Monica Knits

The past two days Shaq has come up with a new way of telling me he wants to play. We have this thick branch that we place on a wide shelf about 3 feet off the ground and it is not visible to a dog standing on the floor. Shaq however, knows where the stick is. At first he looked at me and then at the shelf--I knew what he meant, but it was pouring rain yesterday and we were just going out for a quick bathroom break, not play. I wasn't keen on playing fetch in the rain! He must have thought I didn't understand the message. Shaq stood up on his hind legs, put his paws on the shelf and grabbed the stick--it was smooth and effortless for him and it surprised me. So we played fetch in the rain, but when we came in I moved the stick to a less accessible location -- or so I thought!
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We had between 10 and 12" of snow today, but we didn't wait until it stopped snowing before we began the clearing job. The snow was wet and experience has taught us that it only gets heavier if too much accumulates.

As I was shovelling snow from the walkway leading to our front door, Shaq was jumping back and forth over the shovel like a highland dancer. At other times of the year, Shaq helps us with yard chores by removing sticks and branches from the wheelbarrow as we go around the yard picking them up. Unlike sticks and branches however, stealing snow from a shovel was a bit more challenging. For his efforts he got snow on his nose and in his mouth--not the outcome he was expecting. After tugging on the shovel mischieviously, he went back to jumping over the shovel and running circles around me.

He took a few breaks from helping me shovel to sniff at interesting things nearby and supervise my husband's work. Shaq was helpful--his antics made me smile and turned a chore into a highly charged event.

Not only do you learn lots about your own habits from living with dogs, but dogs can also teach you lessons about fitting in and getting along with people. When Shaq first came to us, he was a tad compulsive about finishing every last morsel of food immediately. He has now been with us for almost 2 years and a couple of weeks ago he developed the most endearing new habit. He began waiting for us to sit down at the kitchen table and start eating before eating his own food! This requires patient observation of the two footed family members, and sometimes a few hints directed at the people. Sometimes a person sits at the table and knits instead of eating! Read more...

Our vet calls Shaq "property dog" because Shaq owns and takes care of personal property--his toys. On the evening I took this photo, all of Shaq's toys (except this Kong) were neatly arranged on his dog pillow--so neatly that my husband asked if I had organized the toys. I hadn't--Shaq had arranged them. But the first toy we bought for Shaq, this red Kong^TM, is his favorite. As you can see he also sleeps with it, usually between his paws, though sometimes he rests his head on it. We have to smile when we see how well he takes care of his toys and how much he enjoys this one! In the photo, you will notice another boy toy (the TV remote) on my husband's lap.