Speedy's favorite TV show

Yes, it is true. Speedy likes to watch Ceasar Milan's show "The Dog Whisperer." A couple of nights ago, I turned on "The Dog Whisperer" for the first time since I got Speedy, and Speedy perked right up and watched it with me!!! I even have proof if you don't believe me. He loves it! I have never seen a dog watch TV. I don't think Sandy even realizes TV exist. You can also ask mom if you still don't believe me - she witnessed the whole event. Now, I actually have a TV buddy too! I had a hard time taking the pictures because Speedy was worried that I would leave him. He loves to sit on the couch an watch it with me. Once he realized that I wasn't leaving he turned right around and continued watching. What a dog!

Daniel, Laura, Shelly, and Rob

Daniel, Laura, Shelly, and Rob: This post is dedicated to you!

Pictures, Pictures, Pictures

I really want to apologize for not posting for a while. I hope all can be forgiven. I really enjoy everybody else's blogspots, it's only fair that I do my part right??? Anyway, I just want to share some really cool pictures that I think you all will like. I think the pictures will tell the story of my life these past few months. So enjoy . . . . .

Speedy

There has been a major change. The hearing dog trainers have decided that Dewey is not social enough and would not be good for my work situation. They said that he would not be mean to the kids or anything like that - just that he doesn't fit in a situation with lots of kids. So they decided that Speedy would be a better fit. Speedy is also a terrier mix, and he weighs about 16 pounds. He is a year old. I will be getting him at the beginning of September.

To Andrea - Sweet 16

Happy Birthday Andrea! 16 years old today. Wow. Have a good party - and drive safe!

Dewey - The New Addition

Dewey is going to be my hearing dog - and they have let me know that he is halfway through his training now. He is a Terrier mix, and he weighs about 14 pounds. I will get him at the end of July or beginning of August. So now I will have two dogs, Sandy and Dewey.

Before I knew about Dewey, I asked them if I could pick out my own dog. They said that the service dogs have to come from a local pound and that they have to go through extensive testing to make sure they have the right temperment and personalitiy. I think they picked the right dog for me! He is cute, and I'm excited to get him.

Why do dogs bark at the vacuum?

As I was surfing the internet, I ran into the most interesting question - Why do dogs bark at the vacuum? One person attempted to answer this. Whether it is true or not, I do not know. You can decide for yourself.

Dog hearing is much better than human hearing, and they can hear in the ultrasonic range - very high frequency sounds, which humans cannot hear. Vacuum cleaners tend to put out loud ultrasonic sounds that are irritating and frightening to dogs. They attack the vacuum because they just want it to be quiet.

Book Review - Eldest (Book 2 of Eragon Series)

To all of you readers out there, I have just finished Eldest (Book 2 of Eragon Series). Dad, I know you are not a fantasy fan, but this is the only book I have read worth reporting since Marley and Me. It is not as good as Harry Potter, but it is still a good series to get started on. Since Eldest will be coming out in the movies, it might be fun to read before you see the movie.

Interesting Fact: The author of the Eragon Series begain writing Eragon when he graduated from high school at 15. He became a bestselling author at 19.

Are dogs really colorblind?

I did some research today about how well dogs can see. I have been told by many people (including you dad) that dogs are colorblind. Well, that really is not true. I am going to set this straight.

Dogs can see color. They just can't see color very well. The human eye has more cones than a dog's eye. So we can see color better than a dog can. But a dog has more rods - which means that they have better night vision.

Dogs also have a "mirror-like tissue" in their eyes. This tissue helps with the dog's night vision. This tissue is the reason why the dogs eyes will "shine" back at you. So in a nutshell, dogs have less developed color and close-up vision, and better night and motion vision.

Megan

To Sweet Megan - Happy Birthday!! I hope you had a good day.

Question of the Week - Catfish

Last night, as I was visiting with mom, Tony, and Shelly - Tony told me a very disturbing story. (Tony, I hope you don't mind, but I am going to share this story). Tony was on his mission, and he had caught some "nice" catfish. He and his companion had placed these catfish in the hot trunk of their car while they went to a meeting. Two hours later, they opened up the trunk and much to their dismay-the catfish were still alive! They took them home and tried to kill them by "smashing their heads." Tony then proceeded to tell me that the catfish's skulls were too thick and they still were not dead. I then asked Tony the million dollar question. How in the world could those catfish live so long out of the water? Tony told me that he didn't know. I took upon myself the task of finding the answer to this question.

There is such a thing called an "air-breathing catfish." This catfish is capable of moving on land and breathing air. They have specialized breathing organs opening off the gill arches. The fish's skin is also supplied with mucus, which protects the fish when it is out of the water. I don't know if this is the certain catfish the Tony caught - but it might provide some insight into why those catfish lived so long out of the water. What do you think?

Book Review - Marley and Me

For those of you who don't know, I love to read. Many of you may be interested in this part of my blog, some of you won't. It is okay. If I read a book that I think is worth reporting, I will try and post it so that those of you who may be interested will get some insight and opinions into some of the trillions of novels that are availiable out there.

Being a lover of fiction - I stepped out of my comfort zone and read a non-fiction type of novel. This was very risky for me. I only like non-fiction - I don't love it. Marley and Me was actually very good. If you have a dysfunctional dog (like me) you would really like this book. It's an enjoyable read - I give it three stars.

It's About Time!

To all of the Barlow Bloggers, I have a blog! I am now part of the group!! I wanted to wait until the Young family posted their blog - because the youngest should always be last. However, I have reached my waiting limit and I went ahead, stepped out of my position of being last, and started a blog. Barlow Bloggers, it is time to gang up on the Young family. We need to give the Young family a time limit of TWO WEEKS to start a blog. Karen, Rob, Andrea, and Megan - You now have TWO WEEKS. Having stepped out of my position of being last, no excuses will be accepted.