"Do you like velociraptors, pirates, sharks and boats? Then you will probably like..." THIS BLOG [ from the mission statement.]
 I have blush of new love sweeping across my face. I love this blog about THE SIMPLE DOG called Hyperboleandahalf on blogspot. My friend Patrice sent me this cartoon earlier today. I liked it so much that I googled it to get MORE. Totally awesome awesomeness! Below is a cartoon image from the Blog. Further below is a snippet from a post about car rides with carsick simple dog.

"She actually seemed to like throwing up.  To the simple dog, throwing up was like some magical power that she never knew she possessed - the ability to create infinite food. I was less excited about the discovery because it turned my dog into a horrible, vomit-making perpetual motion machine.  Whenever I heard her retch in the backseat, I had to pull over as quickly as possible to prevent her from reloading her stomach and starting the whole cycle over again.  "

This is good stuff for dog moms and dads. Life with dogs is rewarding, but not ALWAYS pretty..and certainly not sanitary or for the faint of stomach.

 

 

A question many new [and seasoned even] dog owners often ask me is, "Is that play TOO ROUGH?", in regard to their dog's play style or the style of a play partner for their dog. Sometimes what they mean is "Is that play too LOUD?". It's true that rough play can often accompany loud and growly play. However, more often than not, loud play is simply that-LOUD PLAY. A great way to try and look at dog play without being negatively biased by the sound is to turn the volume down in your head and focus on how it looks rather than how it sounds.

Banjo [ shown here in Australian Terrier Red] and Truman [ a pretty picture in Mixed Brussels Brown] engage in some growly but mutually satisfying consensual play. There is 'turnabout', meaning that they each swap 'dominant' or rather PUSHY roles if you will, and each is in turn the 'chaser' and the 'chasee'. If everything "looks" good, you can often chalk up the sound to preference or personality, but not "intention" to do harm or it being TOO rough.