Picture of the day - June 2, 2007

Houdini "actin' a fool"

Well, I hate to say it, but its true... Our dog Houdini isn't the brightest canine on the planet. Actually, when it comes right down to it, he isn't even the brightest canine in the neighborhood, and if we had more than one dog he probably wouldn't even be the brightest canine in our house. The humongous mutt's as loveable as they come, but if they ever hold a doggie version of Jeopardy he won't even be qualified to bark at the contestants. This beautiful Great Pyrenees has been a member of our family for about four months now, and even though we've tried to get him used to doing things on a routine, it simply isn't sinking in. For example, he can be "dying" of thirst, but unless he actually sees one of us carry his bowl over to the sink and fill it up with water he won't walk over to it and take a drink. All we really have to do is walk towards the sink with it in our hands, then place it back where it was. That's all it takes to get him to realize that the bowl actually has water in it. But if we didn't periodically take it and "fill it up", that thing would sit there all day filled to the brim with water while he lay just three feet away from it, panting from thirst. Another example? Ok, how about this? He isn't at all shy about letting us know when he needs to go outside for a bathroom break, but he'll stop right in the middle of the doorway waiting for us to lead him out. Even after all this time he has never figured out that we can't lead him unless we're in front of him, and we can't get in front of him if he's blocking the door! Each and every time, we have to sort of push him out of the way, then lead him out the door so he can answer nature's call. I could give you plenty more examples, but I'm sure you get the picture... our big bundle of white fur is about as sharp as your average pencil eraser. But there is one thing Houdini can do with the best of them: roll around and play in the grass! I call it "actin' a fool", but he apparently considers it to be one of life's simple pleasures. And why not? After all, he's really a great dog and we love him to no end. If we could just get him to understand that those baseball-sized hairballs that keep making him sick are the result his nearly-constant licking, I'd think we were making major progress!   Visit the POTD Archives for previous "Pictures Of The Day"!     Submit a photo of your own!            Why I publish the "Picture of the Day"