"Watch" Dog

Ever have someone watch you constantly. Each move you make tracked even when you think they are sleeping. That was Zoe.

You would swear she was asleep and suddenly her eyes would open every few minutes as if verifying where I was and what I was doing. Watching over every movement. Go to the bathroom, she waited outside. Walk into another room, puppy was right behind me. Go to the mailbox and she was by the door. If I talked to the postal worker too long she began to bark. I was her food source and dog knew a good thing when she saw it. Puppy wasn't going to let me stray too far from her side.

If I would go down the basement I knew I could only stay there long enough to start a load of laundry before I would hear her nails clicking down the steps to find me. Once down the basement, dog would patrol for varmints and insects keeping the area clean. When I was ready to go back upstairs, puppy would lead the way racing up the stairs to the top. It became a game for us to see who could reach the landing first.

One day, my neighbor asked me to watch their townhouse while they went away for the weekend- water the flowers and pick up their mail. Since I lived next door this was an easy task. The first day went by without a hitch. The second day I noticed something through the window on my kitchen table as I was watering the neighbor's plants in their backyard. It was Zoe. She was standing on the table straining to get a better look at what I was doing.

"Get down!" I yelled. "Get down now!" Did she? No. Dog was bound and determined to see what I was doing. If I left the yard it was her job to stay vigilant and alert people as to my plight. I ran back to the house, through the patio door and into the kitchen. She jumped off the table, onto a bench and ran over to me tail wagging and waiting for a treat. "You are a naughty girl, naughty", I said. "Five minutes" to which puppy replied by bringing me a ball. She did not feel she did anything wrong and would not go under the table. Why should she when she just came from on top of the same table.

Zoe was the queen of all she surveyed.

Zoe's Nicknames

What possesses us to create new forms of endearment for our pets? I had so many cutesie names for Zoe that it's a wonder she ever came when I called her. And yet, she knew all the names and responded accordingly.

Because she had the tiniest white feet I called her, "little rabbit feet." And she would proudly place one paw over the other like a lady crossing her legs.

The shepherd part of her breeding meant she had a thick under coat and more fur by her tail which led to , "fuzzy butt."

Then there were puppy's large bat-like ears. She was akin to a chihuahua on steriods which garnered the name, "Pookala." No rhyme or reason to how that name stuck.

My sister christened her , "Zoester the toaster," for her skills at popping up to catch a ball from a sitting position.

The all-time classic name was "Mrs. Houdini ," for my dog's ability to free herself from any situation from cages to blankets tossed over her head in record time. I miss you pookie.

Judging Contractors

Most people believe they are an excellent judge of character. They know when someone is lying to them and when the truth is spouted. Truth is most people are wrong. Those that want to deceive are very good at hiding information and twisting words.

I was one of those people that thought I could pick an honest contractor. Loaded with information and testimonials I would choose someone to repair items in my home. What I should have done was listen to my dog.

Zoe instinctively knew who to trust. When she wouldn't pay attention to a man I was interviewing to install a garage door and who claimed to love dogs - they all claim to love dogs - I should have gone with my gut and not hired him. But, hire him I did and he did a rotten job. So poor of an installation I called the door manufacturer and found out he was not a registered dealer for their product. The manufacturer agreed to pay for a new garage door and its installation. Puppy loved the new crew and they did a phenomenal job with the door.

A fluke you say. Hardly. Zoe proved her prowess with gutter installer and roofer. Loved the roofer and ignored gutter guy. Never mind that gutter guy was tall and handsome and rode up on his Harley motorcycle. Zoe wouldn't play ball with this man. Can you guess the outcome? Gutter guy had to come back three times to fix his mistakes and roofer did the job right the first time.

Puppy and Toothpaste

Vets tell pet owners that they should brush their dog or cat's teeth to maintain their health. Who amongst us does that everyday or even a couple times a week consistently? Not me.

I mean, I tried to brush the dog's teeth and it turned into a licking match with puppy licking all the chicken flavored paste off the rubber tine finger brush. I felt compelled to try again and again to no avail. Zoe would not stand for it.

So I succumbed and bought her petrified bones and pig ears that cleaned her incisors as she chewed. They worked pretty well until she coughed up a gob of white goo that was once a rawhide. Yuck.

One day, while brushing my pearly whites, puppy came up to me, staring at me with those big, brown eyes. Drool started coming down her tongue. She began to whimper. I decided to give her a smear of toothpaste, Colgate I think.

