A place at the table for a well behaved dog

Dude is like anyone else in the house - if he's well behaved, then he can sit at the table. Well, why not? He might as well join the party so he can see what all the people are doing up there on that table top.

The truth is that he likes the view from the chair, but doesn't much like the idea that the chair swivels. Nevertheless, he's glad to be in a better seat up off of the carpet where mere cats prowl.

We don't make a habit of feeding him from the table - at least not while he's sitting at the table. If we did, we'd feel obligated to put another place setting there.

And, can you imagine how difficult it would be to teach him to use silverware, drink from a glass and properly use his serviette? We're just not up to that kind of training assignment.

Talk about a challenge for Amy Vanderbilt!

So, we do have our limits when it comes to table manners and our Dude. When it comes to eating, he has his own place, but when it comes to social events, he can sit with the rest of us simply because he's part of our family and he's well behaved.

He'll never meet the standards of social etiquette at anyone's table but mine, but then, that's all that matters. He's my Dude at my table, and he knows it. As long as it's alright with the pack leader, it's alright with "the Dude."

The temporarily crippled Dude

My wonderful dog is quite a ground squirrel enthusiast. He spots 'em and chases 'em and knows exactly what their whistle sounds like. Most of all, he knows what their fur tastes like because he's had them in his mouth many a time.

The Dude is a terrier, and that means he is bred to hunt, chase and kill small animals that live in and on the ground. If he thinks there is an animal under the surface of the soil, then away he goes digging at the ground until he's satisfied. Sometimes that means he's digging for quite some time.

His favorite means of getting at a ground burrowing animal is to find them hiding in pipes and tubes around the property. Whether it's PVC, steel or corrugated black drain pipe, he knows that there's a good chance that it holds either a rabbit or ground squirrel inside.

One day while I was working outside, I noticed that Dude had been away from me for quite some time - an hour or more. I called for him, but he didn't respond, so I went looking.

Sure enough, I found him busying himself with a ground squirrel "stakeout" near the barn. He had cornered one inside a large piece of ABS tubing and had been trying his best to get at that little varmint.

He didn't make much progress except to chew up the tubing a bit and tear up the nail on his dewclaw. It was a bloody mess. This showed just how dedicated a hunter he was. He was willing to hurt himself just to get at this little animal.

Off to the vet we went as his nail had to be trimmed back or removed. A bunch of money later he was all bandaged up and limping around the house. It's funny that he didn't seem bothered enough by the pain to call off the "stakeout," but back in the house his pain was clear to see as he kept his foot off the floor and spent lots of time laying around in his bed.

After a couple of weeks and a bandage change, Dude was literally back on his feet and ready for the next ground squirrel episode.

Not so fast! From now on, the pack leader keeps an eye on the Humper Dude just to make certain his play isn't so enthusiastic as to cause additional vet bills. Until he starts paying the vet bills, his playful episodes with the local varmint population will be monitored with appropriate adult supervision.

Supervision from "the Dude"

When you're cutting wood for the winter season, you need a helper or a supervisor. Dude isn't much of a helper, but he's a great supervisor and critter finder. If there's a critter in the wood pile, he'll find it.

I mentioned that he's a great supervisor, because like all great supervisors, he stays out of your way when he sees that you know what you're doing.

And, I like it that way because chain saws, splitting mauls and axes can be dangerous things for my 32 pound buddy. The more he stays out of my way, the better off he is.

The truth of the matter is that I couldn't ask for a better dog. We've bonded quite well, and he doesn't have much interest in being too far from me, but he gives me plenty of "air space" for whatever it is I'm doing.

Sometimes I wonder if he has a clue about what all the wood cutting and splitting activity is all about. I don't think he does, and I don't think he cares. As long as he can sit in front of the fire and stay toasty warm all winter long, he's a happy Dude.

Dude in a box...what will they think of next?

While washing beds for my Boston Terrier buddy, I found a temporary solution for the Dude to take a nap.

