Ok, it was 7 degrees outside, but other than that, I do not know why Hallie was in such a hurry.  I mean I have been in the house all day, doesn’t she think I would want some fresh air.  So, it was 7 degrees.  She has a pretty warm coat, hat, scarf, and gloves.  What about me?  Nothing.  I don’t even wear boots.  I mean seriously have you ever seen those dorky dog boots?  They look like balloons for your paws.  I wouldn’t be caught dead wearing them.  I can handle the cold.  Of course the fact that we were outside for about 3 minutes makes it very easy for me to deal with cold weather.

Actually on any given day, the time from when we walk out of the house until I hear those three little words,  dictates the kind of walk I am going to have.  Severe cold or rainy or snowy weather, they say ‘go pee pee,” about 5 seconds after we leave the house.  On a warm sunny day, we can walk 5 miles before I will hear a “go pee pee.” I am practically dying because there is no need for me to go pee pee, if Hallie is out enjoying our walk.

I know that this post sounds like I am complaining – like I don’t appreciate the special times we have on our walks.  I guess I am a little bit.  Judging by tonight’s weather, I can already tell that tomorrow I will be taking 3 very quick walks.  Why?  I heard the forecast… 90% chance of snow and the high temperature for the day will be 20! It’s a good thing that no one ever says ‘go pee pee” when we are in the house.

Earlier this week, I was surprised to learn that it was the Iowa Caucus and that can only mean one thing…it’s time to vote for a president again.  It sure does feel like Obama just got into office.  The most important part of any election for most humans is the candidates.  For me, the most important part is whether or not the candidates have a dog, and what kind of policies do they support that will benefit me.

Here are some interesting facts about American presidents and their dogs that I found on dogtime.com: 

• George Washington’s dog’s name was Sweet Lips
• Teddy Roosevelt’s dog ripped the pants off of the French ambassador
• Lyndon Johnson’s dog relieved himself in front of the Shah of Iran

In 2008, I reported that the winner of this past week’s Iowa caucus, Mitt Romney, did not have a dog.  As it turns out, I may have been a little too hard on Mitt.  He didn’t have a dog in 2008, but according to his wife Ann,

“Mitt and I love our dogs. Seamus was our first–an Irish setter. When I wasn’t at home, Mitt let him sleep on the bed. And usually when he was riding in the car, his head was out the window. Seamus lived to a ripe old age, basking in the affection of a large family…

Ann continues…

“We are a dog family. Casey was our Bichon, McKenzie our Golden, and Marley our Weimaraner. Marley had 8 puppies, which Mitt delivered all night for her one summer. When she died last year, she was in Mitt and our arms, and we all cried. Yes, we love our dogs.”

So here’s a quick update on everyone.  Hallie is doing great!  She is still working at the Chicago Architecture Foundation (they still do not have any tours for dogs) and she is getting ready to teach the docent class that begins in 2 weeks.  I know that will keep her very busy.  B is busy with his congregation, JRC, and working on his book.  He is working with a publisher that is helping him turn his blog into a book.  I wonder if that would be a possibility for me?  I mean honestly, look how popular that Marley and Me book was.  Frankly, my story would be way better.  Who can resist a rescue dog that has done well in the world?

My G is going to school in Montana.  I miss him around the house.  Every so often, I go and lie on his bed just to remember his smell – I know that sounds really sick, but that’s what dogs do. Today is Lil Joe’s birthday – he is 16.  honestly, where do the years go?  He was just a wee boy of 12 when I came to live with this great family.  You will recall it was he who convinced Hallie and B to get a rescue dog.  He promised that he would do everything for the new dog.  Of course, you know how that goes… that’s what every kid who wants a dog promises.  Why do parents fall for that crap?  I thought Hallie and B were smarter than that.  Oh well, thank heavens they weren’t smarter than that or I wouldn’t be here.  Peepers, the cat, is still living in the basement.  Her living situation has been upgraded because the family had the basement re-finished.  Now she has a TV to watch and couches to sleep on.  Don’t feel too bad for her that I still never let her come upstairs.

