25 February 2010

B.F.F.s

I can actually remember telling kids in elementary school, "I don't classify my friends." That's kind of funny when I think about it now. While I am not into B.F.F.s (best friends forever), I guess it's okay for dogs.

We have a neighbor dog Cuddles, who is a typical village dog with stubby legs, a long body, and shaggy hair. She and Baker have taken to playing rather frequently and fervently. Baker usually tries to dominate bigger dogs by wrapping his paws around their neck and snapping at the ears and jowls. He also takes advantage of his shorter stance and nips at the fleshy legs and bony ankles. Cuddles shares a house with a pit bull/boxer mix, so she's used to a romp. Her small body and experience make them a good match for rough play. It's quite cute. To boot, I can also see them play outside my window.

However, no B.F.F. can replace the tasty morsel of Pilot Bread.* Baker's former owner used this as an external motive for potty training, etc. I've bribed Baker with bits of it so that every time I say "inside" he'll come. Sometimes he pretends that he can't hear, looks at me, turns around and runs to play some more. Those days have dwindled thanks to Pilot Bread. We've been practicing while he plays. So, tonight when I said "Baker, inside", he dropped jowl and ran full force to the door.

* Pilot Bread (a.k.a. hard tack) is a big unsalted round cracker, commonly eaten in Alaska. I read that Alaska was among the last to add Pilot Bread to a regular diet. It's definitely ubiquitous today. I had never even seen it until I moved here and now I don't see it anywhere outside of AK.

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