Girls and dogs

I was TERRIFIED of dogs when I was a little girl. I remember when the fear began, and I think I’ve recounted it before. My father adores dogs, like I do now. When I was about 6, we were living in a tiny apartment, waiting for our new house to be built. A doberman (my father’s favorite breed) and a rough collie lived in the complex, and Dad liked to take us outside, just to watch the dogs play. One evening, I was completely knocked over and trampled by the dogs (who were just having a case of the zoomies, and not paying attention). I thought they were out to kill me, and I was extremely scared of dogs from then on.

But in a few years, some magical, inherent dog-loving switch turned on–I don’t even know what it was–and I became OBSESSED with dogs, kind of like I am now. I started memorizing dog breeds when I was 8 or 9. I gave complicated advice to the neighbors about what kind of dog they should get, based on their lifestyles. I started a dog-walking business, just to have an excuse to spend time with dogs, since my parents were reluctant to get us one of our own.

And yet I didn’t get a dog of my own until Emma, when I was about 14. I had to wait a long time for her, and I feel like I had to wait even longer for Pyrrha, but I still love to see little girls with dogs. It warms my heart.

All that to say, here are just some cute photos of girls and the dogs they love, culled from my Pinterest board, Woman’s Best Friend.

Source: Les Zigouis.

Tanis Guinness (of the beer fortune) and her pekingese, Ta Wang, at a New York dog show in 1912.

A farm girl and her collie.

Bluetick coonhound and friend. Photo: Flickr user texturejunky.

Young Elizabeth Taylor and a pair of poodles.

Young Queen Elizabeth and her corgi, Dookie.

A little girl and her puppy. Source: LIFE Magazine.

Kisses! Source: LIFE Magazine.

Kristina and Lola the lab. Photo: Stepan Obruckhov.

“1924. Our Billy and me.”

Girl and her patient pup.

Afghan hound love.

Source: Seeberger Brothers.

Photo: Flickr user m.orti.

Did you love a dog when you were a young thing?

Pup links!

Fashionable miniature poodle. Photo by Nick Schutzer.

Just a few dog-related links from around the Web this past week:

Dog Breed Health. This is a comprehensive site with health profiles for almost every imaginable dog breed. What do you think about it? Do you think your favorite breed’s health profile sounds accurate?

Baby Ball. Lacey is obsessed with her little ball; so very cute. (Crazy Coulee and Little Lacey)

Golden Gift Cards by Brown Paper Designs. I love these simple, classy notecards! Would totally snatch some up in a GSD silhouette… (Pretty Fluffy)

Happy 4th of July! A few days late, but I like this variation on the red, white, and blue scheme. (Of Pit Bulls and Patience)

Rhythm of his water drinking

Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein walking their poodle, Basket, in Paris.

“Basket although now he is a large unwieldy poodle, still will get up on Gertrude Stein’s lap and stay there. She says that listening to the rhythm of his water drinking made her recognise the difference between sentences and paragraphs, that paragraphs are emotional and that sentences are not.”

– Gertrude Stein,
from the perspective of Alice B. Toklas, in The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas (her punctuation and spelling preserved)

. . . . . . . . . . . .

I just liked this little passage from The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas, as it reminded me that our dogs can sometimes teach us things that we don’t expect. Have a lovely weekend! We’ll be dog-walking for our rector and his family this weekend and I, of course, am looking forward to it (even though our rector’s wife told me it was regrettable that she couldn’t tranquilize the dogs for us; apparently, they’re quite a pair).

Pup links!

A lady and her English cocker spaniel. Source: LIFE magazine archives.

