Poodle Attack!

Birdy in her Ruff Wear jacket

Met this dude called Frank in the dog park Friday.   Espying his two poodles from a hillside vista in our recently groomed dogpark, I rushed the Bird-girl down the hill, clomping in my Yaktrax.

This video shows the greeting I was looking for at the end of my clomp.

Frank and I chatted for awhile and he told me a bunch 'o' great stories about his dogs Ivan and Coco.  The older, taller Ivan I remembered, for he was Birdy's first poodle play date.  I'd met Ivan's female primate pack member at Bend Pet Express.  She made sweet noises at Birdy and invited us over.  We met once.  Birdy was soooo tiny then that she ran under Ivan's belly which, like the bellies of most poodles, was a finely-tuned concavity.  (Would George Orwell roll gravely over if he read that last sentence?)

As we spoke, the dogs played.  Mostly they stood around chewing sticks.  I'm not a big fan of Birdy swallowing outdoor stuff because she's had unexplained vomiting a few times.  So I spoke to her in a nasty tone to indicate I didn't want her doing that.  So, as she does in the house with Will, she trotted over to the male voice to be saved from me.

And he said, "Is your Mom punishing you for chewing that nice stick"  as he scratched her belly and hugged her.  And, because he had earlier told me that his folks had raised poodles, I deferred to his indirectly stated judgement regarding the safety of stick chewing.

And as usual, I didn't argue with this stranger over the use of the word "Mom."  I am very literal-minded when I encounter this word analogizing the relationship between a canine and primate as familial.  I believe that canines and primates are two different species and that they would not be able to interbreed and produce actual offspring.

I am reminded that Birdy is NOT a human every day.  And thank God for that!  I mean, like, everyday she takes a nap with her eyes half open -- she's obviously in some state between being awake and being asleep, a state that most humans cannot achieve! And dogs don't feel shame!  They simply learn to connect a certain action with a certain reward or punishment.  They don't hold on to bad feelings, unlike us higher primates.  And, of course, as a primate I have opposable thumbs!

Now, I'll admit that there have been a few occasions when primates and canines have confused their relationship.  Think of Mowgli.  But he was a rare case. There are just too many people claiming to be related to their dogs.   It's not statistically believable.

Last Year

Last year Birdy became ever more socialized to the point where I'm sure she's hoping that we get her a little sister.

She plays this great game with her friend Monty, where his person Mandy throws the ball and both run to get it.  If Birdy gets it first, she'll either drop it or bring it in and then drop it so that Monty can actually return it.

These pictures were taken last summer.


More recently, Birdy met a newly adopted friend who lives down the street.  She couldn't wait to play with Happy, and pulled on the leash as we walked behind the pup and her person until we got to the park.  We were enjoying the only snow Bend got over the Holidays.  I took my camera along, just in case she did something interesting, and she did.

Good-bye, Simba

Simba was one of Birdy's very first dog park friends, as seen in this movie from her first winter with us.   Brand, Simba and Amy have flown off to Switzerland where the two humans will be teaching.  They left behind this wonderful good-bye poster in the dogpark.