_http://www.cheboygannews.com/articles/2006/12/11/news/opinion/opinion1.txt_ (http://www.cheboygannews.com/articles/2006/12/11/news/opinion/opinion1.txt) Dogs use their tails, barks to aid their human companions By SIMON OTTO
Most families have a pet, which is usually a dog or cat. The cat moves in with you when it is a kitten, and as it grows, it has a mind of its own. Later, when they grow up, they become independent and rely on you to feed them. Sometimes they get real fussy over what food you offer them and just stick their nose up in the air and walk away. We as humans become just a provider to them. Just when you think that all they do is lay around and sleep, they will come and jump up on your lap, as if they knew that they should do something to appease you. Then there is the other pet, the dog. He seems to be more caring about you. When you come home, he is usually there to greet you and will follow you around with his tail wagging. This is his sign of being happy. If you notice the cat, when he is mad or angry, he fluffs up and hisses at you, but when he is nice, his tail stands up straight and he will rub around your legs and win you over. Grandfather told me that the cat was the best one to get something because of his actions, and we succumb to it. The following is why the dog wags his tail, and it goes like this: In some of my writings, I mention the faithful friend, the dog that Nana-boo-shoo had, so the story goes way back. The first dogs all had white tips on their tails, so when someone comes near that they do not know, they hide or stand still with their tails hanging down. If it is someone they recognize, they put their tails up in the air and wag it, with the white tip waving back and forth. If it is an enemy, they lower their tail or carry it high over their backs and ruffle their hair up, to make them look bigger. They walk stiff-legged, to let the enemy know they are not afraid of them. Sometimes this works with most animals and people. Some dogs are good watchdogs and have real good hearing and let you know when someone comes up on your porch. They start to bark, and you recognize the bark as saying. “a stranger is here.” You open the door and recognize it as an old friend, and tell your dog, “It's OK, he's our friend.” The dog is wary of you and will eventually get near to you, easing up closer, eventually he will be near the visitor and stand away from the guest and try to get a scent. Sometimes some dogs will come up and smell you and soon you will be trusted. We have a friend who has a little bulldog and when you enter the house, the dog is right there welcoming you to the house. Later on she will want to play with you. Once in a while I heard her bark, but she is a real pet and companion. I once had a little Chihuahua who was a real pet. He came to our house when he was 4 weeks old. He was so small that I carried him around in my shirt pocket until he got older. In full growth, he only weighed four pounds. He followed me all over the house. I was almost stepping on him most of the time. He was a one-man dog. I couldn't go anywhere without him under foot. But he was a good watchdog. Even though he was small, he could hear a car or a person coming down the driveway. He would run around the house barking with his sharp bark, sort of a loud, shrill bark, that let you know that someone was coming. We don't have any animals now. I like cats and dogs, but I've developed an allergy to a lot of things, and that includes cats and dogs. So I've taken to feeding the birds and animals. That's the least I can do. The birds during the day and the raccoons and occasionally the possum, so they fill in the void for the pets that I cannot have. I'm glad the weather is still half-way decent, because our friends the raccoons are still coming. I look at them and see how fat they are and I feel good inside that we have fed them, so they can store up fat for the winter. Ce-naw-de-quay (Andrea) says, they are fat like little bears. With that I say Š walk in peace. _http://www.cheboygannews.com/articles/2006/12/11/news/opinion/opinion1.txt_ (http://www.cheboygannews.com/articles/2006/12/11/news/opinion/opinion1.txt) Marvel Saving just one dog won't change the world, but it surely will change the world for that one dog. _www.defendingdog.com_ (http://www.defendingdog.com/) _www.deafdogs.org_ (http://www.deafdogs.org/) _www.flintriverranchusa.com_ (http://www.flintriverranchusa.com/)
