New Dog Owner's Odyssey: Day 5 (8/2). . . Then I'm Taking a Break

Didn't intend a new post already, but I didn't want to forget what I thought was a very funny & insightful comment by our grand-daughter Brianna.

I've been using [& beating to death] the Facebook analogy re:  taking Sammy for walks & having him frequently stop to check out a post, i.e., a power pole, tree, hydrant, merely a plot of ground, & sometimes a literal post. [Ha, ha] Sometimes he leaves a "comment." Sometimes he checks it out [sniffs] & moves on without leaving a comment [if you catch my drift].

Sometimes, even as I use the leash to steer him in the direction of what I think would be a likely post for him to check out, he barely gives it a glance & moves quickly along w/o checking it out, let alone leaving a comment, i.e., this FB entry is barely worth a glance but certainly not worthy of a comment.

While Lois, Brianna & I were walking Sammy last night, & he was making FREQUENT [seriously, I lost count], "Facebook" checks AND comments, Brianna noted that eventually he was "running out of data." Running out of "data." Get it? Hilarious! An apt analogy within an already apt analogy, if I do say so myself.

Lois just took off for Lincoln w/Sammy safely secured in the back seat. [It's SUN 8/2.] You'll have to wait awhile for the next New Dog Owner Post, which may be a relief.

Yet in the interest of better familiarizing yourself with "my" new dog, I'll reveal a few more answers from the Owner Surrender Dog Information Sheet provided by the Siouxland Humane Society when Lois & Rachel picked up Sammy in Sioux City last WED 7/29.

• "Is he good w/cats?" 'I have one. Playful w/Harry Potter (my cat's name.)' [He hasn't really met any cats yet. Our "dearly departed" {Ha, ha, ha. Sometimes I crack myself up.} were eventually "adopted" by Rachel, but both have passed on. I can't speak definitely as to an afterlife for cats or any other animals. I personally believe that they are agnostic. They are certainly not evangelical in their beliefs.]
• "Is he good w/dogs?" 'Not around consistently. Off leash--like at boarding--all in.' [I think I mentioned in a previous post that he & Oreo did not hit it off well, & I admit that it was MY dog that proved to be inhospitable. My understanding is that at some point yesterday both dogs were taken on a walk together, both leashed, of course, which was a suggestion that Sarah found on the Internet. {We all know, of course, that if it's the Internet, it must be true.} The report I received was that at times the two dogs actually walked side-by-side. They did not acknowledge each other's presence, but neither did they snap, growl, and/or bark at each other. No blood was spilt. Today, prior to leaving, we made sure that the two of them did not interact. I would be interested in the previous owner's interpretation of the phrase "all in."]