When Dogs Smile

There is something about a dog's sleeping smile that either means he/she is passing lots of gas or loves that you are scratching them while they slumber.  I've never been able to actually determine which, but I can tell you that it still warms the human soul.

Lulu rarely smiles, but when she does, her lips flop a little to the side and then roll up into a grin.  But Phoebe smiles a great deal and when she does her whole face goes with it.  Her muzzle is so wide that when her lips start to turn up, inevitably her teeth will show a little which makes her look all the more adorable.  Or scary, depending on your dog world experience.


This afternoon, while reading on the sofa, surrounded by both dogs who were snoring away, I absently reached over to scratch Phoebe's hip.  I glanced up from my iPhone book and was stunned to see the evolution of the smile as I was touching her.  She seemed to know, deep in that nap, that someone was caring for her and she rewarded them with a huge grin.  It remained there long after I removed my hand from her hip.  She stretched a little bit and moved more toward my leg and gave a great big sigh.


Love.  In that one little moment, the love of a dog for a human was made quite clear.  That made my day.

The Art of Never Quitting or Go! Dog! Go!

While Mr. Slater (of Jet Blue fame) was sliding down that chute to unemployment and jail, Lulu and Phoebe were busy doing the opposite.  They dramatically reenact what might be in store for Mr. Slater (r).  But in the meantime, they also demonstrate the rewards of pushing through when the going gets tough.
These cleverly designed puzzles are the mental equivalent of taking the dog on a five mile hike or playing Frisbee until everyone collapses and needs a beer. 

Like humans, learning for dogs is as individual as it comes.  Watching two different dogs work through the puzzle is exactly the same as watching two human siblings play poker.  One will always be a shark and the other will never be able to manage a poker face.

Lulu, while working that little tiny apricot sized brain, will delicately and deliberately work the puzzle until every last morsel is obtained and then she is sure we've hidden more.

Phoebe, with a head twice the size of Lulu, but a brain the size of a purple grape, will use the kill instinct to get through the puzzle; like a tiny gentle giant, she tries to slam the thing around to see what falls out.  Eventually she wins, but you can see that she has not one clue why.  Doesn't matter to her, because she will never ever give up.

You might say, in fact, that these guys are the anti-Slater-ites.  As a human who can find many excuses to quit, give up, or walk away, these two have been an oasis in why giving up is most times stupid.  The best rewards are often the very ones that seem unobtainable; in fact, the interminable unemployment is finally over.

My new motto; Go! Dog! Go! applies to more than just a dog with a silly hat.

Lucy does Twister

Phoebe kills Twister

Happy Birthday Lulu: The 3.1M Minute Photo Essay

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hello. my name is lulu and my human is embarrassing me again

 

 

 

 

two pound Lulu at 12 weeks meets the boy

at age 2, Lulu enjoying her Annie Leibovitz moment

 

paparazzi following Lulu ( age 3) to Eiffel 

 

 

 

 

 

hiding from the paparazzi deep in the 8th arrondissement

 

 

 

 

 

 

the princess uses her sister's head as a pillow

 

 

 

 

halloween fairy age 3 ("I will bite you, woman" was overheard)

 

 

 

 

midlife identity crisis at 4 

 

 

 

 

lulu's first electric vehicle age 5 cures midlife crisis

 

 

 

 

 

and lulu with phoebe does San Francisco

 

 

 

 

please explain humans to me again...

 

 

 

 

really?  I'm turning 6?  seriously? old....