National Dog Day

Did you know that today -- August 26th -- is National Dog Day? Me neither. And the day even has it's own website. (Sheesh, they'll give a website to anybody! Even a crazy dog lady like me.) But I'm not going to pass up a chance to "celebrate" with the dogs. Looking for some ideas? How about:

• Turn off the TV and step away from the computer. Give your dog your undivided attention. Talk to him. Tell him about your day. He won’t understand the words, but he’ll be thrilled to hear your voice. On the plus side, he’ll always agree with you. According to Jedi: yes, my boss was being unreasonable yesterday; I am the best Animal Control officer in the entire world; and I totally deserve a raise.
• Be Silly. I once read that dogs enjoy a Three Stooges slapstick-type humor. True or not, I believe that dogs do have a sense of humor. I know they respond to laughter. I’m talking about real belly laughs, not that fake stuff you show to the in-laws. (Dogs can tell the difference.) And I may be anthropomorphizing, but I'd swear that dogs smile when they're happy.
• Play a game. Fetch, tag, tug-o-war, chase the laser pointer -- it doesn’t matter what you play. Just play.
• Take a walk. I'm not talking about the “hurry up and pee” walk, or the “I need some exercise” walk that we're all familiar with. Take a DOG walk. Put away your cell phone and enjoy the moment. Stop and smell the flowers -- or whatever you feel like sniffing. Your dog will love it!
• Find the sweet spot. You know what I'm talking about: that one spot that makes your dog’s feet kick and tongue loll? Every dog has one. Pepper’s was at the base of her tail. Logan would actually groan during ear massages. Roxy loves having her belly rubbed and Jedi can’t stay still when you scratch his back. Where is your dog’s sweet spot?
• Go out for a burger. When the weather is nice we like to go to Sonic. We’ll sit at a far table under the awning. Hubby and I enjoy people watching while the dogs split a plain cheeseburger and cup of water (no ice). If we go between 2-5 PM I can get a lemon-berry slush for half price! Cheap date, hunh?
• Set up a play date. Does your dog have a canine BFF? Why not invite the dog and his owner over for some butt sniffing (the dogs) and margaritas (the humans)? We have friends that Hubby, Jedi and I visit regularly, though not as often as I would like. Friends have four shepherds of their own, so their house is very dog-friendly (as in no crystal vases at tail level). The puppies run amok while the adults play board games.
• Go for a ride. This is one of Roxy’s favorite pastimes. A trip around the block with her head out the window is the Best. Thing. Ever. Want bonus points? End up at the park or pet store.
• Learn a new trick. This is a great bonding experience for the two of you. Your dog wants to please you. Seeing you happy because he figured out “roll over” will make his day. Need ideas for tricks? Check out Janet Wall's site or one of the many books from Kyra Sundance.
• Take an afternoon nap together. Spoiler alert: I let my dogs in bed with me. There’s not enough room for two big dogs and two not-so-small humans to fit comfortably all night. However, there is plenty of room for one human and two dogs to enjoy an hour-long nap. I’d like to think that we all benefit from the closeness of sleeping together.

How are you celebrating National Dog Day? -- K

P.S. To my regular readers: Yes I recycled this from a previous post. I was too busy playing with the pooches to write something fresh. To my new readers: Disregard the previous statement. Enjoy!