Dog-related links from around the Web:

If the Characters in Downton Abbey Were Portrayed by Canine Actors… A friend shared this on my Facebook wall, and I just had to share it here, too. If you watch the period soap opera Downton Abbey, you will appreciate these comparisons. I think they’re pretty spot-on. Matthew is totally a golden retriever and Mary makes a lot of sense as a poodle. And, poor Edith! The Bedlington terrier! (Dogster)

How to Properly Care for Your Dog’s Teeth. Canine dental hygiene is usually pretty terrible, and, from my experience, it’s an easy thing to forget to take care of–and not exactly fun when you do. This is a thorough article, however, that reminds us all of why it’s very important to care for our dog’s pearly whites. (The Whole Dog Journal)

Investigating Halitosis. Related to doggy dental care, here’s a veterinarian’s list of possible causes of your dog’s terrible breath. (The Bark blog)

Where’s the Beef? Subtitle: “Why your dog should never eat another Milk Bone or Beggin Strip, and you should avoid the Slim Jims.” You won’t ever want to buy those products again after you read this article by Amy Renz. (Goodness Gracious Treats)

Identifying Merle. I grew up with a beautiful tricolor merle Australian shepherd and I’ve always had a fondness for merle coats, especially when they come from conscientious breeders. But I learned a ton from this post and learned that I’ve been incorrectly identifying some dogs as “merle” that really aren’t. Fascinating stuff. (Musings of a Biologist and a Dog Lover)

House Rules and Time-Outs. Aleksandra shares her wisdom about how they use “time-outs” to teach their newly adopted pitt, The Dude, some house manners. Great, gentle, and effective advice. (Love and a Six-Foot Leash)

Binq Design. If I was in the market for a tiny dog, and had a lot of cash to spare, I think I’d definitely consider these functional and attractive side tables + dog beds. They look like they’d be a nice place for a toy breed to hide out during family commotion. (Dog Milk)

Bambino vs. Fido: On Loving Dogs Less. Shauna, a pregnant blogger, reflects on how her relationship with her dogs will change–and stay the same–when she welcomes her baby into the world. I found this post very reassuring. As someone who hasn’t had kids yet but plans to one day, I confess I’m frankly terrified of the idea of emotionally displacing my future dogs. But, as she points out in this post, you don’t displace your dogs in your heart; you just make room. (Fido & Wino)

BFFs. Greyhounds snuggling on the couch. So cute. (Hiking Hounds)

Religious Dog Bumper Stickers. OK, pretend bumper stickers, but these still made me giggle. My favorite: “I’m Catholic but my corgi is affiliated with the Church of England.” (Dogs of the Interwebs)

Dog Refuses to Go Into Pool to Get Tennis Ball He Desperately Needs. In need of a laugh on this fine Tuesday? Look no further than this very, very determined golden retriever and his quest for one slightly out-of-reach tennis ball. (Best Week Ever)

Establishing daily routine

This will be what our morning walks look like. Right? Click for source.

As the days creep closer to our move, I’ve been thinking about how to restructure my day to accommodate a dog. I already worry about giving my dog enough time. A dog’s ideal human is someone who works out of the home, or better yet, someone who just lives there with them all day long and doesn’t do anything but walk, train, and love on said dog. This is a nice idea, but I don’t know anyone who has that kind of life.

I have a full-time job, but here are some things that I think are in my favor, with regard to scheduling and bringing a dog into our lives:

• My office is a 6-minute drive from our new house.
• My husband is a grad student and so his schedule is much more flexible than mine, meaning that he can often be home when I can’t.
• I have a very dog-friendly boss, who has already said she’ll let me come home for an hour at lunch each day to walk the dog.
• I’ll be done with work right at 5 p.m. and I never have to work late.

That said, I’m thinking a lot about our mornings. I have to be at work at 8 a.m., so my mornings start fairly early. Here’s the rudimentary schedule in my mind, on days that I don’t shower:

• 6 a.m. Wake up. Take dog on walk.
• 6:40 a.m. Feed dog/get self dressed
• 7 a.m. Pack lunch for self/eat breakfast
• 7:30 a.m. Play with dog/brief training or grooming/let dog out once more
• 7:50 a.m. In the car and off to work

Clearly, this is something that will have to be finessed once we actually bring a dog home and evaluate his or her needs, but I like to think about it now. It’s a weird form of daydreaming for my highly Type A personality.

What does your daily routine look like with your dog? I’m especially interested in hearing from those who also have full-time jobs. How do you manage it? Any recommendations?

On the intelligence of dogs

The smartest of them all? Click for source.

