Hi, Jackson here. Life is sure exciting. It’s warmer out now so being outside is a must. I can sit for hours just watching the yard and the woods. I have to give an occasional “woof” to ward off anything that’s even thinking of coming in the yard to remind them who is boss around here.
This makes me think about mom (not the boss statement, but she does think she is boss although I know better (heehee). Mom looks at me sometimes and says “I wish I knew what you were thinking” or sometimes it’s the “What were you thinking?” That last one isn’t so good.
I’d love to be able to talk human talk and tell mom what I am thinking and why I do what I do. I actually do talk, but it’s only in my head and only comes out as a whine, growl, woof or a real bark. It’s hard to communicate with you humans until we get you trained better. Until then, here are some things I do and why.
Sit by the back door. Sure, sometimes this means ‘gotta go….’ More often for me it means there’s a squirrel in the yard (Gees, mom, can’t you see that?!) or the cardinals are trying to nest in the lilac bush by the patio and I need to get them out of there or I just need to sprint across the yard to see if anything moves so I can chase it. I know that’s a lot for you to remember. The key is that I need/want to go out. Okay, I know you just sat down, but it’s a squirrel for crying out loud and it’s in our yard!
Barking. Sometimes, you just have to bark. Like girls just wanna have fun (thanks for that Cyndi, it’s a fave of mine). It might be that there is a monster lurking in the shadows you can’t see, but I just know it is there (okay, it’s a deer and I know I’ve seen hundreds of them, but I still like to bark because they need to know I’m watching). Or maybe I’m trying to get my besties to get a little feisty. They are older and it takes time for them to get those old bodies moving. Maybe it’s because I’m scared because I hear something and don’t know what it is (this is quite rare because I am a very confident guy). A bark like this often gets my bestie Quinn to come as a back-up. And sometimes I’m just being silly and playing then out pops a bark – “ I just can’t contain the excitement. I guess the idea is to look at what I’m doing when I bark. If all the hair on my back is up, that monster might be up in the woods again.
Whining. This is a favorite move of mine because I get the most attention. If mom finally gets to sit down on the couch after a long day of baking, I put my head on the ottoman, look right at her and whine. If she looks at me, I whip my tail around with excitement. If she doesn’t, I whine more until she does. Sometimes I get the “What do you want Jackson?” That’s a good one because then I often get BACB treats in a toy so I play with that for an hour until I get the treats out. Sometimes it’s “I just don’t know what you want Jackson.” And that’s okay, too, because sometimes I whine because I’m just tired and I don’t know what I want either; I’m just hoping mom comes up with something.
And the last one is me sitting beside you (a favorite of mom’s). For me, since I’m not a lap kind of guy, I come and sit next to you when I want some scratches and rubs. Ahh, it feels so good. My whole body tingles and I just can’t get my little (but muscular) body wrenched around enough to take it all in. It is sheer ecstasy. Thank you mom.
This is a short list. I know there are more things I do that mom questions (especially the things I’ve learned from my besties), but it’s enough for now.
Until next time; gotta run…
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