:00.004+10:00

"When dogs feel serene and pleased with life, they do nothing"

"Primates feel pure flat immobility as boredom, but dogs feel it as peace."
Both from "The Hidden Life of Dogs" Elizabeth Marshall Thomas

I'm not sure if all primates feel like this but it does seem that most people always seem to need to be doing something. A lot of modern technology is designed so that people aren't left alone to be with themselves for any time at all. People seem to fear boredom. They spend their life running from it. They see a dog or another person sitting peacefully and happily and think that she must be bored. Of course, dogs, like people, need to be active and have stimulation. We just don't need it all the time.

Try this; spend the next few minutes (after leaving a witty comment below) doing nothing. Don't think about what you will do or what you have been doing. Don't have expectations for this time. I don't envision that you will achieve enlightenment in that time, that is not the point.

Life is great when you feel serene and pleased with life.

Spel'ng

2009-02-20T13:24:00.003+10:00

Spel'ng en Inglish iz craazi. Y shoold eye foloh soche ahbitry maadnes wen eye kan maak ope meye ohn spel'ng. Hoomans acsept rools, etiket aand convenshon sew ezily. Ten agen, dogs hav meny rools, etiket aand convenshons two. Eet iz good because then everyone nose where they stand. We are both a pack of animals.... I mean pack animals. So, isle continue to follow convention. If you do see Miss Take in my writing, it is not her at all but me being creative.

This is a rainbow lorikeet having breakfast in our front garden. They are very beautiful and I hear they are good spellers too.

Life is great when you share it with parrots.

I Love Cats

2009-02-19T10:45:00.007+10:00

But I couldn't eat a whole one.

(JOKE! Just a joke, I promise.)

I really am fond of cats as friends. I was neglected a fair bit in my early life- before Tim and Mandy got me from the RSPCA- but I did live with a cat and we got on well. I got on better with the cat than the other dog. These days I get to socialise with people and dogs a lot but not with cats. Today, I was calm on the lead saying hello to this one. Often, when I see a cat, I, as Tim and Mandy put it, I "go bananas." To the observer and possibly the cat, it may appear that I might want to attack the cat but nothing could be further from the truth. I am desperate to say g'day and play with the cat. I only want to make a new friend. So remember; things aren't always as they seem. Someone who you perceive to be your foe could really be your friend.

Some people and dogs are anti-cats or "don't get" cats. They are different from us but that doesn't mean we can't share a lot with them. Just look at the adorable Miss Kitty. We don't have to be a person-dog or a cat-dog, we can enjoy the company of all animals. I found a nice water-dragon lizard to play with on the walk this morning. I think I might have scared him a bit as he ran off and hid. Occasionally, I am misunderstood.

Life is great when you enjoy all creatures great and small.

Movement

2009-02-18T10:25:00.009+10:00

We had a bit of everything on our walk this morning. We started in cloud, then rain, followed by sunshine. We walked and we jogged/trotted. We chased the ball on the rugby field. It is such a great feeling to be moving. Moving slowly and steadily, I can get a nice rhythm going. I can feel the blood pumping around my body, the ground underpaw, my muscles extend and contract. It feels that there is no end and no beginning once I am in my pace. Chasing the ball, I can feel the wind in my fur, the scenery blurred, the adrenaline flowing, my muscles at full stretch and exertion, the air flowing in and out. I speed up and the world slows down. My eyes are on the ball alone. My stride and movements get in time with the ball. I time it perfectly so I grab it on the bounce. I feel exhilaration as I slow down naturally and gradually, instead of putting on the brakes as I do when I miss the ball. I hear Tim in the distance yell, "Rrrrrrruuubyyyy."

Life is great when you are in full stride.

The Meaning of Life

2009-02-17T10:56:00.009+10:00

Yesterday, I was lying on the floor next to the sofa contemplating the meaning of life, Tim was on the sofa doing the same thing and Mandy was out seeing a client. I was getting close to a definitive answer when suddenly I heard Mandy's voice right next to us. I jumped up and gave her an enthusiatic greeting with lots of licks and tail and whole body wags. It is the first time she has snuck in without me realising. (She claims she did no sneaking.) Tim hadn't realised as well until she scratched him gently on the head. I usually hear the car or the back gate or something. Anyway, the meaning of life no longer seemed important compared to Mandy's return.

"Everybody's life really consists of small things."
"A New Earth" Eckhart Tolle

Life is great when your beloved pack member returns home.

What is it Like to be a Dog?

2009-02-16T09:58:00.004+10:00

It's great. For more details, I have to ask, what is it like to be a human? Because the question really means, what are the differences between a person and a dog? Or between a gold fish and a dog, if it is a gold fish asking the question. Canine-human communication sometimes is unproductive because we do not respect the differences. We assume the other is just like us. At other times we don't acknowledge the similarities and underestimate the other. "They are dim-witted, easy to manipulate, don't really know what is going on and you need to punish them so they know who is boss." This is really what some dogs think. So to get on and communicate well, we need to recognise that there are similarities and differences but not to have preconceived ideas. We need to be open to the unexpected otherwise we never see it.

Oh yeah... the same goes for dog-dog and person-person relationships.

