The ultimate number for a pack

Recently I read a most interesting article about the ultimate number of humans in a group. It was an article about business organizations (all right, I’ll admit it: I was very bored at that moment and nothing else was around for reading or chewing upon). So I read the article – and afterwards chewed it. Anyway: it was kind of interesting. It stated that the ultimate number for a group of people, in an organization or any other group, is 50. With 50 humans know each other and feel related to each other. That makes their pack successful, because they feel responsible for the group as a whole.

I have been wondering about this. For 50 seems a very large pack to me. My pack of bandidos, the guys I hang out with when I am with my personal trainer Nicoline, is around 15. Which is a nice number, because we know each other thoroughly. Sometimes our pack extends a little, when we meet new dogs on the beach and we play with them. But it never exceeds to 50. Fifty dogs, that seems kind of a nightmare to me. Besides: it would never fit into Nicoline’s van!

I think it would be quite a sight, running with 50 dogs on the beach. A lot of humans and not-so-bold canines think it is already a bit unnerving when we storm at them with our pack of 15. Imagine what it would be like if there would be 50 of us…
So with humans it may be 50, but with dogs I think the ultimate group size is 15. I do not remember clearly how many of us where in the Greek shelter where I come from. I lived in the puppy quarters back then, and I don’t think we were with more than 15. We had great fun, that I can tell you! With 15 you can have fun. With 50 it becomes a bit crowded.

No more cargobike

There is some sad news I have to share with you. My cargobike is gone. It was broken beyond repair, M tells me. That is a real shame, because I loved that bike. I especially loved being driven around in it.

I felt like a princess! Now I have to use different sorts of transport. For instance, this:

We drove this one to the beach this morning. Which was nice, of course. The beach is always nice.

We still have a car, my favorite campervan, but M hardly uses that for our everyday transport. Instead we take public transport, like the big thing on the pic above. This means I have to share my vehicle with all kinds of smelly humans and stupid canines I do not even know. That doesn’t suit me. So I am glad we usually bike. That is: M bikes, I run beside her. Which is okay, I like running. But I do miss my cargobike. I hope M and P will buy me a new one. Hey, it is my birthday next month, so I could ask for a new cargobike! Now that is a thought…

Discoveries

M and I have been exploring the surroundings of our house for a long time now – M says for 3,5 years. And still we find new places! I think that is amazing.

Take this spot. We were walking in the dunes, we go there often, and took a narrow path that winds through the tall grass . It lead us to this lovely spot:

It had lots of odd looking prickly plants and nice soft sand. The wind carried the salty smell of the sea, which is never far off where I live. Nice! You see: we do not have to go far to have adventures. Just keep exploring!

Boy-friend weekend!

I had the most thrilling weekend. My boy-friend stayed with us! I adore him:

When we meet we always do really cool things. Like cruising in a flashy car, along the beach:

We played for hours:

He is very good at throwing the frisbee:

I have to run really hard to catch it!

It was pretty awesome. He has gone home now and I am going to sleep and dream of our adventures. Goodnight!

Sweet girl / bad girl

Today, on the beach, a human asked M if I was ‘a sweet dog’. She said yes – of course she did, she is my human! But we both thought this was a strange question. You see: no dog is sweet or mean or ill tempered all the time. We are like humans, how we behave depends on the situation.

I can be a very sweet and well behaved dog if I want to.

I can be polite and gentle.

But I can be very mean, too. If that is the best thing to do in a specific situation!

This last pic is of me and my friend Jip. We have an argument now and then, but we can be playful and friendly too if we want to.

So, the best answer to the question ‘is your dog sweet?’ is: ‘sometimes’. But that is a kind of answer that puzzles humans, because it is neither ‘yes’ or ‘no’. Humans do not like that kind of uncertainty, I noticed. If M would give them this answer those humans would ask her what she means and she would have to explain and before you know it she has to talk for a long time. Which is a waste of time, in our opinion. So she says ‘yes’ – or ‘no’, when we do not like the other human and want to get rid of him/her as soon as possible. Then we move on and use our time for the better things in life. Like walking on the beach.