Many people like to cite Stanley Coren’s now notorious list of “the most intelligent dog breeds.” People who have breeds in the top 10 like to remind other people of such and tease those who have dogs who fall anywhere below Coren’s top 10.

Stanley Coren’s Top 10 Most Obedient Breeds

1. Border collie
2. Poodle
3. German shepherd
4. Golden retriever
5. Doberman pinscher
6. Shetland sheepdog
7. Labrador retriever
8. Papillon
9. Rottweiler
10. Australian cattle dog

*Cited in his book, The Intelligence of Dogs. Links are to my “Breed Love” posts.

I think the problem with this list is the title. As many before me have pointed out, and as Coren’s own study acknowledges in the fine print, this oft-cited list measures canine intelligence by how quickly or effectively dogs obey humans. His study is a nice measure of obedience, but that’s primarily what it is. A more accurate title might have been “the most obedient dog breeds.”

Hounds rank very low according to this list, but that’s because Coren’s study cannot measure the independent-thinking and creativity that is employed by most hounds, especially scent hounds.

I’ve noticed this with hounds, even in my short tenure as a volunteer at the SPCA. Our SPCA has a ton of scent hounds, because we live in a part of the countryside that is popular with hunters who employ large packs of hounds and then don’t keep track of them if one goes missing. That said, I spend a lot of time at the SPCA walking hounds. These hounds are notably unresponsive to humans. They often seem to look right past you at something else (or, more accurately, at some other, more interesting smell). But this doesn’t mean they’re unintelligent; it just means they’re harder to train. These hounds are rather adept problem solvers. They figure out what they want then they plot how to get it, with or without any human aid.

Sight hounds, in my limited experience, are also very intelligent but prefer to follow their own direction. (The Afghan hound is famously ranked last on Coren’s list, in terms of what he calls intelligence.) When you ask a sight hound to do something, I imagine their internal response to be something like Bartleby the Scrivener: “I would prefer not to.” They are independent and self-directed and seem to weigh the pros and cons of following your commands.

Selfishly, I’ve always really loved dogs from the herding group, because these are some of the most human-responsive dogs of all (many in the herding group are in Coren’s top 30 “most intelligent” breeds). My favorite breeds–Australian shepherds, German shepherds, and border collies, to name a few–are incredibly attuned to their people. These high-energy dogs were made to watch human faces, study human body language, and follow human directives in their line of intense work. I’ll probably always prefer these dogs, mainly because they are so easy to train, but I think this just means that I’m lazy/afraid of how frustrated I’d get with a less responsive dog.

But at the end of the day, this list doesn’t matter. Because we know the truth: We all have the smartest dog in the whole world.

Pup links!

Gertrude Stein, Alice B. Toklas, and their poodle. Source: LIFE magazine.

Dog-related links from around the Web this past week:

Shivapuri National Park Trekking. My crazy and adventurous little sister traveled around the world for six months, mainly in Nepal and India. While in the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal, she hiked in Shivapuri National Park. These are some of her photos. I include her post here because she said that she was followed for hours up the hike by the sweet village dog featured here. I love it, because it strikes me as a simple and beautiful testimony of the undying magnetism between dogs and people: We just want to be together. (Como Say What?)

Too compassionate? A young farmer reflects on being judged for leaving her dogs in the car for just a few minutes. The attached Portlandia sketch (“Whose dog is this?”) is totally hilarious, too. What do you think about this? Is it possible to be “too compassionate”? (Cold Antler Farm)

Moleskine Passions Dog Journal. My brother-in-law gave me this journal for Christmas and I, of course, am totally excited to get to use it! (Dog Milk)

Icons & Dogs: Marilyn Monroe. A collage of photos of Monroe with a variety of dogs. I just watched “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” for the first time this weekend, so this post piqued my interest. (Miles to Style)

Lobster Dog Biscuits. These are totally cute. And made from beets! (Classic Hound)

My Favorite Leash. A post about the biologist’s favorite leash, a multi-use convertible leash with two snap ends. Looks cool. Does anyone use one of these? (Musings of a Biologist and Dog Lover)

The 12 Most Adorable Presidential Dogs in U.S. History. Do you agree with this list? Fala is pretty precious. (Best Week Ever)

Fact: Dogs Are 100% Ready for Adventure. A funny–and, I think, true–statement about the gung-ho nature of dogs. (Dogblog)

Staring Contest. This Great Pyr is having none of it. (Animals Being Di*ks)

Gallery of non-sporting dogs

I’ve always thought that “non-sporting” was such a funny name for this AKC group. It almost implies that they can’t do anything. I think “potpourri” would perhaps be a more appropriate name for these dogs, which don’t seem to fit into any other pre-established group. Either way, this category offers up a wide range of different dogs. Here are some of my personal favorites.

