Coloring outside the lines

Coloring outside the lines

“Cruft’s Greatest Dog show” is held annually in London and drew about 20,000 entries this year. The dogs compete for looks and obedience and awards are given for the best of all kinds of breeds. For three years in a row a Carpathian-Mioritic mix named “Kratu” stole the show with his antics in the obedience course. He was hiding in the tunnels, going around instead of over hurdles and at one point grabbed a slalom pole and treated it like a favorite stick. Owner 56-year-old Tess revealed in an interview that she trained Kratu as an assistance dog to help with her both her autism diagnosis and mental health issues. ‘Kratu succeeds where the system fails me. Where I was isolated, lost, and lonely, he has brought companionship.

At a workshop on dog temperament, the instructor told us of a test for canine’s disposition. The owner was to fall down and act hurt. A dog with a bad temperament would try to bite the person, whereas a dog with a good temperament would lick his owner’s face and show concern. Once while eating pizza in the living room, I decided to try this out on my two dogs. I stood up, clutched my heart let out a scream and collapsed on the floor. The dogs looked at me, glanced at each other and raced to the coffee table for my pizza.

Donald Trump is reportedly having multiple disagreements with his Defense Secretary pick, James “Mad Dog” Mattis. You know you’re in trouble when a guy named Mad Dog is telling you to turn it down a notch.

When my friend spotted a blind man and his guide dog at a crosswalk, she stopped her car and waved them on. “Oh, Cynthia,” I said, “he can’t see you. “I know that,” she said indignantly. “I was waving the dog on.”

There are stories that tell you a dog can talk. If a dog tells you he can talk, he’s lying.