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.