Monday, December 17, 2012

But Can He Catch a Frisbee?

Thought for the day:  No matter how little money and how few possessions you own, having a dog makes you rich.  [Louis Sabin]

We may not have had the smartest dogs in the world, or the prettiest, but we always managed to share our home with the sweetest and most loving. And yes, being welcomed home by an excited dog can make you feel rich. And important.

Nothing against our cats... we love 'em to pieces... but they aren't exactly over-the-top "Welcome home; I've missed you soooo much!" kinda critters like dogs are. Their attitudes are more like, (yawn) "What? You were gone...?"

It isn't that our dogs didn't know ANY tricks. Not at all. They did. Our Springer spaniel could catch Frisbees. Really well, too. Most of our dogs were pretty good about conducting their, um,  business outside, too. (Most of the time.) And my grandmother had a beautiful boxer whose awe-inspiring farts spurred people to set personal best speed records in their mad dashes to the exit.
I yam what I yam

But our dogs were always gentle. Wouldn't hurt a fly. Or a burglar. Or a butterfly.

Last year, I wrote a post about military working dogs. It is positively amazing what these dogs can do. Like jump out of airplanes. (More than one time, too!)

Today, I'm gonna show you what another kind of service dog can do. You won't believe it until you see it with your own eyes:

That settles it! Clearly, we've been giving our dogs the wrong name. We have to get a Jesse. How about you? Think you could use a dog like him? Or do you already have a dog that astounds? Does he only chew up the shoes that hurt your feet? Does he only bark at people from the other political party? Do tell.

                                    Until next time, take care of yourselves. And each other.


CREDIT Senior ArkI Can Has Cheezburger, and Manuel J. Martinez, USAF, for the nifty images.

59 comments:

  1. Charming video! Gotta love Jack Russells, they do everything at top speed.

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  2. Positively outdone yourself! I'd show the Jesse vid to Norma but I think I'd be doing myself out of a job. Delightful, Susan!

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    1. Thanks. I don't know if I've outdone myself, but that pooch sure outdoes me. Can you imagine how much training went into him? Yowza. I think I'm doing good to get a dog to poop outside.

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  3. I loved every dog we ever owned, but sadly no longer have one. It just wouldn't do in a one bedroom flat.

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    1. Sounds like you may need to get a cat. Ot two. (They're small...)

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  4. Oh my goodness. We clearly have the wrong type of dog. Our German Shepherd can't do any of that!

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    1. Maybe not, but Sasha is already a member of the family. And a real sweetie.

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  5. Loved the posting. We are owned by a Chihuahua that I wish knew the tricks of Jesse in your video! :)

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    1. HA! Yeah, I know what you mean. Our critters have always owned us, too.

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  6. Love having dogs. Watched part of that video, what a little bugger that one is. So much energy and I like how everything is sized to fit the pup.

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    1. Yeah, Jessie is something else. Obviously, he lives in a better school district than our dogs did.

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    2. Hahahaha.

      Oh pups. They are full of fun. Both mine are finally passed out on the couch, while I coupon before work.

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  7. I need me one of those cute critters!!!

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    1. You and me both. No matter how nicely I ask, our cats never fetch my slippers.

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  8. What a great little guy....I gotta get me one of those.

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    1. Yeah, he'd sure come in handy, wouldn't he? Especially if he knows how to cook and do the dishes.

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  9. Does Jesse have any brothers or sisters? My 2 lazy brutes are useless (but adorable).

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  10. As a dog lover, aka. dog addict, I had to share this post on facebook! I love that first picture the most.

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  11. I am a HUGE dog lover.

    Well, actually, I'm not really that much overweight, but I DO love dogs a lot.

    And the first and last photos in this blog bit are classics!

    ~ Stephen

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    1. HA! Great way to put it. I've always been a huge animal lover, too. Even when I was skinny.

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  12. sometimes I wonder what we ever talked about before we got our dog, Herc....the boys play with him day and night...and then talk about him when they are not home! but..it is all good....

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  13. Love that quote. My dog really does make me rich. Now if only I could get him a boy to play with! Ha!

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    1. I'm sure you will. (Maybe you can teach your dog to, um... "fetch" one for you?)

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  14. Aww, I love that quote. So true! <3

    I've seen Jesse before and love the video! What an amazing little dog. Jack Russells are such cuties. :)

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    1. There are several videos of Jesse online, but I thought this one was the most amazing. Jack Russells are definitely cuties. Hyperactive, high-energy, and smart as all get-out, too.