I put an old pillow inside a cardboard flat, and Mr. Lickerson immediately identified it as his bed.

It looked a little tight for my 32 pound buddy, but he took to it right away. I've found that he'll make a bed out of just about anything, especially if you point to it and tell him to "get in the bed."

What more can a guy ask for? The Dude isn't picky about where he naps. He just wants to be near you.

Whether the pillow was inside or outside the box, it probably wouldn't make a difference. Anything like a pillow has to be a sufficiently comfortable bed for the little guy.

When we're in the greenhouse together, he lays in the sand under the table, and that seems to satisfy him just fine. I have a couple of old pillows out there for kneeling, so perhaps he'd prefer to use one of those the next time we're out there harvesting kale or picking tomatoes.

The Blue Dude

The Dude loves his basketballs. He chases them, rolls over them and shakes them up when he gets a chance to sink his teeth into them. They are his favorite toy, and he loves it when I kick them up the driveway so they bounce high and roll back down.

If you watch him in action, you would swear that the basketballs are alive, and he's not going to let them get away. He's so intense about this driveway sport that he get's right up close to the ball, even when he knows I'm going to kick it.

I have had to learn how to kick the ball over his head when it's on the ground, just so I don't smash it into his face. Not that he would mind, but I'd hate to do that to my little Humper Dude.

Recently I found one of his special basketballs in the weeds. It's blue, and after a bit of play with it, the Dude was blue as well.

I felt a bit sorry for him because he looked ridiculous and didn't know it. Even if he was aware of it, I'm certain he wouldn't have cared much.

As long as he's having fun, that's the main thing he's concerned about. That, and chasing rabbits.

Apparently the blue coloring on the ball comes off easily after it bakes in the sun for a while. Instead of Cordon Blue we enjoyed a few moments with Cordon Dude before we got him cleaned up and a bit more presentable.

With his incessant licking, I'm certain he had a blue tongue for a while as well. Poor guy, and it wasn't even Halloween yet.

That gets me thinking. Perhaps I should take him into town and have him do a little door to door begging to see if he can get a doggy treat instead of candy. I know he'd like that.

Mr. Lickerson gets his man

As loyal long time readers know, Dude's full name is Humper Go-play Lickerson. Dude is just his nickname, and "the Dude" is more like a title. His last name comes from his interest in licking. He'll lick just about anything and anyone, and sometimes he just licks thin air.


Well, in the summer of 2009 we had a wonderful couple come and visit us here at Best of Both Worlds. Kitty and Ed stopped by to look at our greenhouses because they were on the cusp of getting one themselves. I was looking forward to their visit because I like to share what I know and help others when I can.

Dude enjoys the visits too because that gives him new people to lick.

As it turned out, Ed is a kind of animal magnet. He loves animals, and they love him as well.

Dude was no exception, and Ed was more than willing to have a face-to-face encounter with Mr. Lickerson. Our darling Dude got to lick to his heart's content, and Ed didn't need to wash up for dinner. What a deal!

I've never seen a dog have so much tongue and such a need to share it with others. Lickerson is a good name for my Boston Terrier buddy. He lives up to it.

Thankfully, most people understand doggy breath, and many folks don't mind doggy kisses, but the Dude just isn't satisfied with sneaking little kisses.

We're talking Olympic level dog kisses.

Ed was a great sport, and we all had a good time, especially Mr. Lickerson.

Sore muscles and a slow moving Dude

My faithful four-legged companion went with me on a fishing trip and family visit. He didn't get nearly as much exercise as he should have during our nearly 4 week excursion, but he made up for it the first day he was back home. The rabbits knew that the Dude was back in town.

And, the Dude paid the price - sore muscles the day after. Limping and crawling and hesitation when negotiating stairs or climbing up on my lap told me the Dude was a "hurtin' scooter" because of all his renewed activity.

After a couple of days, he was back in fine shape, not knowing that his own activity was the cause of his aches and pains. No matter the consequence, Humper is going to "go-play" just like his middle name, and rabbit chasing is one of his favorite activities.

