Old Dogs, Children and Watermelon Wine
Roughhousing, jumping, licking your face and tail wagging. Yes
we’re talking about the four legged kids most of us have in our house. It’s
National Dog Day. Sorry cat people, it’s not your day. This year our local dog
population has increased.
This is Ninja after playing in the mud.
Our Mama Mia had 13 puppies in June, of which we still have
5. We’re keeping 3 and the other 2 go to grandsons in October. So our jumping,
licking your face and tail wagging has greatly increased this year. Yet what
are these endearing qualities that us dog lovers deal with?
The “experts” say:
Tail wagging by your dog is only partially a sign of
happiness. Tell that to the dog imitating a helicopter. Of course the problem
with experts is they claim a dog’s tail is a communication device. The claim it
communicates different emotions like happiness, fear, tension, even attack. And
if they’re really happy they’ll wag their tail with their whole butt or in
circles. Our Mia wags not only her whole butt, but her whole body. She turns
into a U-shape.
Dogs licking your face in many cases is a sign of love and
affection, with puppies even more so. They say this behavior comes from wolves,
of which they claim that technically dogs are a subspecies of wolves. It may
simply be that they are grooming you. Dogs groom each other or their human when
a solid bond is in place.
So what about jumping? It’s usually an unwanted behavior you
have to train out of the dog. Again, the
experts say it’s an instinctive display of affection, and if they try to lick
your face it’s because they recognize you as their parent.
Dogs are generally social, but not always. Your dog will
look to you for guidance, approval, companionship and love. Of course, the
experts blame that on wolves also. Does it make it sound better to say dogs are
part wolf? What do these experts really know? For those of us that have dogs,
we know they are loyal if you treat them right. In fact, they become part of the
family. Your kids and grandkids play with them and use them for a pillow. And
as for your dog leaning on you, I think maybe they’re tired, but those pesky
experts say it’s another sign of affection. They claim it’s the dog asking for
your attention, so as you’re falling over anyway, sit down and pet your dog.
The person who probably said it best was Tom T. Hall in his
song; “Ain’t but three things in this world that’s worth a solitary dime but
old dogs and children and watermelon wine”.
Now I don’t have a recipe for watermelon wine, but I do have
one for watermelon smoothies. It lets you sip something cold that tastes of
watermelon as the children play and the dog is laying on your feet.
Watermelon Smoothies:
When the weather is hot try watermelon, cucumber and mint
smoothies or you can use just watermelon and strawberries. Place the
ingredients in the blender, add some ice cubes or Greek yogurt and blend.
And if you’re really into watermelon, try cutting some up
into small pieces then freezing them in an ice cube tray. You can add a small
amount of water also. Then use your frozen watermelon instead of ice cubes.
