The Lady is a Tramp!

Good day, Dear Readers!

For those of you that do not know, this is is a photograph of our dog, Lollipop. We call her Lolly. Lolly is a tramp! Why? Like the 1937 song by Rodgers and Hart says, and I'm paraphrasing,
"She gets too hungry, for dinner at eight." (In fact, Lolly would prefer "dinner" be served 24 hours a day, in buffet-style, thank you.)
She loves her ball, but never brings it back! (I told you I was paraphrasing.) 
"She never bothers with people she hates," (Can you blame her?) 'or apparently napkins!' (Notice the huge glob of dog treat on her beard?)
"That's why..." our Lolly "is a tramp!"

The song is a spoof about high society and is from the musical "Babes in Arms." I like to think I am a Tramp. I like to think I am raising a couple of tramps too. To me, the song is about 'getting over yourself.' I think there needs to be more of this in the world...

Getting back to the topic, Lollipop. In addition to being a "Tramp," Lolly is a also a "Lady." (Something else we need a LOT more of in this world!) Lolly is not allowed to grab food from your hand, charge into the house from the outside or enter before her alpha people (anyone with two legs.) She is gentle with children, protective of her home and family and a little shy around strangers be they two or four-legged. She hates bugs and insects as much as us and has a keen ability to search and destroy them, especially the dreaded thousand-leggers that inhabit our home. (If you don't know, a thousand-legger is a 'WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!' sort of bug. The first time you see one, you will scream, and I mean scream, 'WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!') 

If you have a dog (or made the unfortunate choice to have a cat) there are probably command words you taught your furry friend. Commands like, "sit, stay or come" right? Of course you did, you're a responsible pet owner. Lolly also knows, "hug, high-five, roll over and so on. One of the special commands I taught Lolly is "Like a Lady." The "Like a Lady" command refers to how Lolly eats. Whether Lolly is given her meal or a treat, she knows to eat it "Like a Lady." This means, not coming near whoever is filling her food bowl but instead, sitting and waiting to daintily ravage the contents of her bowl. (I know, I know... Wipe the tears of laughter from your eyes please, I'll wait...) This also means, never, and I mean NEVER, snapping a treat away from anyone's hand, ever, never, ever! Lolly must wait until she is given permission to eat a treat, like popcorn, for example. Since Lolly adores popcorn as much as we do, and knows the sounds of the popcorn-making process and the word too (sometimes we whisper it when Lolly is pretending to take a lady nap, which is most of the time) I "teach" her often.  Here is what happens. 

I get the popcorn maker out and set it up. Next I take out the jar of popcorn and then the bowl and toppings, etc. By the time I open the cabinet or (sometimes) even before I leave the room to get out the popcorn maker, Lolly is pacing about the kitchen. She knows what's coming. Lolly knows she will get the first few kernels of popped corn as her treat. I place the treasured first popped popcorn on the mat and then, you guessed it Dear Reader, she must wait "Like a Lady." If she does not wait, she will wait even longer than if she had waited in the first place. (The dreaded double-waiting bit is something she often forgets.) She must wait and then eat, yep, "Like a Lady." 

Do you have a special command word you taught your dog or possibly, your cat? Please share the word in the comments section. (If you taught your cat a trick please with popcorn on top share how you taught a cat anything.) 

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