It's a good feeling to know that my dog is okay. It's hard not to be concerned when he isn't himself. And, I'm certain he feels great too just knowing that we're finally back home again.

Dude loves fishing

The Dude and I went fishing recently, and we did quite well out there on the lake in the boat. I was a bit apprehensive about him being on the water, but my fears were unwarranted. He knows to stay out of the water, and he knows what's in the water too.

So far, the Dude is a great catfish and pan fish angler. He can watch me reel them in with the best of them. When it comes to a 10 pound catfish, he loves to lick, scratch and snip at them. He's every bit as excited as I am when I get one near the boat to swoop it up with the landing net.

Humper will respond to the catfish as they jump out of the water. He looks in the direction of the splash and then looks back at me as if to say "what are you waiting for?" He knows those are the animals we're after, and it fills him with anticipation.

When I get some fish in the boat's live well, he'll go over every now and then to lift the top up with his nose so he can peer in. I'm not usually paying much attention, but when the live well lid drops closed with a thud, I know just what the Dude has been up to.

Getting in and out of the boat is about the same as getting in and out of the car. He knows when to get in and when to get out, and he responds well to commands to stay or "saddle up."

Life on the lake with my wonderful dog would be all the better if only he could hand me a beer or a landing net, operate the trolling motor, or pass me some tackle when I need it. For now, I'm just tickled that he doesn't leap into the water to get at the fish.

The Dude is a basketball star

For a short 30 pound dog, you wouldn't ever pick someone like the Dude to be on your basketball team, but I sure would. I've never seen a dog handle a basketball as well as the Dude.

Basketballs are one of his favorite toys, yet it seems incomprehensible that he would enjoy them. First of all, they're too big to get in his mouth, so he can't very well carry them. But, that doesn't keep him from trying.

Second, they bounce way higher than he can jump, so they wind up out of reach so very often. Third, the top of them are so high off the ground that it's difficult for him to get his paws on them.

Nevertheless, the Dude loves basketballs. His favorite basketball activity is to jump up and try to catch the things as they bounce around. He'll never do it, but that doesn't stop him from trying.

His next most favorite activity with a basketball involves chasing it down the driveway and overtaking it by climbing on top. This usually results in him rolling over the top of the ball, and perhaps that's the thrill of it all.

If not jumping or rolling over them, he's pushing them with his nose. I believe that he thinks they are animated to some extent because he sure loves 'em.

I figure that since he loves tennis balls so much, he probably figures that a basketball is just a larger version, so there's bound to be more fun in it.

Anyway, if Dude's happy, then I'm happy to get him some basketballs to play with on the drive.

The Dude and Kishi both learn about each other

The Dude is a very playful fellow. "Go-Play" is his middle name - I'm not kidding. He likes to play with everyone and every animal he encounters. The only problem is that not all animals are in the mood to play, at least not all the time. Some aren't ever in the mood to play.

Enter Kishi, our cat. She doesn't like to play, except by herself, or with her own tail. Otherwise, please keep the playing away from her.

One day the Dude was enjoying his time with Clair the pack leader, when one day in walks Ellen with her cat Kishi. Both were coming home to stay. Mr. Lickerson was very excited - more people and animals to play with. Kishi didn't share the excitement, and neither did Ellen.

Humper kept wanting to play with that black cat. Kishi wanted to keep away from that dog, whatever they called him. Humans had to intervene every now and then. Kishi had to swat Humper on the nose to get her point across. The Dude learned to dodge the swats, and continued to offer playful exchanges.

It took a while, but eventually both learned good lessons about the other through direct experience. Humper learned that Kishi was an animal that didn't play. Kishi learned that the Dude meant no harm. Both learned to ignore the other except for the occasional sniff and glance.