The sun is out and we've been for a walk. This photo is called, "Oh, you finally brought the camera out."

Life is great when you are open-minded.

Rain, Rain, Rain

2009-02-14T08:45:00.004+10:00

We have had a day and a half of drizzle. It is quite unusual for us. We are grateful for any rain we get. There is nothing to be done but to curl up in bed. Tim had to work all day yesterday. (This is usual for most humans but not for him.) So I missed my morning walk but Mandy took me out in the afternoon in the rain. Aren't I lucky?

Q: Why do they call me Ruby?

A: Because I am well-read.

I have been reading "James Herriot's Favourite Dog Stories." He is (was?) a vet in Yorkshire, England. Mandy says he is famous in England and there was a TV series called "All Creatures Great and Small" about him. The stories are very glee-filled stories and just the thing for lifting your spirits on a rainy day. Now, let's hope Tim and/or Mandy will take me for a walk despite the inclement weather.

Life is great when you are going for a walk in the rain.

Fame

2009-02-12T11:23:00.005+10:00

"FAME! I am going to live forever. Baby, remember my name.
From Fame, the 80's TV show.

My life consists of walks (2 a day), meals (2 a day), pats (uncountable), lying positions (uncountable), playing with dogs in dog park (about 6 to 12 dogs), chasing the ball or frisbee (once a day), blogging (most days), sniffing out biscuits my people hide in the house (most days) and miscellaneous. Maybe, I should be making something of myself. Like the dog in "Marley and Me." People are always telling me how good looking I am. I could star in a movie. Or I could be a model. Look at the winning smile I have in this photo. I've got the moves. I know Henry hangs out with the likes of Posh Spice He could get me a start. Tim and Mandy are talking about taking me to agility class. Maybe, I could be world champion. Maybe, I could become the most influential dog blogger in the world. I could be like Oprah, anything I recommended would become a best-seller.....oh, bloody hell! I've been sucked into human-like thinking. I love my life with my people and my friends. I am a lucky dog. I think I will just continue to enjoy everyday.

Life is great when you are a lucky dog

What To Do If a Human Is Choking

2009-02-11T10:37:00.004+10:00

This is important information. A couple of months ago Tim and Mandy were drinking tea. (They drink a lot of tea as Mandy used to be British.) Mandy said something and Tim started laughing and then began choking. (I don't know how you can choke on laughter but he did it.) He jumped up, walked around a bit and then leant over a table. Mandy went over to him and started patting him on the back. Eager to help a pack member in obvious distress, I went and added my paws to Mandy's hands. With our combined effort, Tim regained his breathing and things went back to normal. If Mandy hadn't been there, I wouldn't have known what to do. So I thought I should inform all the hounds out there, just in case.

This is lying position number 97. You can see the teapot in the foreground.

Life is great when you are helping out your pack.

The Power of the Walk

2009-02-10T10:28:00.005+10:00

"Don't go thinking and thinking and thinking so much 'til you are losing your mind......You're twisted so tight now you can hardly talk. Get out in the daylight and go for a walk."
Thinkin' Steve Forbert

Thanks to a change in Tim's work schedule, I go for two walks most days, in the morning with Tim and the afternoon with Mandy. Dogs need to go for a walk everyday. We need to see and smell the world. We need stimulation. We need to feel the blood flowing through our body. It is a great bonding time with our pack. If we don't go for a walk, we get stressed and go a bit crazy. Then we can be labeled "bad dogs."

It seems to me that walking is equally therapeutic and necessary for humans. As Steve Forbert is saying in his song, it is a chance to forget your troubles and be in the moment. The repetitive action of walking is a type of meditation. It is such a simple, satisfying and lasting joy. You feel the blood flow down into your paws (or feet) and everything starts to flow better.

One of the benefits of a person having a dog is that it forces him/her (hopefully) to go for a walk. Even if you don't have a dog, I say go for a walk. Some people are a bit cut off from nature. Even if you are in an urban jungle, walking as an activity is nature itself and you're bound to get some glimpses of trees and grass.

I could go on and on. There are many benefits of walking I haven't touched on so maybe you, hounds and humans, can tell me the benefits of your walks.

Life is great when you are going for a walk.

Why do dogs have people?

2009-02-09T11:16:00.005+10:00

"It has been shown that owning a dog reduces high blood pressure by about ten points, reduces the risk of heart attack, and actually increases life span. These benefits do not come about simply because owners are forced to take more exercise when they walk their dogs. They are attributable to stress reduction. By focusing some of our attention on pets, we're able to cast off some of our nown anxieties. I sometimes wonder, though, whether our own neediness doesn't add to our pets burdens. It seems quite possible that troubled and neurotic owners might unwittingly adversely affect their pet's well-being."

If Only They Could Speak Nicholas H. Dodman

So why don't a pack of dogs at the dog park get together and plan an escape? They could go bush and escape their people's neuroses for good. The answer is the same as to why humans don't run from their neurotic families. (Of course, they do and should if it is bad enough.) We (humans and dogs) are all pack animals. We love the good and the bad of our pack. We don't even label it, "good" and "bad". We stick by them. We are there when they need us. People and dogs can be treated cruelly in their family/pack and this is very sad. But everyone is doing the best they can and, generally, it is a mix of good and bad, and I believe mostly good. So us dogs get a lot from our relationship from humans. The better off they are, the better off we are. And vice versa. The goal of the whole thing is to spread the love.

