Archive for the 'Entertainment' Category

You meet all sorts of interesting people on Twitter.   I started following @petsaretalking a while back because a friend had responded to her.

Bridget bills herself as an “animal communicator,” who works with pets and their owners to strengthen relationships and resolve behavioral problems in the home.

After visiting her blog, I thought it would be fun to schedule a quick read of the family dog, Spooky, since we often wonder what she’s thinking.  Spooky is such a character, with a great sense of humor, and her relationship with each family member is totally unique to that person.

Here’s what Bridget relayed about Spooky’s responses to my questions.   I’ll provide some background as to WHY I asked that particular question in parentheses.

Overall,

Spooky is a hoot! There’s something about Westies that is so refreshingly forthright!

1.  Does Spooky prefer to be shaggy or regularly groomed?  (I asked this because she’s a beautiful, shaggy dog, but my mom insists on getting her groomed every 8 weeks.)

Regularly groomed. She says that she likes to be “trimmed up”, and likes the treats and attention associated with it. When she gets too shaggy, people don’t think she’s a girl anymore.

I followed up pointing out that for a dog that likes getting groomed, she piddles awfully big puddles at the groomer each time.  Bridget checked back in.

I have never met a dog that liked the groomer. I expected her to say “Leave me shaggy”. I asked about the piddling. It’s loud.

And also, she said that she likes the other lady better. Your dog was kind of an odd duck all around!

2.  Why does she love Mr. Frog so much?  (Mr. Frog is plush toy that she plays with everynight before she goes to bed.  She massages Mr. Frog, while chewing on his head, before keeling over for the night.  Spooky won’t settle down until Mr. Frog is in her paws.)

“I LOVE MR. FROG! (feel a deep welling of affection) Mr. Frog is where I keep all my smell memories.”

Bridget said, ‘What?”

“When I smell something, I put the smell in Mr. Frog, and I tell Mr. Frog, and then when I play with Mr. Frog, I remember the good things I smelled.”

3. What’s up with that spot on town hall?  She has to roll in that spot every time she passes it. (There is spot on that lawn that she writhes on daily (weather permitting); while there are lots of lawns she visits on a regular basis, it’s one particular spot on this lawn that she can’t help but roll in every time she passes it by.)

That’s a spot where something bad happened. Every dog rolls there to take away some of the badness of that spot. (I have never heard of a dog doing this sort of thing). They all seem to take a little bit of the energy from that spot, and also honor the memory.

I asked Spooky what happened, and she said that a dog died there. It was a hound, like a beagle or a basset.

4. My mom (Marie) occasionally puts the phone by Spooky so I can say hello.  Does she know its me or is it just a strange voice calling her name? (Don’t judge! You know you do crazy things for your favorite pet too, and you don’t live 3000 miles away from her.)

Yes! I know it’s her! Of course! She should tell me what she ate, because I can’t smell it through the phone.

5.  Can you also let Spooky know that she doesn’t own Marie.  Other people get to hug her without Spooky doing her best Kujo impression. (Spooky could be passed out on the sofa, but the minute anyone enters my mom’s 3 feet of personal space, Spooky is at attention.  Any PDAs and Spooky is barking her head off to break up the action.)

Spooky says that she will try to be better when it’s somebody that she likes, but that she will still growl when it’s somebody that she doesn’t trust. For her, it’s about keeping Marie safe.

Not so much about it being “Her Marie” .

Details about Bridget’s work and how to get a consult for your pet are available on her website, Pets Are Talking.