As for me… I am just doing more of the same – sleeping, eating, sleeping, walking, thinking about eating, sleeping, sniffing, thinking about eating, etc.  It’s a dog’s life and a good one at that.  I have some resolutions for 2012.  Here they are:

• Write blog posts regularly
• Don’t bark at dogs that go by our house
• Don’t bark at dogs when I am taking a walk
• Try not to rub my but on the ground or the carpet
• Don’t pull on my leash
• Stay away from all garbage
• Be loving and kind to my family

Here’s to a wonderful 2012!

So, being the good doggie that I am, I have been reading  B’s blog and his recent sermons from Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.  One of the sermons was about “privilege.”  It was mostly about the “privileges” that humans have (and there are a lot), but it got me thinking that as a dog, I have a lot of privilege in my life.

First of all, a quick explanation of what privilege is.  It’s an unearned benefit that some one or some dog enjoys simply because they have  certain characteristics.  This makes me think of pure-bred dogs.  They are the only dogs that can compete in dog shows.  It doesn’t matter if they are good or nice dogs, just because of their DNA and who their parents are, they can compete and win all of this prestige in these international contests.  It’s an unearned benefit that these dog get and they probably don’t even appreciate their awards.

Designer dogs or fancy mixed breed dogs - are another breed of dog that experience privilege.  People pay oodles of money for these dogs.  They think that because of thier unusual breeding, these dogs will behave better.  But as it turns out, some of these fancy dogs may still bite their owners – but no one expects them to. 

And then there is me.  It may not seem that a rescue dog has a lot of privilege.  But I have privilege because of the family that adopted me.  You will recall in my last post, I mentioned my visit to the doggie boot camp.  Had I been adopted by another family, I might have ended up back at a shelter or worse still sent off to the doggie farm in the sky.  But I have enjoyed this benefit simply because of this family and not because of anything I did.  There are a lot of privileges that I receive from this family – there is daily food and water, long walks, medical care, loofa toys, etc.  I recieve all of this just because of who I am not necessarily because I deserve them.

A lot of time when dogs have privilege, they don’t even realize that they have the privilege, it is invisible to them.  Having read Brant’s sermon, I now realize the many privileges that I have in my life.  Of course it makes me very happy, but now that I have this knowledge, I must acknowledge how it affects my relationships with other dogs.  There are dogs all around me, who are not as lucky as me.  I need to ask myself what I am going do do now that I have this new knowledge.

In the end, they sent me to doggy boot camp at the First Place Training Center in Mchenry County – over an hour away from our house.  On the way to the training center, I knew that something serious was happening. I had never been in the car for such a long drive and I was a nervous wreck – I even had a #2 accident in the car.  B brought me there and left me there.

Well it was very different than my home.  I really had to shape up – there were dogs everywhere and no one cared for my non-stop barking.  No one would let me get away with my usual shananigans – especially Vince, the main trainer.  At first I hated him, but then I came to realize that what he was training me to do, made me a lot more calmer.  I wasn’t as agitated.  At the center, I had a chance to run around a lot and to think about how crazy my life had gotten.

Three weeks later, Hallie and Lil Joe came to pick me up.  I was so happy to see them, though I was pretty subdued at first.  They spent 3 hours with Vince and me learning all of the new things that I had learned. 

I’ve been back for over a month and I am so glad to be back with the family.  I am way more calmer and no one here puts up with my bad behavior.  They do what Vince did and I remember that I much rather be here than at doggy boot camp.  I definitely still have my moments – but life seems so much easier now.  Hallie takes me for these amazingly long walks -which would have been impossible to do before I went away.  She makes me sit before before we cross any streets.  When the boys have friends over, I may bark a little when they first arrive, but I basically leave them alone now and hope that they will do the same.

Believe it or not, this weekend marks my third anniversary with this loving family.  I always knew that I was a lucky dog, but now I know it more than ever.  As a Jewish dog, the Jewish new year is in two days and while this is a time of celebration, it is also a time for reflection of the year that has passed.  It’s a time to ask forgiveness to those who you may have offended or harmed.  I want to publicly ask for forgiveness to those boys that I bit – you know who you are – and also to my family – for making their lives so difficult.  I am truly sorry.    And to everyone else – a sweet and happy shana tovah!