This is a picture of me eating a carrot. They are tasty, great to chew and they keep my teeth clean.

Life is great when you spread the love.

A Friend

2009-02-08T10:10:00.010+10:00

We had a friend visit our backyard yesterday. She was a blue-tongued skink, a type of lizard. I greeted her respectfully and then told Tim. He got the camera and took this photo. She is about 40 cm long. Yesterday, Tim saw a kangaroo in the woods. I heard something but didn't see him. Tim just got a glimpse of the tail as he bounded away. I was on the lead, otherwise I might have investigated. I think It is this fondness for enquiring about the wildlife that caused me to be on the lead.

Life is great when you are visited by a blue-tongued skink.

The Future Economy

2009-02-06T10:04:00.002+10:00

I jumped into my Hoobers Mobile and whizzed back to 2323. For those who came in late, I have built a time machine and go to 2323, where the dogs have fingers and thumbs and are the dominant species.

"Hey, Ruby! You're back!" Wally greeted me with a whole body wag. He invited me in and we sat down for a cup of tee. We talked about the current state of the world for a while.

"The news is coming on. You can learn about things there."

He turned on the 3D TV and there was a Golden Retriever reading the news.

"Latest figures show that we are enjoying the second month of economic slow down. We are now officially in recession and all over the country people are having recession parties."

Images of dogs frolicking filled the living room.

"Your reaction to a recession is a little different to 2009. Why is everyone so happy?"

"Why wouldn't we be happy? We now work less."

"Aren't people losing their jobs?"

"No. Everyone's hours and pay are cut."

"Isn't it hard to make ends meet?" I asked.

"No. Everyone knew this was going to happen. It is what always happens. It is part of the cycle. We prepare for it during boom times and those who didn't prepare so well don't mind getting by on less. Oh look it's our prime minister, Brenda."

The mixed-breed dog said, "the government has done a good job of stymying economic growth, which was getting out of control. Australian working families are now playing families as well as being working families."

"Come on! Let's join in the fun." Wally exclaimed.

We ran out his front door to see the street full of hounds. Sally, the Dachshund, was rolling around with a Terrier. A fat Golden Lab was throwing a ball. A pack of dogs were chasing and it always seemed to be a Cattle Dog Cross who got it. The ball rolled past us and Wally picked it up and ran in the other direction. All the dogs ran after the Beagle and I joined them. After a good while, we were all knackered and lay under a try. A Bulldog came out with tea for everyone. It was a thoroughly enjoyable recession. I bid farewell to everyone and promised to be back soon.

Life is great when you have time to play.

Lying position number 134

2009-02-05T09:52:00.006+10:00

When you're lying around waiting for walks or food, philosophising, listening out for action or simply and solely lying, it is important to be in a comfortable position. Of course, each lying position is good for a different purpose. This is a good one that you can comfortably stay in for a long time and still see and hear what is going on. It is relatively easy to get up and check out kitchen activity or make sure the noisy miners are behaving themselves in the back yard.

I can feel a trip to the future coming.

Life is great when you are lying in position number 134.

Yowie

2009-02-03T12:53:00.003+10:00

We were visiting Bill, our 95 year old neighbour (that's 13 in dog years), he is very interesting and tells us about the old days. He lent us a book about Oxley, the part of Brisbane where he grew up. He is mentioned in the book. It is called, "Oxley! A Mind of Its Own. A History of a Suburb with Attitude, 1850-1950" It is written by Ralph Fones. Here is an extract;

"It is likely that prior to and during white settlement, that hominids frequented the local area. In other districts around Brisbane, such as Springbrook and Kenmore there have been sightings of hominids- gorilla-like primates, some eight feet (2.5m.) tall and often referred to by Aborigines as 'Yowies'. They were considered 'omnivorous, nocturnal and territorial creatures', had a highly distinctive odour, and not very fond of dogs. White settlers had observed them around Sydney Cove as early as 1795... Increased heavy development of the area most likely forced this creature further and further into the scrub."

I have heard of Yowies before but never heard them described as "likely" in a seriuos book. I thought they were made up to scare pups in the dog park. The troubling part is, "not very fond of dogs." He doesn't explain what this actually means. Does it mean that they are more cat people? Or is it something more sinister that doesn't bear thinking about? Next time I am in the woods, I am going to be very attentive for a "distinctive odour." You never know Tim might get a photo (if he is not busy retreating.)

This photo is called, "Do you smell a distictive odour?"

Life is great when you don't see an eight-foot creature who is not very fond of dogs.

