Sleepy time tails

HOW DO YOU GET YOUR ZZZZZZZZZZZZS???


Dappled in shade?

With half the sun?

Off the step?

On a bed?

On your back?

With a friend!

out and upside

Upside down

On the couch

Snug as a bug on the rug!

Snooze on the rug?

All in line?

Gives new meaning to the phrase 'let sleeping dogs lie.' So, how do yoy get your ZZZs?

Whose line is it anyway...

Have you ever listened to human beings? If you have a group of ten humans, you'll hear at least a couple of languages. When she wants me somewhere, my mom sometimes says 'come here', sometimes it is 'anga yo' . I've even heard her say 'Ikde ye' to some and 'idhar aana' to others. Occasionally, she even says 'ivude vaa' ; all of these meaning 'come here'.

The funny thing is all humans expect us to understand all they say in all these languages. I have half a dozen people talking to me in as many languages! (In fact I hear them talking like this only to us, and at times to human babies. What's that deal? ) . You know what is even more astounding? WE, IE, most animals actually do understand and respond. I have even heard moms and dad's thoughts. If you read the previous post about Brutus (He's drool worthy!), you'll know that we even follow non-verbal commands that might be difficult even for humans to decipher.

All this makes me wonder, it is humans who argue about languages and have trouble understanding one another, leave alone us. They are the ones who seem to have problems expressing even basic emotions like love, so WHY ARE WE CALLED DUMB ANIMALS???

Can I have some answers? Any language will do! Elsa.

Coming unstuck

Last night was very interesting. At about two in the morning, I was surprised to see Dad shaking Mom awake. They both walked out to the balcony and made noises that sounded like they were distressed. I walked out to see what all the fuss was about. I saw nothing that I had not seen an hour before. There were the rose bushes looking beautiful as usual, the jasmine smelling as strong as ever and Simba seeming as dumb as usual, stuck in the balustrade (that is not usual, but his stupidity is). The front of his body was in the balcony while his backside was on the ledge beyond. He could not have been too uncomfortable, but he was unable to move. It seemed more like a reason to celebrate than get upset about, which is why I had not alerted them in the first place.This way he could not get into more mischief.

Mom and dad tried to coax him out the tried to pull him back. Dad climbed on to the outer ledge and tried that and eventually they even woke up Sidhant, my human bro. After about 15 minutes, I saw mom walk out with a screw driver and hammer. from where I was lying, it seemed like a great idea to just beat simba's huge head and fill in the air gaps with some dented bones. Mom had other ideas though, and she just chiseled away at the baluster. So here she was at 2 in the morning chipping away at her own home.

I guess persistence pays and he did get out. I do not think he has learnt anything from this. I hope they leave him there the next time... at least till sunrise. After all sleep is precious!


Here is a picture of the balustrade!!

Till Simba gets into more jams,

Elsa.

Pet peeves

My favourite spot - the kitchen! aah, the smells, they are to die for....

Isn't it interesting that humans seem to believe that we are OK with just two meals, while they can munch at whatever, when ever.... Don't get me wrong. I love my humans, but this is one of my err..pet peeves. When we ask for the occasional snack we are packed off with cries of 'no begging'. Hey, if I could reach the snacks myself, i would never bother anyone. But they are kept in places and containers that challenge the best dog brains and skills. I have, at times, managed to beat the system only to be rebuked for stealing. That is unfair. When they pop stuff into their mouths....

Oh, I am very grateful for all we get and the love too... but just thought I'd bring this up and see if anyone else thinks this way. thanks for paying attention. love..Elsa

The yearly reckoning

It was that time of the year again. I had sort of figured it out ,what with the weather being ominous (clouds, rains and thunder) and the whispering parents who would cast occasional glances my way while talking but clam up if they felt I could hear them.When mom and dad spell stuff, it can never be good.


I was not sure of the exact date though or I would have feigned illness. (Then again, I would have had to stop eating for that, so maybe it is all for the best.) To get back to the day , HE came today. I do not mean God, but the devil. Yes, the V.E.T. Mostly he comes for Simba and I just enjoy barking at him. This time it was my turn to get poked with those sharp needles. The parents keep telling me it is for my good and I do not want to upset them. So, I have not yet bitten the devil. nothing can stop me from letting him know that I do not like him and I know my growling does it too. Just today, I heard him express relief that I do not fall sick! (mom touched wood.. I wish it had been his block head)


The good thing - I heard them say it is done for a year. Also, I get some treats when the V.E.T. leaves. So it is not all bad. You win some and lose some. I am waiting for the day the V.E.T. loses some skin to some poor unsuspecting dog!!!

Look who is in charge!

OK, so we were supposed to watch and learn from the previous post. We have learnt to negotiate and now, we too have a chance to post stuff .. ...

I, Elsa, do solemnly affirm that I will do so in a responsible manner. I will speak the truth and nothing else. Oh, well, I will try anyway. As for Simba, my minion (OK, OK, my sibling) he can get a word in once in a way. He has no real opinions of his own anyway. All he wants at all times is to play. He is not even interested in food!!So now guys, you will have more interesting stuff to read about. To start with here is a statement of my philosophy...

Sorry about the slightly fuzzy pic. I will get better with time. If you have trouble reading that, it says "You do not own a dog. The dog owns you"

Start at the beginning

Let us start at the very beginning. It's a very good place to start, sang the young Julie Andrews in the very famous ' Sound of music' . Sound advice (bad pun) you might say. Sometimes though, it seems to be difficult to determine where the beginning is.

I have always loved animals. My mom says the first time my father ever rapped me on the knuckles was, when at age three, I picked up a dead puppy. ( It was probably in the land that time forgot) I tried hard to have a pet- picked up some live kittens, some rabbits and so on. But as dog lovers will agree, a dog is ...well, a dog!

My first dog was a black lab named Caeser, who taught me a lot before teaching me the final lesson about dealing and coping with the loss of a loved one, succumbing suddenly at the age of four to some congenital heart problem. Ideally, I should dedicate the blog to him. But he also taught me to live in the present. Elsa and Simba are with us now. Their stories are unique, beginning from how they came to be with us, to the present when their behaviour still has the power to entice, amaze,influence, amuse and pull at our heart strings. Dog lovers do not need to be told all this, but I hope I am able to tell their stories, in a way that does them justice. For today I will just leave pictures of them and let imagination do the rest.

Elsa, the Labrador mix. Simba, the German Shepherd.

To new beginnings!