Here’s what is new in my world.  Hallie is still taking her architecture class.  Now she is learning about modern buildings.  See the picture at the beginning of this post – that is Mies van de Rohe’s very famous Federal Center. To me, it looks like a big box made of glass and steel.  Hallie assures me that this building is a masterpiece and that I really do not know how to appreciate it.  It may look like a big box, but it is a very carefully designed box where no detail was left to chance.  I would appreciate this building more, if Hallie would take me on a tour – but she still says “no way.”

Jorge has been busy, busy, busy in our basement.  The whole place is transformed.  You may recall that two years ago, on My G’s birthday, there was a huge flood in the basement.  Everything was turned upside down and we had to remove the carpet.  Well now, thanks to Jorge, a good portion of the basement has been finished.  He knocked down walls, the floor has been tiled, the walls are newly painted, there is drywall everywhere.  It is going to be an amazing spot for folks to hang out.  Unfortunately, I am not allowed to go down there because that is where Peepers lives.  Remember her – that’s the cat that lives in the basement.  She has been living there since I came to this house.

Well, the weather is finally getting warmer.  This means that Hallie and B will be more willing to take me on long walks.  Last week My G actually took me on a really long walk – we walked like mile, while My G walked his friend to the train.  Nothing is better than a long walk on a nice sunny afternoon.  The great thing about being is a dog is that you can just come home from these walks, drink a little water, and then take a nap.  Aaahhh, it’s a dog’s life!

You know I have lots of incredible ideas and opinions about a variety of subjects.  However, since I do not have opposable thumbs, it is difficult for me to actually use a computer keyboard.  For years, I have relied on Hallie to translate my thoughts and concerns onto this blog.

Since January she has been taking a course through the Chicago Architecture Foundation (where she now works) to learn how to become a docent.  It is an intense course – hundreds of pages of reading, written assignments and oral presentations.  She has been working diligently on this.  I respect her commitment, but do I care about masonry load bearing walls, Chicago windows, metal frame construction, cornices, pediments, acroteria – the list goes on and on and on and on.

The truth is, I would care – but has Hallie even offered once to take me on one of her walking tours?  No!  Are these dog-free tours?  You know how I feel about that?  I’m sure the tour would be interesting to me because I care about everything that Hallie cares about.  Maybe I will have to go to the Chicago School in order to show her how serious I can be about her new hobby!

So, finally Hallie gave me a very belated Hanukkah present.  Surprise, surprise – a Hanukkah loofa dog.  She is so creative – she knows I just love those things.  I am trying to savor this one and have not completely destroyed it after 4 days.  A new record for me.

The family was gone for 8 days.  It was just me and Peepers around here and I was quite lonely.  I’m not sure how Peepers felt.  She is definitely a hard read when it comes to emotions.  Luckily Jorge and his son came in every day, 3 times a day, and gave me food, some loving and took me walking.  I am very uncomfortable being with Jorge’s dog, Ringo.  It is a real conflict for me because I like Jorge, but not the dog!

Joy – the family came back and the whole past week has been topsy- turvy.  Hallie did not work, the boys had no school and B has been around a lot.  I have had long walks – despite the fact that it is freezing outside and lots of folks to snuggle with.   From my point of view – I am one lucky dog.  Wishing everyone who read my blog “a happy new year and may you be lucky too.”

It is the fourth night of Hanukkah and I want everyone to know that I have not gotten one present this year.  I’m not sure what is going on but it is disturbing.  My G and Lil Joe got some presents.  Every night when they light the candles, I expect to get a loofa dog – yet nothing.  I just want to go on record letting everyone know how very disappointed I am.   I know I should not get all wrapped up in the materialism of the holiday and that I should appreciate the beauty of the menorah candles as they glow.  Yeah right – who am I kidding – all I want is one little loofa – is that so wrong?