Words, words, words

2009-02-02T15:49:00.004+10:00

Don't humans love words. Be it big ones like "anthropomorphism," little ones like "a" and "to" or medium ones like...."medium." (By the way, why is "abreviation" such a big word?) They are forever talking, reading, wathching the TV or listening to the radio or music, which usually contain words. They even have lots of technology to make sure that they are never far from words. They spend very little time not using words. I think that is one reason that thay enjoy spending time with dogs, cats and other animals. Dogs can understand a few words and on the rare occasion even learn to speak a few but that's it (apart from blogging of course.) Words can be very useful and a lot of fun but they can also confuse and mislead. Become too caught up with words and you can lose sight of what is real, for words do not contain any truth in themselves but point in the direction of a truth. Whereas, you can not lie to a dog. We can not be fooled with fancy words or ideas.

Life is great when you are lost for words.

Relax

2009-01-31T11:57:00.006+10:00

I am a bit tired from time travel and contemplating the nature of time. So I am just taking it easy. Someone said that Mercury is in retrograde so it is a time of low energy, activity and creativity. I don't know about such things but it is a good excuse to go with my feeling take it easy; not that an excuse is really necessary but it does help.

Life is great when you are getting some shut eye.

Now

2009-01-30T09:47:00.031+10:00

No matter where you go, there you are. No matter what time you travel to, there you are; in the present. Zooming back and forth in time gives one an appreciation of the present. After all, that is all we have. We can anticipate the future and reminisce about the past but the only living we can do is in the now. Us dogs are good at that.

This is from Dogs Don't Bark When a Growl Will Do by Matt Weinstein and Luke Barber.

"I can’t imagine my dogs thinking about their next meal while they’re eating this one. They are too all-consumed in loving the meal they are having right now. The same is true of everything that they do. But this ability to be “in the now” is certainly not limited to our dogs. We can develop this same kind of awareness of being present for our life as it moves from moment to moment."

This was posted at Confessions Of A Wandering Soul, you can read a lot more of it there.

If Tim and Mandy find themselves discussing a future meal while eating a meal, they will say, "We are Terry Mulligan." Terry is Tim's father, a fantastic bloke who is loved by all. I love Tim's parents, (dogs are a good judge of character. This is discussed in the blog above.) He has a reputation for planning several meals ahead and discussing the next meal while eating that one. I think most humans can be guilty of this. Of course, there is much that can be achieved by planning ahead. It is good to see the bigger picture. Humans are good at this, but you can not neglect the present. That is where we live. Remember to be in the present.

This photo is called, "Alert But Not Alarmed."

Life is great when you are in the moment.

Que sera, sera

2009-01-29T11:16:00.007+10:00

Time travel raises some questions which are hard to get your mind around. I have been to the future and seen that there are no beagle prime ministers until at least 2323. Does this mean that the Dughallmor Beagles need to give up on their dream of being prime minister? If the answer is yes, that means that the future is set and we are just going along for the ride. What about free will? The answer is that the future is not set and we do have free will. But I have been to the future. One answer is that there are many worlds. So there is a future where one of the Dughallmor Beagles is PM. (I wonder which one?) So we have complete free will to create our own reality.

I think our concept of time changes things. "Time Travel for Beginners" by Mary and John Gribbin explains how time is the fourth dimension. The past, present and future all exist at the same time. We move along time like we move through space. We are in the present the same way that we are here. I did not meet any other time travellers on my journey but the future hounds treated me like we would someone from Chile, China or Cameroon. Another traveller from an exotic far away place or time.

If you are completely baffled, confused and bewildered, I'm not surprised as I am too. I am new to time travel.

Life is great when it is a mystery.

A party

2009-01-28T10:01:00.004+10:00

I arrived in 2323 on a warm, sunny day. I climbed out of the Hoobers Mobile and I immediately saw a beagle. This beagle had the front paws like human hands I described the other day. He had four bent over humans with scoop hands following him. He came over and gave an enthusiastic greeting. I noticed his front paws and thought it polite not to stare. He noticed my front paws and guffawed heartily. When he calmed down, it took a while, I explained I was from 2009. He immediately took me home and gave me food and drink.

His name is Wally. I was interested to find out that he is a human trainer. He trains them for TV and movies, as well as helping dogs who are having trouble with their people.

"I love people. They are so cute. They're also intelligent. The key to training them is to find out what motivates them. Most of them are very food focused. You have to be careful not to let them put on weight."

That night he took me to a party to celebrate that Australia had just elected its first mongrel prime minister. Brenda was extremely popular and provided real hope after the less than successful prime ministership of Garry, the cocker spaniel. Wally made a point of saying that there had been many good cocker spaniel world leaders in the past. I asked Wally if there had been any beagle prime ministers.

"No. We are not good at towing the party line. There have been many famous comedians, entrepreneurs, artists and in many other fields but we're not good at politics."

We walked in to the party and it was packed with all breeds and mongrels. There were a couple of humans sitting quietly in the corner. Wally introduced me around and gave stern words to anyone who sniggered or stared at my paws. A dachshund came bounding up to me.

"Hi. I'm Sally. I hear you're from the past. How marvelous. How did the people treat you? I love people. I have two myself. They are such fun. You must come around and meet them. Isn't Brenda wonderful? She has really united Australia and the world. We have such a responsibility being the world power. I think she will restore our reputation. Thank god Garry has gone. Do pop round. I live just across the road."

I had a great time and was touched with the hospitality I received.

Life is great when you are warmly welcomed.

The future!