What started as a potentially annoying relationship eventually sorted itself out peacefully by allowing the animals to interact with themselves as they normally would. A bit of hiding out here, and a bit of nose swatting there, and some chasing around the house and hiding behind furniture was all it took.
We enjoyed the interactions more than our pets, but everything smoothed out soon enough. After 6 months, both Humper and Kishi can now share the same bed, drink out of the same bowl, and lay down next to one another without one being fearful of harm or the other expecting a moment of play.

They now both understand that there's plenty of room under the same roof for both of them. Kishi now stays to herself, just like she wants, and the Dude plays with other dogs in the neighborhood, just like he wants.

Stuffed animal fun...cloud cover indoors

Stuffed animals are one of the Dude's favorite things to play with. He likes to shake them up, throw them in the air, and play fetch inside the house. They are the closest thing to a live animal he can get, especially when they have a "voice box" inside that makes sounds when he shakes it.

I'm not certain if the Dude has the most toys of any dog, but he certainly has plenty. One of the reasons is that he destroys the toys relatively quickly. There is a method to his madness, so don't think he is purely destructive. He savors the moments with each toy. Some stuffed animals have more moments for savoring than others.

The first step is to remove the eyes and any other hard object attached to the animal. Nothing is eaten, just removed as part of the ritual.

Next, anything else that isn't a main part of the stuffed animal is removed. This could include a bow or a pillow or a hat or article of clothing.

Next, if the animal has a noise making device or "voice box," then that is sought after and finally removed.

Also, if there are any sacks full of polyester beads inside to add weight, those must be removed and shook up sufficiently to distribute small beads all over the house - preferably by making them fly through the air and ricochet around a little. It's all part of the ritual.

Last, the toy is torn at until the polyester stuffing can be removed and distributed across the floor. First a little, then a lot.

It looks a lot like small clouds floating at floor level. I call it indoor cloud cover.


The Dude doesn't seem to notice that it's a mess on the floor. After all, dogs like things just they way they like them, and that often isn't the way you like them.

If the Dude has a playmate come over for tug-of-war, then it only takes a matter of minutes before we have heavy cloud cover and two very happy dogs.

Thank goodness for garage sales. At 25 cents a stuffed animal, the Dude can have at it with as many as he would like - to the extent that we don't mind the cleanup.

Beanie Babies anyone?

Dude...a good travel companion

You never know how well a dog will travel. Most travel well. Some get sick. Some just love going places, and that describes the Dude. He loves to go in the car because he knows there is a good chance we'll go somewhere he'll meet new people.

I'm getting ready to head out for a long trip to Texas and then to Florida, then back home to Wyoming again. The Dude is coming with me. He'll enjoy the stops we make along the way, and all the new people he'll meet.

Anyway, the Dude and I usually stay at Motel 6 because, with rare exception, they accept dogs. In fact, they cater to pet owners. I think their preference is smaller animals - no giraffe or water buffalo - and they recognize that pets are part of the family.

Dude isn't much for checking in, but he sure likes to run down the hallway and guess which room we're staying in. He never gets it right, but he's getting better at it.

He's the best one could ever hope for in the car. As long as he has his bed, he'll curl up and sleep for hours. All I have to do is let him out at the rest stops and offer him food and water as we cruise along. Occasionally, he'll need to get up on the console to see if I'm still headed in the right direction, and to give my right ear a few licks.

As a general rule, when the car slows down, he gets up. If we're going through a town and the window is down, he'll stick his head out to catch the local sights, sounds and smells. After all, he's got to let the other Boston Terrier lovers know that there's a new Dude in town.

As for me, my motto is: Have Dude, will travel.

Dude's best traits...what he doesn't do

Every dog has certain traits that define who he or she is. With the Dude, his best traits are the ones he doesn't have. In general, he's a wonderful dog, but his best traits are characteristics he doesn't have that are commonly found in other dogs. Here are the two traits that I think start to make Dude just about the best companion that a man could ever ask for.

I am so pleased with the idea that Humper essentially doesn't bark. That's a little unusual for a dog, so it leads me to believe that he has a little boxer in his lineage. His muscular build suggests that as well.

