Question for 07/07/2009

Hi again. Did you have a good holiday? Did you set off a lot of fireworks? Did you check to make sure no dogs were nearby? Those things really hurt our ears you know. It's not too bad for me since I'm only 1 1/2 years old, but I hear my family talk about how their old dog really hated fireworks and thunder. I'm not looking forward to getting old if that is going to happen to me. I need to see if I can find some ear plugs.

On to the question.

Dear Quincy,

I like your name. Are you named after anyone? That's not my question though. I want to know what is more important for a dog; food, sleep, companionship, something else?

Thanks,

Chelsea

Chelsea,

Thanks, I like your name, too. I've been told I was named after some character from TV a long time ago. Mike really likes old TV shows, I've been told.

For the other question, it really depends. When we are very small food is the most important. We need a lot of food to grow. As we get a little older we really crave companionship. That is why us dogs always try to jump on your lap or into your bed. Then, when we hit about five or six we want to sleep more. We are getting to be middle-aged by then, and, frankly, we are usually kind of bored with you by then. Did you ever notice that when a dog hits that age they only get excited when other people come over? It's all new smells and fun time for us. Plus, we hope that these new people will have treats for us.

I hope I answered your question.

Quincy.

By the way, did any of you hear that they found Rin Tin Tin's grave? I didn't realize he was from France. I need to find a way to get there. Is that pet airline still around?

That's all for today. Have a good week!

Q & A #. How exciting.

Today I take the first question from the mail bag. At least I get some computer time, my master was watching some bad TV show on Hulu earlier. He was laughing at it, but it didn't seem like it was supposed to be funny.

Now that I think of it, I don't know if I should call him my master. He cleans up after me, brings me food and water, and sometimes treats, maybe I should just call him my friend. That sounds good. Anyway, on to the question.

Dear Quincy, (ed. I need to come up with a cool name for this part of the blog. )

We just got a new dog recently in our household. We had many, many people telling us what kind of dog to get, where to get it from; it was quite a stressful experience. Anyway, now we have him and are having a bit of trouble.

So far he has found a spot in my husband's office that he likes to pee in. It's a small corner (well, it's kind of a rounded corner), but it is starting to stink and we can't get him to stop. Then, a few weeks ago he chewed up one of my daughter's shoes then ended up throwing up a small portion of it on a Very Important Person's foot. It was very embarrassing. I've also caught him near my garden a few times. So far he hasn't gone in there, but I'm worried he's going to get in there and chew up all our food. If he does I think I'm going to lose it. The problem is, no matter what happens, we cannot get rid of the dog. Let's just say people would make that a very difficult time for us if we did.

Any suggestions?

Michelle

Washington DC

Michelle,

That's it? Wow, he's a pretty good dog. You should see what I do to irritate my family so they will play with me.

That's really all I'd suggest. Take him for more walks. Have the kids run around the house with him. Heck, hire someone to play with him. If he's too exhausted to get in trouble, he won't get into any. I think he's trying to get your attention.

For the garden, plant some chili peppers around the perimeter. If he gets one of those first, he will leave the rest alone. Trust me.

That's all for today. I need to take nap. A dog's life is hard you know.