2009-01-26T16:12:00.005+10:00

I did it! I built my time machine, the Hoobers Mobile and went to the future. (I will tell you about the science another day.) I promised the future beings that I wouldn't tell anyone about the future because of how it might affect things. So I am going to keep my word and only tell my loyal readers. Before going any further, you have to promise not tell anyone...... Say it out loud......... Now say it like you mean it........ OK. That's good enough. Where do I start? I went to 2323. First, I have to give you some history; their history, our future. In 2113, a virus spread throughout all of humanity. There were no fatalities but it caused all fingers and thumbs to close together and have very limited movement. Humans could no longer fly planes, perform surgery, run companies or use a blackberry. They returned to a simpler life of growing food. Over the generations, their hands became like scoops and they were bent over from digging.

Suddenly there was a power vacuum and dogs started to organise through blogging, humans had abandoned their computers. Through constant blogging on a human keyboard their paws began to change. The front paws developed fingers and the dew claw turned into a fully operational thumb. Dogs took over the role of humans, (someone had to.) They became businessmen, artists, cleaners, politicians (someone had to), engineers, etc. Each dog pack kept a human or two and nearly always looked after them well. It was only then that humans realised how advanced canine communiction was and how intelligent dogs were.

Now you have caught up a bit, I will explain what I saw there in a future post. I will add that the future dog society highly revere the early dog bloggers.

Life is great when you can travel in time.

On Happiness

2009-01-25T21:00:00.003+10:00

Happy again! Oh the joy of it all, I'm happy again!

"I just don't understand how animal experts maintain that dogs are physically incapable of smiling and that humans anthropomorphise their simple muscle reflex into emotion. Have these experts no soul? Not only can dogs smile, they do so in a range that extends coyly mischievous to shot-fox ecstasy. Sometimes within milliseconds." Murray Walden "Confessions of a Dog's Godfather" in Acts of Dog. Edited by Debra Adelaide.

See a different happy, smiling Ruby.

Life is great when you are smiling.

On Melancholy

2009-01-24T16:43:00.003+10:00

Often I am full of the joys of life. Sometimes I have a deep feeling of contentment. At other times I feel a bit down in the dumps. When this happens, I just allow myself to be like that and go with it. Fighting it only prolongs it and turns it into something worse.

Life is great when you allow yourself to feel what you are feeling.

A Walk in the Woods with Pictures

2009-01-23T15:14:00.012+10:00

We went for another walk in the woods and, as promised, here are some pictures. This is a dry eucalypt forest. Just outside Brisbane there are also rainforests, which are very different. They are obviously wetter and more lush. Some day I will put up pictures of them.

Tim found it difficult to take a photo of the forest because all he could see was the trees. Feasting your eyes on the green, listening to the sounds and soaking up the atmosphere is certainly good for the soul.

I am making good progress on my rocket ship/time machine. I am going to name it the "Hoobers Mobile." I will keep you updated.

Life is great when you are in nature.

Time Travel

2009-01-22T10:51:00.003+10:00

I have been reading Time Travel for Beginners by Mary and John Gribbin. It outlines how time travel is scientifically possible, in language a lay dog can understand. All we need to do is travel at close to the speed of light. I am an extremely fast runner but even at my fastest I can't get enough speed up. So I have been thinking about how I might do it. If my blog suddenly stops one day, it means I have cracked it and I am living in the future.

"He is a lazy dog who never bothered about mathematics at all." This quote from the book was made about Albert Einstein by Minkowski, Einstein's professor at university. So if someone calls you "lazy", take it as a compliment. If someone calls you a "lazy dog," take it as a very high compliment. If we are going to come up with something great, we need time to cogitate.

This photo is called, "Cogitating about Time Travel," or "Fangs for the Support."

Life is great when you have a pair of fangs.

I'm a writer

2009-01-21T13:06:00.009+10:00

What's the difference between me and Charles Dickens? Charles Dickens didn't go up and lick strangers. (As far as I know.) The point is we are both writers. He got more praise and recognition but I'm still a writer. For a quite a while, I have wanted to be a writer but things have held me back. I didn't think I was good enough. I didn't know what to write. It is really hard to get published. I am a dog. All of these things were obstacles in my mind only.

Now I am a writer with readers. If I were a famous writer, the process of writing would be the same. Therefore, I can be happy that I am a

writer and enjoy it, just as I would if I had published many books. So I would like to thank my readers and all those who have left comments. I am very grateful that I have the opportunity to write.

If you want to do something, do it. There is always an opportunity, it just might not be in the form you have imagined.

These photos are called, "Under the Table 1" and "Under the Table 2."

Life is great when you are lying under a table.

Contemplation

2009-01-20T10:58:00.001+10:00

It is good to have time to contemplate the big questions of life... or just stare aimlessly into the middle distance. There is such a fine line between the two. Oh well, they are both worthwhile.

Life is great when you are contemplating.

