Seven years

This weekend it is exactly seven years ago I went living with M and P. As a dog I usually do not look back, because to see opportunities coming one must look forward. But seven years is quite a time, so I decided it is a Good Thing to look back in this post. So many things happened!

Seven years ago I was a brave but small dog. Everything was new to me: the first four months of my live I lived in a shelter in Greece, then I went to live with a foster family in Holland. And then M and P came to take me to their home. It was quite overwhelming:

Since then I have grown into a big happy dog. I made lots of friends:

Canine and human friends:

And some nice enemies to test my powers with, too:

M, P and I made loads and loads of long walks, in Holland and abroad:

We had lots of adventures, like the time we travelled by canoe:

Crazy things happened, M even put me on her bike:

And in a cargo bike, with my friend:

Really awkward things happened too, like the time M thought it a good idea for me to do hunting training and we had to get things out of very dirty water. The other dogs just jumped in! How awful! No way I did that (after this episode I did not go to hunting training anymore – good):

We went camping dozens of times:

We had so many adventures! And good times at home, too. I love guardening:

I look back on an awesome seven years. I have grown into a big and strong dog and am proud to say I am a ferocious guarding dog, always on the lookout:

Nice long holiday

Hello there! Sorry you have not heard from me for a while. I was away on a very nice, long holiday. It was awesome! We went hiking in the mountains!

There was rock and grass, water and snow. I love playing in the snow:

We travelled in some pretty odd vehicles. Like this one, flying high above the mountains:

I guarded our campervan, of course:

We had some cozy nights in the van:

And some nights in a nice, warm big house:

We encountered some very funny facilities for dogs, too:

Needless to say I did not use this. A shower for dogs, hilarious!!!

It was a nice holiday with lots of adventures. I do like these long travels with M and P. But I also like to be home again:

How to become a blogger

A dog I met on the beach asked me how she can be a successful blogger, just like me. She was not the first dog to ask me, so I decided to write a post on how to become a blogger.

It is not very difficult, you know. Anyone can do it! There are a few elements for a successful blog. First the technical stuff. That is easy: just start a blog at WordPress, like this one. Or with another company that offers this service. Add some nice pictures to it, I am sure you already have loads of them. If not, ask your human. Humans tend to take pictures of everything they love, which means: you.

What is most important for a successful blog is the content. That is why readers will come to your blog, because you have something to tell them! It can be anything. Your musings on interesting topics like foxes, funny stories about your friends and – my favorite – stories about your adventures.  It is good to have adventures often, so you can share them with your readers! Of course you are already searching for fun experiences, because they give you joy. Now you have another reason to do so, because you can blog about them. What a splendid reason to go searching for fun things!

The next thing of course is the writing. Do not get too nervous about that. Hey, you are a dog, nobody will expect your writing to be flawless. I’ve discovered that the blogging community is a huge, friendly pack of likeminded creatures, who love to read and write and share their adventures. Your dog readers won’t mind some mistakes, if they’ll even notice, and your human readers will think it astonishing that you can write anyway. They do not suspect dogs can write,  humans can be so narrow minded…. Your readers will like your blog regardless of some mistakes now and then, so no worries about that. Just start writing and see how far you’ll get.

You will need access to one of these luminous devices humans call computers. If your human supports your blogging ambitions you can use his/hers. If she/he is not: wait until you are home alone. Being a narrow minded human they will never think you use their computer – when they find out is has been used they will probably blame the kids or their partner. You just need to put on your ‘it-wasn’t-me-face’ in case they look at you. I am sure you are very good at that face, every dog is.

I will tell all this to the dog who asked me on the beach. She is a labrador, so she will probably want to start a food blog. That should be fun to read! It won’t have many items on how to prepare fancy dishes, I guess, because labs tend to wolf down anything that is even remotely edible. But you never know. She might surprise us. Happy blogging to her!

An adventure for every dog

There is one more picture of our hike in Germany that I’d like to share with you. To me it makes clear how wonderful it is to be with your humans and have adventures together. Walking in a wood with trees this big was truly an adventure.

I wish all the dogs in the world can have adventures like this. Yes, also the little ones that get dressed up and are carried around in designer bags. Because no matter how tiny dogs are, they need adventures! Maybe you are reading this and you are such a dog. You want to go out on an adventure too, but you have to persuade your human. Because your human prefers shopping malls over woods, right? Well, you can tell her that for going on an adventure together you will need gear to survive in the woods. Like…. outdoor designer clothing! For her and for you! Which means more shopping, so she will definitely like that.

And then, after hours of shopping and preparation, you are finally out in those woods. You will have a happy walk and ignore the squirrels roaring with laughter about your fashionable canine outdoor gear. They are just dumb squirrels. Enjoy your adventure!

Fun, companionship & love

The American dog whisperer Cesar Millan works with a formula that every dog owner who wants a friendly, balanced dog has to follow, in his opinion. It consists of three basic principles:

1. Exercise
2. Discipline
3. Affection

In that order. So first you have to make sure your dog gets all the exercise she needs, then you have to discipline your dog (set rules and stuff like that) and after you have done all this, you should give her affection. The exercise part is for the body, discipline is for the mind and affection considers the heart, he writes.

I think it is nicely said and he probably did a lot of thinking to put a complex subject like this into three simple words. But from a dog’s perspective he is not entirely right. I would translate this formula in three different words, meaning different things. This is my formula:

1. Fun
2. Companionship
3. Love

I will explain this. When you have a dog and you want a good relationship with her, you will have to work together. Of course this means exercising, but there is more to it. You don’t just walk her every day for one hour (with her on the leash and you chatting to other humans), but you go out on Adventures together. You have fun. That is how you get to know each other. You won’t need to set artificial rules, because you will learn what works best for both of you while doing it. It is a natural process! Having fun together builds a strong relationship. It is a matter of the body and the mind.

Companionship is about the mind. When you and your dog truly understand each other and you have a strong bond (because you have adventures!), you will be true companions. She will protect you and comfort you in times of sorrow, you will feed her and give her shelter. You will be a real team.

Love (and respect) is what comes from fun & companionship. When you do all of the above, your dog will love you and you will love your dog. That is a matter of the heart. Although we dogs do not distinct body from mind and heart, in our opinion they are one and the same.

When you follow this formula, you will not only have a balanced dog, but a friend for life. That is worth some effort, isn’t it?