Sunday, December 9, 2012

Discernment

Our little pooper is just as excited about the holiday season as--well, as your little pooper is. And he is a most discerning shopper.

I tell him it's okay to smell the merchandise, but "no licking." He learned the "no licking" command for an entirely different situation, but it comes in handy.

He hardly looked at the lions or the hedgehogs. I'd have chosen one of those, but I didn't say so. If we don't allow Boz to make his own decisions about how to spend his allowance, how is he going to learn about the value of money?

26 comments:

Kalei's Best Friend said...

My cat noses up to toys the same way!. btw does he own a squeaky pig from WalMart?? My friend's dog loves that thing and sleeps w/it... In fact when the pig got destroyed, I tried locating it and our WalMart was out of it, and it was sold out online...

-K- said...

That second shot really shows him to be pure muscle. Wow.

(And that "No licking" thing is good too.)

Bellis said...

So did he spend his pocket money on one of those? Does he like them to squeak? Abby ignores the soft toys and heads straight to the dog treats aisle, where there's a heady mixture of food smells.

Susan Campisi said...

That's some wise pooch-rearing so to speak. Tommy adores his little hedgehog.

Petrea Burchard said...

Boz loves squeaky things. There is no way he could keep a hedgehog or a pig to sleep with over night, though. His favorite part of the game (besides tug of war) is to "kill" the toy and tear it to shreds, pulling out the insides like a wolf devouring viscera.

As he gets older, he does this less. But he still loves the squeak.

Kevin, he's a powerful dog, yet extremely sweet-tempered and obedient. I have seen him use his powers only when provoked to such an extent that he loses patience (and he has A LOT of patience). In his youth, he was always the winner. Now, we avoid such possibilities.

Diana said...

Lucky for you that the pet stores carry replacement squeakers in multi-packs, eh?

Petrea Burchard said...

Well, yes, but by the time Boz has had his toy for an hour or so there's no place left to put a replacement squeaker. I sometimes wonder if his gentle nature belies suppressed aggression, which he takes out on his toys.

This is why we buy the cheap ones.

dive said...

So Boz is not just handsome and intelligent, but he boasts great taste, too.
What a guy.

Speedway said...

I recently bought a toy I thought was light enough for my cat to toss around. She ignored it, so I gave it to a friend's Weimaraner. Dead toy.

I also bought a sturdy ball for a friend's Dachshund. The balls are manufactured in various sizes with molded handles. They are used in stables for horses to play with, so are quite hefty. The one I bought for the little dog barely lasted the afternoon. I may as well have given Ricky some of those sugar syrup-filled paraffin bottles.

One toy I bought for my cat(s) over 14 years ago has been clawed, chewed and spit on, surviving maulings by 2 different cats. It's a catnip-filled "human" drawn to represent Newt Gingrich, proving, I suppose, that even catnip politicians survive ruthless eviscerations, to return, zombie-like in another incarnation.

Petrea Burchard said...

Absolutely, Dive. Although "great taste" is relative.

I wish Boz liked the rubber toys, Speedway, because they'd last longer. But eviscerating is his pleasure, and it's easier and safer with stuffed toys.

Anonymous said...

He looks really healthy. (And I think they call that a squeakectomy)

Ms M said...

Boz sets an example for all of us to follow when shopping :-)

Katie said...

In the first photo Boz seems to be checking out the doghouse (not that he strikes me as a doghouse kind of dog). In the second he reminds me of the women I saw today smelling different soaps and lotions. Gotta get the right scent!

Petrea Burchard said...

Hiker, he has ups and downs. Last week was not so good, but today we walked the east side of Hahamongna, from the bridge to the treatment plant, and back via the upper path. He was energetic the whole time.

Ms. M, I could learn lessons in patience from him as well.

Petrea Burchard said...

We used to have a little house for him, Katie. He used it once, when it rained. I think he found it too confining.

LONDONLULU said...

Those hedgehogs and your pooch together, pure sweetness. (I could use some budgeting advise from your and Boz's corner myself!)

Adele said...

You two are very good parents, allowing your boy to spread his fiscal wings a bit, but with your constant guidance and support, should he fail and try to purchase, say, a cat toy. (Wow - check me out with the run-on sentence!)

Petrea Burchard said...

I agree, Lulu, pure sweetness.

Adele, if Boz wants to buy a cat toy he has my blessings. I try to be a modern parent.

Vanda said...

I would've picked the hedgehog, but that's why I'm not the dog.

Anonymous said...

Poor Boz, he's spoiled for choice!

Petrea Burchard said...

Vanda, that is not why you're not the dog.

Geoff, you've got it right, he's spoiled.

TheChieftess said...

Box and Kelly are of the same mind in regards to toys... Although, one of her very favorites is a tug of war toy made of three rubber rings interlocking... She swings that around to everyone's peril!

TheChieftess said...

Darn that auto correct! How does it not know that Boz is the correct spelling?

Petrea Burchard said...

I don't know, Chieftess, you'd think by now...

Boz had one of those interlocking ring toys. He gave it to the neighbor dog and she likes it fine.

Dina said...

Sweet Boz. Sweet photos.

I still like to window shop in pet stores, but then I remember I have no pet to buy toys for.
My friend Lara, the semi wild cat at the monastery, surely never had a toy in her life. If I gave her one, the jackals would only steel it.

Petrea Burchard said...

Lara has you! That's all she needs.