Jake in the snow For the first time in my memory the Dixon Domicile is occupied by a dog who actually knows he’s a dog and glories in that knowledge. The Poo (Dixon poodle) and the Chi (Dixon chihuahua), while they sometimes did doggy things, took extreme care to be sure everyone viewed and treated them as fuzzy four–legged humanoids. Jake is, unapologetically, a dog. This fact makes for some interesting situations during the course of normal pack life.

Puppy meets snow

Jake loves ice… so much, in fact, that he actually begs for ice cubes at the freezer door. Imagine his delight when he awakened to his normally bland yard miraculously transformed by a liberal layer of sparkling white snow. When I let him out to do his doggly duties, he bounded out into the snow with the reckless abandon of youth. It didn’t take him long to realize this wonderful white surface was actually ICE! He proceeded to shove his nose into the snow lapping up this frozen treat with glee. He’s hoping for more snow next year.

Chi–SP aka Red Dog Radar

The Chi is now 12 years old, and age has not made her more tolerant. She spends a good bit of time lounging comfortably in her sunbeam on the back of the sofa or snugly nestled in a lap under a blanket. Once ensconced, she is loath to be disturbed.

Jake, being a real dog with a lot of puppy in him, cannot seem to let the sleeping Chi lie. He compulsively checks on her, often nudging her to be sure she still breathes. The thing is that even with her eyes closed or under a blanket she can sense his presence before he even gets near enough to touch her and often emerges from her comfortable perch growling and nipping wildly, unleashing her fury on the bewildered puppy. Since this unique sense is only evoked by the presence of the puppy, we have come to call this Chi- SP or Red Dog Radar. Frito Banditos

My Dad’s friend Chris is a dog lover so, of course he and Jake hit it off immediately. Whenever Chris comes to the house, he never even makes it out of the truck before his lap is filled with 50 pounds of an exuberant licking, wagging puppy. They visit for awhile, and then Chris pulls out their favorite snack…BBQ Fritos. They sit in the truck and contentedly munch on the tasty, stinky morsels. Once done, they exit the truck to take a spin around the great outdoors that passes for our yard. Jake eagerly looks forward to Chris’s visits not as much for the companionship as for the Fritos. The Incredible Shrieking Ball

Jake loves his toys but is rather hard on them so Dad has brought home progressively more durable offerings. The most recent addition is the incredible shrieking ball, and Mom hates it. This ball makes an assortment of squeaks and shrill squeals depending on how it is squeezed. Jake has mastered the art of producing every one of them, but his favorite is a long shrill whistling squeal that could curdle your blood and never ceases to make Mom cringe. She typically gnashes her teeth as Jake gleefully trots around the room serenading her with the magical tones of the incredible shrieking ball. Somehow, I think Jake may not be the one to help this toy meet its ultimate demise.

Well, so much for life in the Dixon Pack this time. The Canine Americans have retired for a morning nap to save up their energy for more comic canine capers. Be sure to read The Columbia Star next month for the next installment of Canine Comedy.