You Can Teach an Old Dog New Stunts?

So, as I write to ya'll on my new PINK netbook... I can tell you that the weekend WAS all I hoped for. Now I can work on all my various writing projects without fear of losing it all! Thanks honey! (It may be his little way of trying to get me published... for money... but the gratitude remains!) And in the doggie realm... some very interesting stuff happened there as well....

Being Mother's Day weekend and all... I was afforded some time to sit and watch a little TV. My son and I are huge fans of the Mythbusters. And since we had quite a few episodes on the DVR... it was time to catch up. One of the episodes was about different dog myths. The guys and gal tested myths about how to get by a guard dog. Juicy steak and "Bitch in Heat"... confirmed. They also tested a scent dog's nose... i.e. how can you throw a scent hound off a trail? This one was especially interesting to us because, last year my son did a science project on this very subject. We used our scenter Ruby and a "scent article" (my son's VT hat) in a location unknown to her... to see if she could locate him, by scent, in different situations. What we found is that going through water, throwing off other articles of clothing and doubling back were no match for Ruby's nose! Ruby found him every time. The Mythbusters found that a dog's nose was unstoppable too. Oh and if you're wondering... he got 2nd place in his Homeschool Science Fair... pretty cool huh?

Another doggie event for the week came in the form of an unexpected visitor. Our neighbor (I use the term loosely way out here,) called us to ask if she could come and meet Ruby firsthand. She recently lost her Doberman, due to a genetic condition, and is looking to bring home a Weimaraner to be her new companion. So, she wanted to get a look at my magnificent beast and talk "Weimi." Good thing she called because I could give her a heads-up about my gutted kitchen/construction zone and I also got to have a chat with Ruby. I told Ruby of course to be on her best behavior and she "might" get a new playmate in the hood! I also told her to stay clean because the night before she rolled in bear poop... right at dinnertime... as we were about to eat. (insert YUCK face here) Anyway, she seemed to take our little chat to heart because when my neighbor arrived... Ruby contained herself by not jumping up on her and knocking her over (always a plus.) Ruby little"nubbin" of a tail wagged in delight and she seemed to really understand that her play-life depended on her best behavior. So as said neighbor and I are talking... me feelin' pretty proud of my magnificent dog... I decide to illustrate how "smart" the breed is by calling on her to do a few tricks. Standard stuff really. A few sits, downs and stays with a little "speak" and "shake" thrown in for good measure. Of course being that she is smart... she picked this time to use irony and refused me all requests. Kids... they'll make a liar out you every time! Anywoof, I'm sure that my neighbor was unaffected by my dog's willful stubbornness and will get a weimi anyway. Really all you have to do is take one look at their beauty and you're sold. And our pack... well... we can't wait to have a new friend!