Backstabbed

             Ever since we moved into our new house, my mom has been really strict about not having the dogs in the house. I feel as if  they've lost all their trust for us. They're used to sleeping inside the house, alongside our feet at the foot of the bed; in a room that was like a fireplace to them. Now they're forced to sleep in the garage, or outside in the backyard, where it's as cold as a girl who just got her heart broken. Is it possible they feel neglected?
              Sometimes I feel horrible about leaving them outside, and hearing their cries kills me; so what do I do? Let them in behind my moms back. As soon as they come running in, they get settled on the couch and immediately fall asleep. I can see it on their fur next to their eyes that they've been crying nonstop. I've told my mom but I can see it in her face that she doesn't care at all. Seeing my dogs like that actually upsets me. But I'm not sure if they actually feel neglected. I feel like I've literally put a knife in their back and I can't take it anymore; but then again I know it's not my fault. If it was my choice, I would've let them in the house, and I think my dogs sense that. They always sleep by my side.

Accused 

It hurts to be accused

of something you didn't do,
It is like a kick in the head,
Yet you wouldn't understand.

You kick me while I'm down,
Then you have the nerve to ask me why I wear a frown.
You point the finger,
but you are slow to understand
that arrogance and ignorance go hand in hand. 

                 I found this poem on a website that I visit a lot and it made me think a lot about myself and my dogs. The first stanza reminds me of me, because it feel like the dogs are accusing me of putting them outside. The second stanza reminds me of my dogs because I feel like that's how they're feeling. I feel as if my dogs are being somewhat framed, which is why they aren't allowed inside. My mom must have a good reason, but knowing how stubborn she is, I know she won't tell me anything. 

                 I love my dogs more than anything on this planet. They aren't human but they are my best friends. They're there for me when I'm upset; they lick the tears off my face. To think that they're hurt and feel backstabbed makes me wonder if humans feel guilty for backstabbing their friends. Most of the time I see that the person doesn't care at all. But do they feel it deep inside? Guilt is something that can eventually eat you alive. It's eaten me alive and at this point I need to find a way to make my dogs trust the family again. Maybe I'll try convincing my mom that they deserve to be in the house. 

Works Cited 

                "Accused." Family Friend Poems. N.p. Dec 2007. Web. 14 Nov. 2014. 

Breaking in the New House

           It's been crazy this whole between moving things into our new house, school, family, and dealing with the confusion of my dogs. They were confused that we were moving stuff out the old apartment; I could tell because they would just watch us move stuff. Even though this week has been hell, I've still managed to find time to observe these little critters.
           Monday after-school I immediately started helping my mom and dad move stuff out our worn out apartment into our new two story house. Huge upgrade. I knew it would be hard to keep the dogs in the apartment while we were moving stuff out, so I decided to take them to the new house and let them see their new home. Now that we had a bigger house with a backyard, I was happy to see the dogs were excited. Max was the explorer, while Chica was being a crybaby. Max was all over the place, trying to see what he can find; while Chica would wanna be carried the whole time.
           The dogs were used to sleeping inside the apartment since we didn't have a backyard, which is why I think Chica was acting up. But she had to face the fact that she wasn't allowed in the house any more (my mom was very strict about it.) Max would only cry at night because it was cold, other than that; he was perfectly fine in his new home; and so was I. Max loved the backyard, and once Chica got used to it, she did too. I know inside they're dying to go inside the house, but they were better off outdoors.

            I will admit, I was kind of nervous about introducing the new neighborhood to my dogs, and so was my older brother. He went online and looked up what to do ( he was really nervous.) he came across an article on moving with your pets on ASPCA. He told me it was really helpful so I decided I'd read it also. The article said that when you get to the new house, you shouldn't just let the pets run loose because it could be overwhelming for them. It said that you should just introduce them to the place they're going to be spending the most time in. "Home base." So that's exactly what I did with the backyard. 

            I know Max is still going to try and explore the backyard. I just hope it doesn't kill him. 

When.??