Unrelated to these cute pups, yesterday I added a new page on my blog: Resources. This is a collection of my favorite links, organized by category, and a list of the best dog books I’ve read so far. I made the page as a reference to myself in coming months, but I also hope it may be helpful to you or any other new dog people.

(Click on an image to be taken to its source.)

Keeshond

Keeshond puppy

Norwegian lundehund

Norwegian lundehund puppy

Shiba inu

Sleepy shiba

Standard poodles

Standard poodle

Tibetan spaniel

Tibetan spaniel

Poem by Marie Howe: “Buddy”

A sweet poem about how we can often misunderstand each other.

Click for source.

Buddy
By Marie Howe

Andy sees us to the door, and Buddy is suddenly all over him, leaping
and barking because Andy said: walk. Are you going to walk home? he said.

To me. And Buddy thinks him and now, and he’s wrong. He doesn’t
understand the difference between sign and symbol like we do–the thing

and the word for the thing, how we can talk about something when it’s not
even there, without it actually happening–the way I talk about John.

Andy meant: soon. He meant me. As for Buddy, Andy meant: later. When he
was good and ready, he said. Buddy doesn’t understand. He’s in a state

of agitation and grief, scratching at the door. If one of us said, Andy,
when Andy wasn’t there, that silly Buddy would probably jump up barking

and begin looking for him.

. . . . . . . . . . .

Happy weekend, everyone. Hope you all stay cozy and warm!

Pup links!

A young Elizabeth Taylor with two poodles. Source: theneotraditionalist.com

Your weekly roundup of interesting dog-related links…

In Focus: Dogs. In this post, the New Yorker’s photography blog collects many critically acclaimed photo series featuring dogs. Some of my favorite canine photo shoots are included here. Enjoy the art–and the puppies. (Photo Booth, The New Yorker)

Paws to Read. I really hope there is a chapter of a group like this in our area. I would LOVE to train our future dog to work in schools with a program like this. After all, programs like Paws to Read combine three of my all-time favorite things: Dogs, kids, and books! (The Bark blog)

Dog Helps 15-Year-Old Rape Victim Testify. Rosie, a golden retriever, is the first dog approved to comfort victims of sexual assault as they testify in court. My heart breaks over this story, but it illuminates how deeply our lives are enriched by dogs. Here, a dog is doing something for that girl that no one else can. (New York Times)

Portland, Oregon, Named Top Pet-Friendly City. Agree with this list? Ever lived in some of these cities? Frankly, I’m surprised to see Washington, D.C., on there. I haven’t ever lived there, but I feel like owning a dog that was any larger than a handbag would be a huge hassle. (Dog Tipper)

The Mystery about Muzzles. I have always wondered why greyhounds wear them. A famed greyhound guardian and blogger explains. (Tales and Tails)

Lure Coursing. So, now those muzzles make sense. Some great photographs of a lure coursing event. Many gorgeous sighthound breeds represented! (Paws on the Run)

Afghan, 1931. Two photographs of an Afghan hound in 1931. So regal, even with that shorter coat. I think I like it more than the typical Fabio-esque waves. (Desert Wind Hounds)

Reclaimed Wood Dog Feeders. These look really awesome. I wonder if my husband could build these from some scavenged lumber… (Dog Milk)

Extinction Can’t Come Soon Enough. This poor pup really does look depressed about his situation. (Pets Who Want to Kill Themselves)

The Look. Anyone who’s owned a dog knows exactly what The Look is. (Love and a Leash)

Bonk! Corgi puppy, you’re breaking my heart. Don’t look at me like that. (Cute Overload)