Dog was ecstatic. She begged for more. I gave her another taste and off she went as if she had brushed her teeth. Zoe continued that ritual until she passed away. Adored mint of any kind and wanted a taste each day so toothpaste with its salt and mint was a morning treat.

Alarm Clock

Zoe was never beaten or struck in any way. I would yell sometimes, but that was even rare. I treated her as I would a child. And what do children crave most from adults? Attention.

When Zoe misbehaved, as puppy's tend to do, I would give her, "time-out". "Time-out" consisted of placing the dog under the kitchen table and making her stay there for an allotted time.It began with five minutes. If the dog moved from the spot, I placed her under the table and told her, "Ten minutes" and so on. During "time-out" I would not look in her direction. This pained puppy more than you could imagine. She was a very social dog. Very social.

When visitors left my house she would run to the screen door. The door had a solid bottom panel and a removable screen/storm window on the upper half. Zoe would place her paws on the door and look out the screen, whining as people left the house. She believed everyone came to see her and no one should ever leave.

Puppy learned the concept of "time-out" quickly. When she was naughty I only had to say, "Five minutes" and point to the table and she would obey. One day, she took the concept of "time-out" to a new level.

Zoe liked to rise and shine early. Up with the sun and out with the birds was her mantra. That meant I did not get a chance to sleep in. How did she wake me? She would check to see if I was stirring in bed. And she knew the difference between sleeping and pretending to sleep. If I was drowsy in the morning she would walk to the footboard and bite my toes. WHOA! That's a wake up call. Nothing says, "get your butt out of bed now" like a dog biting your feet.

Her little tactic earned a "time-out". I was still sleepy so I told her, "Just five more minutes, Zoe, five minutes." She left in a huff and laid in the hallway. Five minutes passed and puppy returned. "Ten minutes, Zoe. Please, just ten minutes." Again she turned tail and laid down. This continued for 20 minutes until Zoe would have no more of my snooze button antics and barked at me and I got my lazy bones out of bed and let her outside for her morning ritual.

I wondered if she really was coming back every five minutes when I gave her the command. The next day, I tried the snooze alarm bit again this time checking the clock when she left the room and when she returned. Sure enough, she was spot on with the time.

I waited a week and did the snooze alarm command once again. Five minutes, ten, all the way to 20 minutes - each time Zoe got the command right. What a dog! Zoe, the wonder dog.

Bite My Arm

My former job required long hours at a computer. Colleagues would complain of mouse arm - a condition we referred to when your elbow and hand began to stiffen and pain radiated from your hand to your shoulder because you held the computer mouse too tight. It happened to me a few times. A long, hot bath and aspirin would ease the pain and make you good as new again.

One day, I arrived home from work with mouse arm and puppy greeted me at the door as normal. Dogs are great greeters, always happy to see you even if you just went to the mailbox and back to the house. The reaction was the same, "Your back, I'm so happy your back. I thought you'd never get here. What did you bring? Is it for me? I don't care, I'm just so thrilled you returned. Let's play ball." At least that's the thought process I imagine went through Zoe's mind when I crossed the threshold. She bounced around came up to my hand and licked it then dog bit me. My dog clamped down on my wrist hard. "Zoe!" I cried out. Maybe it was more like a shriek. Puppy licked my hand and wrist as if to say she was sorry then she bit me again. She didn't draw blood but left indentations of her teeth in my skin. I yelled at her. Zoe proceeded to lick my wrist.

It was then I noticed that I didn't have mouse arm any more. The pain left after she applied pressure to my arm.

I have heard that dogs can smell certain diseases and know when seizures will occur. I never had a dog perform acupressure before.

Soap and Puppy

Puppy loved soap. The first indication of her love for the stuff was when I brought her home and she licked my arms. Kind of unusual.

When people came to the house she would lick their hands and sometimes their knees if they wore shorts. Kind of unusual.

Men who worked on cars would get a thorough hand cleaning. She would lick their palm, flip their hand over to lick the other side and then flip the hand over again. Kind of unusual.

What I found different was when the dog came to visit me while I was taking a bath. She would drink my bath water. My soapy bath water. This encouraged me to finish my bath quickly since there's no quicker way for loose bowels than drinking warm, soapy water. It's an enema waiting to happen. Very unusual.

I think that's part of the reason she loved soap bubbles and demanded more and more of them - they were an, "air bubble bath".

Zoe also loved watching the "Lawrence Welk Show." The beginning of each show started with a bubble machine. Something about bubbles that she found fascinating. Yet, she hated champagne and getting a bath or her feet wet.

