Monica Knits

My husband and I were just talking about how polite Shaq is and, how different his style of communication is from Heidi's or Abby's. If you were working at the computer and Abby had to go out, she just kept nose butting your mouse hand--pretty difficult to ignore. Trust me, it's time to take a break when the dog starts pushing the mouse around.

Shaq is more subtle when he wants to go outside. He comes to where you are working and rests his head on your lap and looks up at you. He's taller than the other two dogs were, so this is pretty easy for him to do, and it is so endearing. He is very patient, and by the time he decides it's time to go out, you should be getting up from the computer for a bit of exercise anyways. When Heidi was still with us, Shaq would wait for Heidi to send the message.

Heidi however, was the most subtle of all. She would sit up and stare at you; it was almost as if she were trying to send a telepathic message. When she was a puppy, it took me a while to learn her quiet gestures. Most times, after their pre-bed walk, the dogs would be set untill the morning. If I occasionally slept in and didn't hear the dogs waking up downstairs, Heidi would come up to the edge of the bed and gently touch her nose to mine. That wakes you up quickly!

It's amazing how each dog developed a unique way of communicating with people.