I'm not saying he is completely silent, but you'd think that was the case under normal circumstances. Unless he is startled or frightened, I never here a peep out of him. The only way to hear him bark is to start roughhousing with him. Even then, his bark is more of a raspy singing rather than a harsh bark.

With the Dude, I never have to tell him to be quiet. I'm never concerned that he might wake someone up. He just isn't vocal, unless there is a good reason to be.

The second most admirable trait is he never bites. He has had uncomfortable procedures at the vet, and I know that I have inadvertently hurt his ears and tail while playing with him, and he never shows even the slightest inclination to bite.

The one concern that people have about dogs is being bitten. People ask if your dog bites about as often as they ask any question about your dog. Being bitten is a big concern.

I know that any dog can bite, but the Dude has never bitten anyone, and I don't think he ever will. There isn't a mean bone in his body. He loves all people and animals. He truly gives his affection unconditionally.

The Dude has many wonderful characteristics, but best of all, he doesn't bark and he doesn't bite.

Dog rescue...just in time for the Dude

Back in the spring of 2006, I decided to get a Boston Terrier from the animal shelter. I knew they had one, and I knew that I had to act fast because they're popular, and adoption would be swift. I called to have them place a hold on the dog in my name -- sight unseen.

The next morning, I went in and spent some time with that Boston Terrier that would soon thereafter become my best buddy. They labeled him "Rav4." What a dumb name for a dog.

After spending some time with him, I paid the adoption fee, told them to change his name to Humper, walked him out to the car and took him home. Our partnership had begun. He was rescued, and I was like a kid with his first dog (because he was my first dog). And, Humper was glad to have a new home and someone to hang out with.

Just a week later, a dog flu of sorts went through the animal shelter, and management decided that the only wise thing to do was put down all the dogs - more than 40 of them. That's exactly what they did. There was outrage in Cheyenne for weeks to follow.

As I got to know my little Boston Terrier buddy, it struck me just how lucky he was, and just how lucky I was. It still makes my eyes well up with tears. It was only one week. He missed being in the "kill zone" by only one week.

Now that I have experienced the joy that the Dude brings, I can't help but think that there had to be other dogs that could have been saved. There could have been other dogs that would have enjoyed a good home like I have here for the Dude. I'm certain there were other dogs that would have brought just as much joy as the one I rescued.

I often think of the wonderful opportunity that I could have missed if I had just hesitated for only a few days. I'm glad I acted quickly to investigate this dog. I'm glad I decided to rescue Rav4 and turn him into Humper Go-Play Lickerson (a.k.a. Dude).

I'm so glad that I have the Dude, and I know he's glad to be here too. We were meant for each other.

Dog names...here's where it all started

Like most everyone else, I love my Boston Terrier. He's a great dog and a wonderful companion. It's difficult to stop singing praises of him, so I decided to start this blog to sing out loud and clear, and share with others.

And, give others a chance to share as well.

My dog's registered name is Humper Go-Play Lickerson (a.k.a. Dude), so that's where the title of this blog comes from. I couldn't very well attract followers with a blog named Humper, so I settled on using his nickname.

Humper is a rescue from the animal shelter here in Cheyenne, Wyoming. They told me "he's a humper" so I just had to name him that. It's odd, but it's honest. Unbeknown to the technician that showed me the dog, he had been "fixed" so he isn't at all like his name - he is very polite.

And, he knows that he has two names. We regularly refer to him as Dude, but when we really need to get his attention, we call him Humper.

During a visit to my family in Michigan, just after Humper joined our family, my aunt asked what his name was. When I told her, she exclaimed: "Humper?" and I responded, "yeah, he's the Humper dude" and his nickname was born.

I get a big kick out of people in town who enjoy his playfulness and friendliness at some of the stores. They'll often ask me for his name. When I say Humper, men often step back for fear of what might be coming next, and women often go silent and lose interest in my dog. Others that realize it's just a name don't seem to be fazed by it. Some chuckle, some smile, and most prefer to call him Dude.

It's great that he has two names because then we all get a choice.