He has a surprise for me.
What is it gonna be?
He said its done.
When am I gonna get it?
When did he have the idea,
To do this?
I'm so excited,
But annoyed.
He won't tell me.
No matter how much,
I beg, pout, or kiss up.

Grrrr 

           I found this poem on hellopoetry.com . It made me wonder if my dogs were this curious when we're moving the stuff out; because at some point they did that adorable head tilt. So is this what they were thinking? Curiousity not only killed the cat, it killed the dog; my dogs. They took control of their curiosity and explored the backyard. I say it killed them because their paws are all cut up. It's sad, but you can't let something new take over. A new house isn't going to stop a dog from making it his home. So why should something your curious stop you? Take control of it; even though it may cost you some pain. 

Works Cited

                "Moving with Your Pet." ASPCA. N.p. n.d. 04 Nov. 2014

                 "When.??" Hellopoetry. N.p. 13 Jul. 04 Nov. 2014

Under the Weather

            Observing this week had me really frustrated. As much as I tried getting my dogs to do something exciting, they wouldn't. They were being really boring. Chica was the one who wasn't doing anything at all; she'd just lay next to me the whole day. Max seemed effected by Chica's lack of energy, which is very unusual because Max is ALWAYS the hyper one. They weren't even eating; who doesn't love food? What was going on? I couldn't help but worry myself. I didn't know what to do.
             When you're under the weather, all you want to is curl up in your blankets and sleep. This is exactly what my dogs were doing. The were very unsocial. It was kind of like they were sad. I couldn't stand seeing my best friends like this. I went online and searched "my dog seems sad" and the first thing that popped up was an article on dog depression. In this article, a guy named John Ciribassi says "Dogs will become withdrawn. They become inactive. Their eating and sleeping habits often change. They don’t participate in the things they once enjoyed.” As soon as I read this, I knew that Chica was somewhat depressed. I freaked out, I STILL didn't know what to do. Quite frankly, all I did was try and play with her, but that didn't work out. 
            One question I still had was "Why is Max sad?" I didn't know if he was depressed also or if it was just Chica's behavior effecting his. I know I get sad when one of my friends are upset. I tried finding anything on dogs being upset because of another dog, but nothing came up. All I could find is dogs mourning over a death of another dog; and I'm pretty positive Chica wasn't dying. As I kept reading this article about depression in dogs, I finally found a solution to the problem. I finally knew what to do! 
             I decided to try and cheer my buddies up. I started playing with them, I took them for a walk, I tried feeding them, and I cuddled with them. They seemed so much happier. They loved cuddling, especially in this cold, Fall weather. They seemed to be making a full recovery back to happiness. 
             I believe that dogs can take care of themselves. They can find a way to feed themselves, groom themselves, and survive on their own. But there's those times where they need love. Love is what keeps a dog going. They're filled with love. If dogs have no one to love them, they wouldn't know what to do; they'd be terrified of life. Which brings me to animal abuse. Dogs especially are abused. But why? What has a dog done that it's ok to hurt them? They're just looking for love. My dogs being depressed has made me realize that I shouldn't take advantage of THEIR love; because in the end, I'm only hurting myself. 

"Max Smiling" Photo taken by Wendy Davalos 10/31

Works Cited 

                     Eckstein, Sandy. "Depression in Dogs." Webmd. N.p. 27 Apr. 2012. Web. 01 Nov. 2014.

I have a dream

             Ever since I've started observing my dogs I've noticed that when they sleep, they twitch. So I asked myself, do dogs dream? If so, then what do they dream about? Humans dream about life events. I felt that dogs didn't dream at all. Dreaming. I can feel my dog dreaming. His legs are twitching and he's growling, as if he's playing with another dog, or perhaps he's running away from something. But what exactly is he dreaming about? (Field notes 10/25)
              An article I found online, Psychology Today, is titled "Do Dogs Dream?" and as I read it, the more I was amazed by what I read. Stanley Coren, the writer of this article, wrote, "At the structural level, the brains of dogs are similar to those of humans. Also, during sleep the brain wave patterns of dogs are similar that of people, and go through the same stages of electrical activity observed in humans, all of which is consistent with the idea that dogs are dreaming." It amazes me that dogs do dream and that they dream exactly how humans dream. Coren also writes that you should know when your dogs are dreaming because the dog starts doing what humans do when they're sleeping. Like for example, twitching, breathing louder (or snoring) and moving their eyes inside their eyelids. My dog, Max always moves around during his sleep, it doesn't even look like he's sleeping half of the time.