Leash Laws

2009-01-19T11:03:00.006+10:00

What is this photo missing? A happy dog running joyfully around. However, that would make the dog and the dog's person outlaws. As dogs are only allowed off-leash in fenced off-leash parks in Brisbane (except for one place on the other side of the city next to a creek). Plenty of dogs do break the law here. In Sydney, where Tim's parents live, it is different. Most parks have times when dogs are allowed off-leash. There is a great big park where dogs are allowed off-leash. We can walk 6 kilometres there off-leash. An energetic dog like me needs a wide open space to run and chase the ball. When dogs are always behind fences, it makes people, particularly children, scared of dogs. It is better if they learn to interact and co-exist with us.

However, it is not a simple issue. When Tim was about 12, he was bitten by a German Shepherd while running in a park. The person only said, "he doesn't normally do that," and kept walking. When it is against the law to walk your dog without a lead, the person and dog probably tend to be more responsible when they do flout the law.

Also, the dog parks are very social places. Tim, Mandy and I have lots of friends there. There is a man who can't work due to a bad back. He took his neighbour's dog down when they were on holiday. He loved it because he met so many people and continues to bring the dog down even though her owners have returned. Some people say they prefer it this way (fenced dog parks) as it is more social.

When Tim and Mandy were discussing having a place by the creek off-leash, Tim said, "they could get rid of the bike paths." He then laughed at himself as he is a keen cyclists and believes strongly in bike paths. How quickly our allegiances can change! Sometimes, it is very easy to see things from our perspective and difficult to see them from others. I think dogs should be allowed off-lead in all parks but I am a dog so I would say that.

Life is great when you are running free.

A Walk in the Woods

2009-01-18T14:21:00.004+10:00

I went for a walk in the woods today. Tim didn't take his camera so you will have to imagine them. They look nothing like these woods which Minnie-Moo was in. We are in Australia so they were full of gum (eucalyptus) trees. The important thing is that we were surrounded by trees which has a magical effect. I could sense Tim relax and become energised as the walk went on as I did. By the end of the walk I could feel communication was easy between us. We had a go at the obstacle course in the dog park, which was fun. It was easy to know what Tim wanted.

Here is the advice of Elizabeth Marshall Thomas in The Social Lives of Dogs to humans about training dogs, "My second suggestion would be to relax. Dogs are extremely sensitive to human tension, especially when they themselves are the cause." I think this is great advice for relationships between all beings.

For more nature, check out this flower at Profoundly Inarticulate.

Life is great when you go for a walk in the woods.

You Can't Lie to a Dog

2009-01-17T09:45:00.003+10:00

I love people and people love me. Occasionally I meet someone who is indifferent to me. That's fair enough, I don't take it personally. Sometimes I meet someone who really likes me but pretends not to. (I am not going to name names.) I think they have intellectual ideas about how dogs should be treated and do their best to ignore their real feelings. But we can sense them as clear as day.

Humans seem fond of pretending. Dogs do it too. The thing is that it is really difficult to fool a dog. So if a person is fond of me but pretending otherwise then I will just ignore the pretense. The same if someone is pretending to be friendly but has feelings to the contrary. I have a question about humans; is it easy for them to fool one another?

This photo is called, "Waiting for Mandy."

Life is great when you are young and a dog.

Humans, the intelligent species?

2009-01-14T09:49:00.004+10:00

A lot of non-human animals out there will find this a very baffling notion. They see humans as having dull senses and very poor observational skills. But I say, just look at some human inventions, such as television, yo-yos and twenty20 cricket. To investigate this anomaly let's look at Clever Hans.

Clever Hans was a horse that was taught to do difficult mathematics. He would stamp his foot to give the correct answer. It turned out he was picking up on subtle body language from the humans around him to know when to stop stamping his foot and give the correct answer. He couldn't do maths at all.

Elizabeth Marshall Thomas makes a good point about Hans in The Social Lives of Dogs, "Today his name is synonymous with hoax and fraud, since few seem willing to acknowledge that, as the only one in the barn who noticed the various, extremely subtle signals in the body language of questioners, he proved himself to be a better observer than the most prominent scientists of the day."

It is not that humans are less intelligent, it is just that they have a different intelligence. Because they are sometimes wrapped up in their thoughts, ideology, worries, selves and stress, they can appear to be a few kangaroos short in the top paddock. Yet they show flashes of genius. So the jury is still out.

Life is great when you go on a morning walk.

Black Dog

2009-01-13T10:51:00.004+10:00

"Today on Life Matters, we are going to be discussing what it is like living with a black dog." Tim stopped doing the dishes, cocked his head slightly. He knows all about living with a black dog. "Life with depression." What? I was somewhat baffled. Apparently "black dog" is a euphemism for depression. Do I looked depressed? Do I look likely to make someone depressed? What about Minnie-Moo? What about Black Jack? I guess it could be ironic, like calling someone with red hair "Bluey" or a quiet person "Rowdy" as we do in Australia. Or maybe it is meant as a cure for depression. By the way, I can think of a lot of good uses for a white elephant.

Life is great when you have a great, big tongue.

More Action

2009-01-12T19:31:00.007+10:00

Here are some action shots of me taken this morning. That is a plastic water bottle I have in my mouth. I love picking up things I find and running around with glee. The next one is me leaping for the boucy pink ball. In the bottom one, my tail is

helping me take a sharp right.

It is important to be active. You feel the blood rushing around your body. You know you are alive. You don't need to zoom around like I do. Simply walking does the trick.

