Canine Quirks

Hilarious Habits

                      One thing Smuckers has brought into our lives with abundance, is laughter. She's smart, adorable, intelligent and a comedian. This fits right in with our daughter, who I sometimes call "Comedi-Anne." These two were made for each other.

                      Sometimes we call Smuckers "Thunderpaws" because she literally gallops around the upstairs hallway, thunders from one end to the other, and sounds like a dog at least ten times her size. Her behavior is sometimes almost cat-like, when she pounces on a ball or toy, or bats at our faces in play.

                      Like a lot of small dogs, Smuckers loves to burrow under the bedcovers to sleep. She curls up in a little ball and snoozes away. Occasionally she has a very soft, cute little snore, which cracks us up giggling.

                      Perhaps not so hilarious was her habit of chewing on her back feet. Smucker's had this habit from puppyhood, and the enzymes in her saliva discolored the fur on her back paws rusty red, spoiling her fine white socks. It didn't seem to do her any harm, but it was a quirky thing. Oddly enough, she doesn't do that much anymore. As long as she has something else to chew on, she mostly leaves her feet alone now. We also think the change in her diet might have cut down on her itching, and maybe she had chewed on her paws because they were the primary site where itching started for her. Who knows? What would she tell us if she could talk?

                      Speaking of "talk" -- another funny thing Smuckers does is make an amusing little "trilling" sound to talk to us. The inquisitive noise is something like a cross between squirrel chatter and a trilling bird. We think it sounds sort of like one of those little dinosaurs from "Jurassic Park."

                      From the way she shakes so vigorously it lifts all four of her feet off the ground at the same time, to the way she crosses her paws on the edge of the foot board of Annie's bed to watch television (or to watch Annie at the computer.) Smuckers is just plain cute.

                      Our other dog, Ginger, isn't always as funny. She does do some weird things though -- for instance, she can go up the stairs backwards. She likes to do this in front of us and "talk" (bark, bark!) as we ascend the stairs.

                      Ginger also sleeps flat on her back with her legs all sprawled out sometimes. She looks ridiculous, but is sawing some serious logs until our laughter awakens her. She also snores, almost as loud as a person!

                      Does your dog have a quirky habit or hilarious antic that you love and consider part of its personality? Would you share a little bit about that trait with Smuckers and our friends?

                      Just e-mail Smuckers with a few lines about your pet's antics and let us know if you want an e-mail or web page link included. You may also send a picture if you want to! When we have some to share, we'll post those bits on this web page.

                      Hope to hear from you soon!