Zoe and Children

Children played an important part in Zoe's life. She never minded walking amongst children, she just went about her business even when they played with her toys. Perhaps because Zoe didn't think she was a dog, she thought she was human.

Toddlers were the perfect ball partner for her. A child would toss the ball across a coffee table and Zoe would fetch and give the toy back placing perfectly in front of the youngster. Then puppy would place herself in front of the table ready to begin the process all over again.

What better way to obtain food than sitting under a child’s chair or licking the face of a baby in a stroller. Strained carrots and jam - YUM!

Boys that played street hockey between the ages of 6 and 11 were her favorite. If she escaped from the house I could find puppy playing by these kids. They used a tennis ball, skated fast and liked being active - all attributes the dog loved.

Soap bubbles were a delight for Zoe. When children would play with bubbles she would jump in the air trying to bite the bubbles as they floated upward. They higher the bubbles rose, the higher she jumped. When the bubbles ceased, puppy would bark demanding more. Children would laugh and make a continuous stream of bubbles to keep the dog happy.

Liquor, Cigarettes and Squirrel

Puppy loved the smell of liquor and cigarette smoke. Come home from a bar and the dog would take one whiff and be in heaven. She would become the perfect pet and follow every command. I could only surmise that her former owner smoked and drank.

It became a long-standing joke in the family that the dog needed liquor and cigarettes in order to stand living with me. But who would provide the contraband? I don't smoke and rarely drink. Who would bring these to Zoe?

Squirrel.

Zoe would chase a little black squirrel throughout the yard and never catch it. And Zoe was lightening fast. She could catch rabbits, voles and flys. A squirrel would be no match for the dog's speedy gait and powerful grip. Puppy must be choosing not to kill squirrel. Why?

The reason was clear - liquor and cigarettes. Squirrel was Zoe's source, her provider of nicotine and beer. This would account for the dog staring at the tree or telephone pole for hours waiting for squirrel. When squirrel failed to get the goods to the dog in a timely manner, Zoe would put the fear of God in squirrel, chasing her within inches of certain death. But puppy refrained from the final pounce. She needed squirrel and squirrel needed her. It was a mutually beneficial relationship.

Peach Cobbler

Nothing says summertime like eating peach cobbler with ice cream. The warmth of the sweet, orange fruit and biscuit base mixed with the luscious creamy milk fat. Mmmmm. That's one mighty fine dessert.

You may recall I mentioned that my Dad told me that my dog would love what I love and my favorite dessert was no exception.

I had made two baking dishes filled with peach cobbler and brought them to my parents house along with the dog. Mom and I were going to a bridal shower and I envisioned Zoe keeping my Dad company while we were gone. I brought two desserts; one to share after the party and one for them to eat during the week.

After placing one glass dish on the table and another on the counter, Mom and I went to the party.

When we returned I noticed that one of the cobbler's was missing. I asked Dad if he enjoyed the dessert. He looked at me funny and said he never touched the cobbler. I said, "But, one of the Pyrex dishes is gone. What happened? Where did it go?" He replied that he only saw the cobbler on the counter and that I was mistaken and must have left the other dessert at home.

Much discussion ensued. The dog was in the family room napping during the series of questions ignoring all of us. That was pretty unusual for Zoe. She likes to be in the thick of things especially gatherings of any kind.

It came out that Dad left the house for a half hour to go to the hardware store leaving puppy to her own devices. Hmmm. The kitchen was open to a dog that loved to eat. An escape artist. We began to search the rooms for signs of peach cobbler starting with the dog's mouth and gums. Nothing. We looked under the table. Nothing. In another room. Nothing. Back to the kitchen and in a corner under chair and that's when we found the missing pyrex glass baking dish. Clean as a whistle, upright and intact.

Zoe must have climbed onto the table, knocked the dish off and eaten an entire peach cobbler. Dad swears he didn't do it. And puppy was mysteriously sleepy. All the sugar and carbs perhaps?

Here's her favorite recipe for Peach Cobbler:
Combine 1/3 cup sugar and tablespoon corn starch in a saucepan. Add 1/4 cup water and 4 cups sliced, fresh peaches. Cook until thick and bubbly. Grease an 8"x8" square baking dish. In a separate bowl melt 3 tablespoons butter in the microwave. Add an egg and 3 tablespoons of milk to the butter. Mix 1 cup flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon to the butter, egg and milk.

Place fruit mixture into the glass baking dish. Drop mounds of topping onto the fruit. Bake in 400 degree oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Serves 6 (or one hungry Basenji)