             My dogs may not dream about what Martin Luther King Jr. dreamt about, but they dream just like humans do. I think this is just amazing because it shows how alike animals and humans are. Humans are higher on the chain then animals. Even though a dog is a man's best friend, humans still treat dogs less than they really are. I feel as a dog owner, that even my dogs are smarter than me sometimes. So why? Why do humans still treat animals like their so dumb? One day dogs will take over our world and get revenge on us. (Just kidding)

Works Cited

Coren, Stanley. Do Dogs Dream?. Psychology Today. N.p. 28 Oct. 2010. Web. 26 Oct. 2014. 

   

Halloween, are the dogs as excited as I am?

             Halloween is just around the corner, and I've always wondered, do dogs understand what people say? These past couple of days I've been talking nonstop about Halloween. It's probably one of my most favorite holidays ever. But I mean, do my dogs get what I'm talking about? I once read an article on Animal Planet about a dog named Rico, "The Wonder Collie." It talked about how if someone talks to their dogs (basic commands such as sit, stay, etc.) their dogs can understand up to 165 different words. You can learn more about this here: http://www.animalplanet.com/pets/can-dogs-understand-what-we-say.htm
             As I read this article, I thought to myself that it would be crazy if my dogs did understand me, but when I read the paragraph that said someone needs to use basic commands, I thought there was absolutely no way they understood. I went to the store to see if I can find some candy for myself and I ended up going into the dog section. I love going into the dog section and looking at the clothes. As I was looking through the clothes, I found a cute costume for a dog. So what did I do? Yes, I got it! It was just too adorable to say no.
            I came home and right away I feel like my dogs knew I had bought them something. They were looking at the bag as if it was a martian from mars. Sniffing it all around and wondering what it was. Until I pulled it out. They didn't seem quite excited that it was something they would have to wear but they wore it anyways.
            So I guess what I'm trying to say is that I personally, don't think my dogs are smart enough (like Rico) for them to understand what I'm trying to say about Halloween. But after reading this article, I'm way more excited to teach my dogs more words than I am about Halloween.

 

 

Lazy, Lazy Dogs

My dogs are really lazy once I actually take the time and watch them. They run around once in a while and play and all that, but they stop after like 5 minutes and fall asleep! Max especially, since he's more of a bigger dog. Whenever he's running, his heart beats so fast and hard and his skin is so hot, and he lays on the bed and falls asleep. I play FIFA and I play with my knees up on the couch and Max goes in between my legs and sits there, looking like he's about to pass out. 

Chica's honestly THAT lazy, but she has her days. She's laying on the bed and and want to pick her up, but she just does the "roll over on my stomach and rub it" and when I don't rub it and TRY to pick her up, she starts growling! Like girl, chiillll! But I mean, I bet being a dog is tiring, us humans are just lazy and we always complain! 

My Curiosity With My Dogs

I haven't really paid much attention to my dogs. I mean I love them to death and I think they're the most adorable things ever but I don't know what goes on with them. All I ever knew was that they sleep, eat, poop and pee. But I know that this project will help me open up my eyes and ideas a little more and get to learn stuff about dogs I never knew. These past 2 weeks that I've been observing my dogs, I really took my time to observe what really is going on. I've figured out that dogs paws have very sensitive nerves in them which is why they don't like getting they're paws touched. I didn't know this until I researched it because I was curious. Curiosity leads to knowledge. Which is why every time I'm curious about something my dog is doing, I will research and find the reason why they're doing it. I'm excited to see what turns up with this project and learn more about my little babies.