Dog Diary

  Hello, my name is Ted. I am a twelve year old female, part Akita and part Golden Retriever. When I was a puppy and chose my Papa,my original name was Teddy Bear, but he likes calling me Ted, which is fine with me. He is a good pack leader. He always treats me well and I try never to anything wrong. He also has two cats. They are okay, but if they start running around, I have to chase them. I cannot help it, it is in my blood. He raises his voice and says TED! That is when I know to stop chasing the cats.

  He takes me for a walk three times a day, which I love. There is always something new to smell and sometimes I meet other dogs. Most of them are okay, but if they come running toward me, it is go time. I am not afraid of any dog, no matter how big they are, because I can take care of myself. I guess that is the Akita in me.

  When I was younger, Papa taught me lots of tricks. I can shake with either paw, depending on if he says right or left, I can roll over and play dead. I can stand on my hind legs and dance or walk forward or backward. It pleases him so much and I enjoy it too. I am getting older now, so I do not do as many tricks.

  Over the years I have learned many human words. My favorite word is chicken. I also know words like right, left, heel, outside, car, cat, pizza (I LOVE the crust) and many other words. I think I know him better than he knows himself. When he is worried about something, I can sense it, although he tries not to show he is worried. I go to him, ears  back, putting on my best puppy face and lay my head on his knee. He scratches my head and tells me everything is going to be alright.

  He cooks chicken especially for me and those darn cats. I get most of the chicken, but he wastes a lot of it on them. I suppose that is alright. They are pretty good cats and sometimes I even like them. The female even like to lick my nose when she is happy. Go figure! He also gives me lots of treats. I love my treats, most of all the bacon strips. The chicken strips are good too, but nothing can replace the real chicken.