Dogs love moving and being active, well nearly all dogs do. I have met the odd podgy hound who would prefer to lie, even in the dog park. Some humans make exercising into a chore. They see it as something they should do but would rather not, like leaving food on the footpath because your person says to. Humans are as much animals as we are. You are not machines or anything. You were born to move, to be active. So get out there and do something you love.

Homecoming

2009-01-11T14:50:00.004+10:00

I am lying on the sofa. Just in a dreamy state, half way between asleep and awake. I hear, "beep, beep." I am up! She's home! I ran down to the back gate with glee. Tim follows some way behind. Tim finally gets there and opens the gate. I ran out and Mandy is in the car. She opens the door, I leap in and give her licks. We reverse up the driveway together, this is so that there is no chance I will get run over. Or I'm lying around on the back deck around the time Tim is due. I hear something at the back gate, I look up and there he is. I run down in an exuberant fashion. I immediately give him leg licks. He walks his bike up the drive and I lick each calf with each step. Oh, the joy of the pack back together again! How do you greet pack members on their return. I recommend you run to them with great enthusiasm.

How to Prove Yourself Right

2009-01-10T09:24:00.004+10:00

Or "To Come or Not to Come."

To prove yourself right, simply come up with a belief and then conduct an experiment with this belief firmly in mind. Let me give you an example. I am a good dog. When I am called to come, I come.* Anyway, my people and I came to a good understanding fairly quickly. Then something happened and Tim lost his confidence. Maybe I didn't come straight away one time and then it snowballed. Tim took me to the dog park when nobody else was there and said, "come." But his tone of voice, body language and thoughts all said, "don't come." What is a dog to do? I didn't go to him. I couldn't go to him. I couldn't disobey him. He didn't think I would come and he successfully proved himself right. The universe is very compliant in this respect. It kindly bends to conform to our deepest beliefs and expectations. Now, it is all sorted out and I go to my people every time.*

* Unless something really interesting is going on nearby.

Trees

2009-01-09T10:39:00.002+10:00

Here is a picture of me. I am the black dot at the bottom. Aren't trees amazing? It's great to be around trees and soak up their energy and spirit.

Don't underestimate your dog!

2009-01-07T10:39:00.003+10:00

Here is an extract from Barbara Smuts about her dog, Safi, in J.M.Coetzee's book, The Lives of Animals;

"From the instant of our first meeting, I experienced her as a wild animal possessed by an instinctual wisdom akin to that of my baboons. Because I had so much respect for her intelligence, I did not consider it necessary to "train" her. Instead, I discuss all important matters with her, in English, repeating the phrases and sentences over and over in particular circumstances to facilitate her ablility to learn my language. She understands (in the sense of responding appropriately to) many English phrases, and she, in turn, has patiently taught me to understand her language of gestures and postures."

I often hear, "dogs don't understand English." What nonsense! A person says, "sit" and a dog sits. Therefore, the dog understands at least one English word. It is arguable how much English a dog can understand. But we are very intuitive and can also understand a lot from body language, picking up on energy and mind reading.

Mandy said, "Where's Tim?" and I went to Tim. Tim was a bit sceptical at first. Now he is beginning to understand that I understand a lot. People can be a bit slow to catch on sometimes but dogs, don't underestimate people. They are actually very intelligent.

So, in conclusion, dogs don't underestimate people. People don't underestimate dogs. Dogs don't underestimate dogs. People don't estimate people. Most importantly, don't underestimate yourself!

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are younot to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

Marianne Williamson

A Dog-Being

2009-01-06T10:25:00.006+10:00

Dogs, can you imagine what it is like to be a human? Humans, can you imagine what it is like to be a dog? In the book The Lives of Animals by J.M. Coetzee, the main character Elizabeth Costello addresses this question but about bats and people;

What is it like to be a bat? Before we can answer such a question, Nagel suggests, we need to be able to experience bat-life through the sense-modalities of a bat. But he is wrong... To be a living bat is to be full of being; being fully a bat is like being fully human, which is also to be full of being. Bat-being in the first case and human-being in the second....To be full of being is to live as a body-soul. One name for the experience of full being is joy.

As we are all beings with a soul, of course we can put ourselves in anothers paws, hooves, fins or shoes. There is a big human word, anthropomorphism, to describe people putting human qualities onto animals. Of course, a dog wants to be treated and thought of as a dog. But some people seem to think that animals do not have souls and are somehow inferrior, almost robot like. I say all animals have a soul and all animals are equal. And no animals are more equal than others. Not even dogs. Not even fast, intelligent, good-looking dogs.

Watching Grass Grow

2009-01-02T20:41:00.003+10:00

We have had lots of rain and lots of sun this summer in the subtropics. As a result, watching grass grow is quite interesting. It is certainly faster moving than cricket. As a result, dogs are disappearing. A dog lies down in the dog park and you can only see his or her head, as though he or she is doing dog paddle. It is good after having brown grass for a long, long time. All my life there have been water restrictions. I have heard about a time when people used hoses to water their grass and garden. Imagine that! So hooray for the rain! The thunder is a little scary though.

It's frisbeetastic!

