A Clarification: Dedicated to My Mom

I have received some complaints concerning yesterday's blog. I feel it necessary to clarify a few points, primarily because these complaints were lodged by my mother, my biggest fan and supporter. She is also one of the last people I would want to upset. She feels that her "puppies" were displayed in a negative light and that their "quirks" were depicted as in an unflattering manner.

First of all, she asked me to explain that she has never chosen any of her dogs. They were all given to her, mostly by her children. Take Lizzy Puppy, her short haired schizo dog in need of Xanax. Lizzy started out being my brother's dog. After having her for a week, Jae changed his mind and decided that he no longer wanted to be a puppy parent. He asked my mom to "watch" Lizzy until he could find a suitable home. Lizzy moved in, peed on the couch to mark her territory, and isn't going anywhere!

Yes, she claims that I am the culprit behind her raising Tigger, the large, loud dog in need of Prozac. My mom contends that I was planning on taking Tigger with me as soon as I found a suitable apartment for myself. She and I have different recollections of this conversation, so I will address it no further.

As for the dog door situation, miraculously both dogs have started using this access point. I received an ecstatic phone call. Lizzy had finally used the dog door, without being baited through with the lure of a raw hot dog. Truth be told, she was more excited about Lizzy using the dog door than she was when I graduated from college.

Apparently a disagreement also exists concerning her training methods. Her dogs have each been through obedience training, one "graduated" from the same class four times. Her dogs are "free spirits" and their behavior is merely an effort to express their canine canine creativity.

Another disagreement stems from the barking deterrent collars. Okay, my Mom claims that she attempted to use the collar. The only dog that was affected by the tone emitted was the canine who was quiet. The other dogs were able to bark and create a painful tone for the "good" dog. She has now proved that her dogs can not only be unruly, but that they have the propensity for sadism.

With all of the quirks of her dogs, they are wonderful companions. Every member of the family has a special relationship with Nana's puppies. Robby cannot wait to give the dogs treats when he arrives at her house. There is also an element of safety when dogs are in the house, especially hers. I rest comfortably knowing that, should there be an intruder, my Mom would know immediately. After the barking and howling subsided, both dogs would dash quickly under the covers to protect themselves from danger. If the noise didn't wake my Mom, surely she would notice the covers being stolen!