It's All Dude, All Day!

I don't watch television for a range of reasons, mainly because there isn't anything on TV that is worth my time. I also consider the uber-commercial nature of TV to be an unwarranted intrusion in my life. I don't need advertisers constantly showing and telling me that I'm dissatisfied with my life.

When it comes to TV, I'd rather watch my dog sleep. And, that's exactly what Dude would rather have me do as well.

There's a television in my home, but that's for watching movies. And, there's a television cabinet at my cottage, and that's for watching the Dude while he sleeps.

It's my version of what you might likely hear on TV, "It's all Dude, all day, on the weekend Boston Terrier marathon." It sounds a bit like one of those week long or weekend long movie channels or sports channels. I know my Humper Dude won't ever have his own TV show, but he seems to be perfectly satisfied to be inside the TV cabinet in his bed. And, that's close enough for both of us.

Let's consider the advantages of having Dude in the TV cabinet instead of "on the set." First of all, he doesn't have to go through makeup and hairstyling. I'm sure he's rather happy about that. Also consider that there are no lines to memorize, no tele-prompter to read, and no long days at the studio. And, just think of all the autograph signing he avoids!

He knows that he leads a dog's life - a rather exceptional dog's life. One that is very special, even without being on TV.

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.