2008-12-31T12:34:00.004+10:00

There will be no photos today so I will rely on your imagination. First, picture a new, green, flexible frisbee. Then, me. There are lots of photos on other posts so that will be easy. Now, Tim and Mandy. Feel free to see them however you want, any size, shape, age or race. They don't mind, but attractive is better than not. Now, one rugby field surrounded by trees on three sides and a quiet suburban road on one. Add, one hot summers day just before the sun sets and it has cooled down a fair bit. Feel free to embelish it with anything which might add to the scene.

Tim and Mandy start by throwing the frisbee to me. I charge after it, coming to terms with the flight of this new object. I then pick up and run around with glee at my new possession. Then Tim and Mandy throw it to each other and I run back and forth and pounce on it when it missed its target, which was quite often as they are new to frisbee throwing. Now, imagine a tail wagging, smiling and laughing. This bit of rubber provided us with a whole heap of joy. It is proving challenging catching the frisbee but I have done it a few times. There is a border collier in the dog park who can do amazing leaps to catch a frisbee. I say go out and get a frisbee. If you're a dog, convince your person. If you're a person without a dog do it anyway, as Tim and Mandy enyoyed it a lot.

A New Pack Leader

2008-12-29T07:38:00.003+10:00

The good people and dogs of the United States of America chose themselves a new pack leader a little while ago. His name is Bark Obama....or is it Barack? Anyway, Tim got out his book Dreams from My Father from the library. (I don't know why but they won't let dogs take out books. I guess we like to chew things sometimes.) It is about his childhood until about his late twenties. It is very well written and insightful. I think he will be an excellent pack leader. He is intelligent, compassionate and he thinks about the whole pack from every perspective. I heard just after he was elected that he was going to let a dog elect him. He wanted to get a pound dog but he or someone in his family is allergic so they needed a hypoallergenic dog. As he said they probably needed a pure breed for this reason and that "pound dogs are usually mutts, like me." I too am a mutt.

All Action

2008-12-27T13:37:00.007+10:00

There are a lot of photos of me lying around on this blog. It is a past time I do often and I am good at it. However, I really enjoy being active as well. I subscribe to the Buddhist philosophy; when lying, just lie. When sitting, just sit. When waiting eagerly for the ball to be thrown, just wait eagerly for the ball to be thrown. When chasing the ball, just chase the ball. You can see my whole dogness is one hundred per cent aimed at getting the ball. My tail is streamlined and my ears are positioned for maximum lift. One day I might just fly. It is important to be one with the ball. There is no dog, no ball, no person throwing, no field. Everything is one.

Of course it is much easier for Tim and Mandy to take photos of me at zero kilometres per hour but I will try and encourage them to take more action shots.

The Da Ruby Code

2008-12-25T11:05:00.004+10:00

Merry Christmas everyone! Now let me tell the parts of the Christmas story they do not want you to know. I have pieced this story together after hours and hours of painstaking research, mostly in the dog park. First of all, you know the shepherds who were present at the birth of Jesus. They were dogs. Their job was to protect the sheep. Like a much earlier version of the German Shepherd. Also, Jesus was not born in a manger, he was born in a dog boarding kennel. Everyone had to go back to their hometown for the census and some people couldn't take their dogs so it was very full. There were not sheep, cows and pigs there but many different breeds of dogs. In Aramaic, Jesus means "hound like." Do you think it is a coincidence the God spelt backwards is Dog? Have a barking good Christmas.

A Human Next Time?

2008-12-22T16:18:00.007+10:00

"Sure, I'm stuffed into a dog's body, but that's just the shell. It's what's inside that's important. The soul. And my soul is very human. I am ready to become a man now, though I realize I will lose all that I have been." The Art of Racing in the Rain. Garth Stein. The dog in this book is Enzo. He is very old and wants to come back human next time.

My soul is very dog. I love humans but I'm not sure I want to be one. I am very happy as a dog. I wouldn't mind being a person, they have thumbs and speech, but I think I would really miss charging around on all fours. Let's face it, without machines humans are plodders. Sometimes I chase birds for fun and admire the way they don't panic but gracefully take to the air. Yeah, I reckon it would be a good life soaring like a pelican or darting around like a rainbow lorikeet. Both of which we see in this part of the world.

Often humans are caught up in their head with thoughts.

Whereas, a dog or a bird is usually in their body in the moment in the world. How about you? What would you like to be next time?

An Award!

2008-12-21T10:55:00.009+10:00

I have won an award just in time for Christmas. It was kindly given by Profoundy Inarticulate.

The award states that "This blog invests and believes the PROXIMITY - nearness in space, time and relationships!" In other clearer words, "These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers! Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award."

Apparently it began in Portugal.

So I am giving the award to the following, in no particular order;

Honey the Great Dane

Pub Dog Days

Ruby the Mini Dachshund

The Rain Never Falls Just Ounce

So there you are, I'm sorry there is only one human, I meant to give more to humans but you hounds make such good blogs Please feel under no pressure to pass it on.

I would like just say thank you to all the blogs I have read and all those who have read my blog. It is a great egalitarian medium. Any person or dog, or even cat, can publish about anything they like so anybody can read it all round the world. How great is that!?