Holiday Etiquette for your Pet Dog

  HOLDAY ETIQUETTE FOR DOGS        

by Thomas Bennett ( Dad )

Be especially patient with your humans during this time. They may come home

with large bags of things they call gifts. Do not assume that all the gifts are yours.

Be tolerant if your humans put decorations on you. They seem to get some special

kind of pleasure out of seeing how you look with fake antlers.

They may bring a large tree into the house and set it up in a prominent place and

cover it with lights and decorations. Bizarre as this may seem to you, it is an important

ritual for your humans, so there are some things you need to know:

      ---don't pee on the tree

      ---don't drink the water in the container that holds the tree

      ---mind your tail when you are near the tree

      ---if there are packages under the tree, even ones that smell interesting or that

          have your name on them, don't rip them open

      ---don't chew on the cord that runs from a funny-looking hole in the wall to the tree

Your humans may occasionally invite lots of strangers to come and visit during this season. 

These parties can be lots of fun, but they also call for some kind of discretion on your part:

      ---not all strangers appreciate kisses

      ---don't eat off the buffet table

      ---beg for goodies subtly

      ---be pleasant, even if unknowing strangers sit on your sofa

      ---don't drink our of glasses that are left within your reach

A big man with a white beard and a very loud laugh may emerge from your fireplace in the

middle of the night.

                                DON'T BITE HIM!!

Celebrity Dog Owner in DUMBO

Celebrity Dog Owner Spotted in DUMBO

So, Thursday morning, I made my usual trek to the Brooklyn Bridge Park Dog Run under the Manhattan Bridge. I came across a former tenant from my apartment with his two dogs in the run and another dog owner whom I have never seen before in the neighborhood. She had a Chocolate Lab, whose name I am unaware of, but I may have heard "Penguin".

Anyway, as I got closer to the woman, wearing an overcoat, long scarf and hiding behind a pair of Ray Ban sunglasses. Low and behold it was Anne Hathaway of the Silver Screen. I posted the pic on Facebook, obviously, soon after, I was getting comments of being a "Stalker".  I mean c'mon already, I pretended to take a video of Maisy, so I got a photo of the starlet watching her lab run amok in the dog run.

Anne had recently been engaged to another actor not sure of his name or his previous works in the entertainment field, but a pic was taken of the two of them in Fort Greene park.  So without further ado, here is Anne Hathaway with her Chocolate Lab:



Salty Dog Part 2 - Thanksgiving 2011

My Fiance', Shannon and I drove down the Garden State Parkway to Cape May, NJ.  It was the first time for all of us to end up at exit "0".  So, when people say about those residents of NJ, "what exit do you live off of?" We actually ended up at the very end of the road.  We had made reservations to take the Cape May Ferry to Lewes, Delaware for a leisurely ferry ride, so that we could skip the monotonous drive through upper Delaware.

We arrived with ample time to spare, so that Maisy could stretch her legs and take care of business. Once on board, we got to sit atop the top check and enjoy the seasonably warm weather of the Atlantic Ocean. Maisy was not the only dog on board, there was a Daschund and a playful pit bull that tried very hard to play with Maisy, but were not having any of that.

Off in the distance is the north-eastern shoreline of Lewes Delaware to which we would disembark to Shannon's parents house in Bishopsville, MD. It was actually the best idea I had in a while, Maisy loves the open waters, though she is scared of waves washing ashore along the beaches of Assateague State Park, Md. During the ferry ride, we decided to stop by a local pet store that caters to the pampered pooches.  Maisy needed a new winter coat, since the one I originally bought her was too big, I had hoped she would grow into it, but I was wrong. So Maisys' cousin "Clarence" a Labradoodle is now the proud owner of the Fleece Coat size 16.  Joking "Clarence's" owners considered it a hand-me-down, even though Maisy only wore it like four times. We also purchased a stuffed duck, unknowingly until the woman said that you can stick an empty plastic bottle in it, for hours of fun and enjoyment.

Maisy loves the the salty air, the wind blowing through her ears and the sun beating down on for extra warmth. Once we got closer to the docks, Maisy began to simmer down and feel like royalty aboard such a huge vessel. As you can see from the picture behind me, there were tourists on board, they were not accustomed to ferries, they wanted to move the lounge chairs around, but the parents had to tell their kids that the furniture was bolted to the ground. We looked forward to having another Turkey Dinner for Thanksgiving Saturday night, plus celebrate Shannon's nieces' 1st Birthday.

Here Maisy rests before the big day, Saturday. She would always look for scraps that would fall fro Tess' high-chair. Maisy also learned from her mistake, by eating human food touched by an infant.  She had vomited several times on Sunday, and called the vet. She ate a lot of grass to tickle her throat, and it worked to get the issue removed from her.  It wasn't a pretty sight, but Maisy felt a lot better.  Being it was her first real Holiday, she will learn her lesson, then again maybe not. So may I say, bring on Christmas, but she will be boarded for the weekend, but Santa Paws will have Maisy on her GOOD list with lotsa toys to play with.  Happy Holidays Everyone!