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  15. Terrific pos! I am an absolute dog lover. I don't even like to refer to them as dogs. They are four-legged friends. I have shared my life with many over the yrears. Are they better than people?

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    1. Yes, indeed, dogs are definitely better than people in some ways. They never ever betray you, and they never ask to borrow money... or your car. They don't care how you look, or how you dress. They're ALWAYS happy to see you; it doesn't matter whether you've been gone for five minutes or five months. And their love is truly unconditional.

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  16. Hi Susan,

    I just loved your pawst, sorry, post. Of course, being such a lovable, yet modest dog, I would love your pawst. Oops, post! We dogs do display non-judgemental, unconditional love. Lovely photos that show the talents of us amazing dogs.

    And cats....oh yeah, If your house is on fire and your smoke alarm isn't working, your beloved dog will warn you. While kitty takes off out the cat flap....

    Pawsitive wishes and doggy kisses, Penny the Jack Russell dog and modest internet superstar! xx

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    1. Penny, that Jesse looks like a good match for you, don't you think? He's not only a fine-looking fellow, but he knows how to take good care of you and Gary.

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  17. I am such a sucker for dogs. Naughty ones, nice ones, slobbery ones. I love them all. Such goofy, lovable animals. :)

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  18. military working dogs

    Saw a few of those in action working the military police while I was in the army. Most human MP's did not impress me, the dogs however scared me.

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    1. I always thought military working dogs were incredible, but I didn't realize quite how incredible they are until I did the research to write that post about them last year.

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  19. Seeing that little dog being so helpful, I should have had dogs instead of kids.

    Have a Merry Christmas Susan. I will be off Blogger until the beginning of next year. I will catch up with you then.

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    1. HA! You've got a point there. The kids never acted as happy about helping out as that dog does.

      You have a very Merry Christmas, too, Arleen. Catch ya next year.

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  20. My dogs make me so darn happy. I hope I make them half as happy as they make me.

    Love,
    Janie

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    1. Oh, you know they're happy. All a dog wants is to be loved, and you do that big-time.

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  21. I love the post--the dog pictures are adorable!! I have a mischievous pug named Brewski--we got him from a rescue group a year ago--best decision I ever made because I love that dog SOOOO much! Thanks for sharing the cute pics and so nice to meet you through Gossip Grl's blog!

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    1. Hi-ya, mama. Glad you liked the pics. Thanks for stopping by and for signing on as a follower. I do appreciate it, dear lady. Welcome aboard!

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  22. Until recently, I've always had a dog, often more than one at a time. I miss them terribly. That's one of the first things I want when I get back to the States.

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    1. Sorry you can't have a dog now, but that just means you'll love your pooch all that much more when you get back to the states.

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  23. You have won a book on my blog. :)

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    1. Woo-HOO! Am I one lucky duck, or what? Thank you so much. I'll be right over...

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  24. Something's fishy here. There has never been a dog that would have a pancake in his mouth and not eat it.

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    1. Well, certainly no dog WE ever had! Our dogs would eat just about anything, and self-control wasn't exactly their strongest suit. Our neighbors had a dog that was so well-trained, they could put a treat or piece of food on his nose, and he would remain perfectly still until they gave him permission to eat it. Heck, our kids weren't even THAT disciplined.

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  25. I've never had a dog (I'm a "cat person"), but this video clip was just amazing! Do you think if I show it to my son he would learn some of those tricks?

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    1. HA! Well, you can TRY using the video as a training tool for your son, but you might have a better chance of lasting success if ya get a dog! (Boys will be boys...)

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  26. Great post. I often wonder what sad state we humans would be in without our dogs!

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    1. Thanks, Laurie. You're right; it would be a sad state. Pets... especially dogs and cats... add so much to our lives.

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  27. Wow! I've had some wonderful dogs in my life but nobody that impressive! Sending to my brother (he's trying to talk his wife into getting another dog). You find the best things!

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    1. Yeah, that Jesse is a real "show-off", isn't he? I couldn't even teach my dogs not to lick themselves in public...

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  28. Hi Susan .. such fun! Amazing ... cheers and wish he/she was here for Christmas cleaning up for us!! Cheers Hilary

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    1. Hi-ya, Hilary. Yeah, we could sure use a helper like him to help us clean up, too. (I wonder how he is at scrubbing floors...?)

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  29. I love that Jesse film. They're so clever... although I don't think I'd fancy eating that food that he put on the plate!

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    1. Good; I thought you might enjoy it. Not eat the food after he went to all that trouble? Uh, yeah... I know what you mean.

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