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Sarge!,
I
had to use my mommy's e-mail, since I don't have
my own! I want to
give you my sympathy for the bunny
ears. Mommy and Daddy did that to me
too! My
problem is that I want a brother or sister, but I can't
get my
parents to give me one. So, I'm stuck with only
my cousin Little Bit on the
weekends (and she's a smelly
mean cat!). How did you get your mom and dad to get
you sisters?
Please help,
Lonely pup
(Australian Shepherd/Jack Russell Terrier mix near St.
Louis)
Dear
Lonely,
Hey, my folks and I just drove through St. Louis last
Wednesday.
We could have stopped and said 'hi'!
Yeah... that thing with the bunny ears is a little
embarrassing.
There was a free photo thing at the mall,
but you could only take
home one pose... I couldn't
believe it when mom picked that one...
YIKES!!!
Anyhow- that's a bummer to not have any siblings.
But it's also
hard to find the right combination. When
my mom got me she also had a very
small puppy for a
short while. That was a lot of fun, but she only had it
for a
few weeks. It was good, I guess, because it
helped me get used to being in a new
home, with a new
mom and everything... But then it was just me and mom
for a
couple of weeks when she babysat a cat. That
definitely wasn't
gonna work... I guess I kinda blew it...
I loved to watch the cat,
but I kept getting too close
to it and it scratched me in the
eye... I had to go to the
vet for some eye drops to clear that up.
After that,
she got three baby chickens that lived in the
backyard.
They grew up and all three became roosters... something
mom hadn't counted on... and since we lived in the
suburbs, they
all moved out to a farm where they could
wake up whenever they
wanted to. I'm kinda glad... mom
trained me to follow some herding
commands with them,
but they got a little cocky... (no pun
intended) and they
would chase me and peck at my nose. It was
humiliating.
Next, we got some rabbits (one of which is my sister,
Calliope). They're quiet, but they're smelly. Before we
moved to
New York, we gave away the other rabbits.
I actually have a
brother, too. His name is Rock. He's
also a rabbit. He belonged to
my dad before my parents
met. And since my parents got married, I
got a little
sister, Peanut, who is a rat. I like to watch her the
most.
When we got her, she was soooo tiny, but now she's full
sized.
But anyway, enough about my family...
I know how you feel. It's hard to be alone, especially
for a
dog.... From the beginning of time, we've traveled
in packs. We
need things to keep us occupied. I know
that it happens from time
to time, especially in this
country (because of "no dogs
allowed" signs), that we
get left at home with no one to play
with besides
stuffed animals. It's hard to convince our parents to
populate the house a little better, too, because they
look at it
as another mouth to feed, or another cage
to clean. And it is hard
for them to rationalize getting
a sibling to keep you occupied.
It sounds like your problem could be pretty easily
solved... given
that you (being part Aussie) like to herd.
Have you ever seen
goldfish? There's not much to them,
but they are fascinating to
watch. I could stare at a fish
tank for hours (and I have!). The
great part about fish is
that they're not too horribly expensive,
they're not
stinky (unless they're out of the water), and they're
easy to take care of... although I do recommend a
rectangular tank
with a lid... you might be tempted to
drink the fish water
otherwise. Other options are
lizards or rodents... anything that
likes to move around
in an enclosed space that you can watch. Have
them set
it on a table or somewhere high enough to look at easily
when you stand on your hind legs.
Of course it is entirely up to your parents to go and get
one of
these... and they may not do it... but these are
some pets that
are generally pretty easy to talk parents
into... Take your folks
to Petsmart, and look at what they
have there... see what catches
your eye... Try sitting in
front of the wall of fish and just
looking at them. If you
really do like that sort of thing, they
may be so amused at
your reaction that they can't resist bringing
home a new
sibling. Best
wishes, and I hope something works out for you!
Love, Sgt. Pepper
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Dear Sgt. Pepper,
How can I get people to give me more treats?
I've tried barking, jumping up on guests to show them
that I already like them, stepping on people's feet
under the dinner table to let them know I'm there...
I've even tried standing in front of the television
when they're eating popcorn... Nothing works.
How do you do it?
--"Frustrated" (Golden Retriever) West Seneca
Dear "Frustrated",
The key to getting people to provide you with treats
is NOT physical proximity. It is eye contact.
Have you ever heard of the term, "puppy-dog-look"?
It is the epitome of pathetic, helpless and starved for
attention. It works best when there is a little bit of
distance between you and the human at first... once
you've buttered them up, you can go in for the kill...
set your head on their lap, perk your ears up, extend
a paw in their direction, or whimper slightly, all the
while maintaining eye contact and listening for vocal
cues, like "awww," that's when you know it's working.
Good luck, and keep me posted!
Love, Sgt. Pepper
----------------------------------------------
Deer SGt Ppper ,
Im sapposedtoo entervuw sumone forclas.
ware areyo form? how oold are you?
WHat bred are you? whodo you lickemost?
Whan isyor berthday?
--Alex (5) Orchard Park
Dear Alex,
WOW! You're five? I'm impressed. I'm nearly 20
(in dog years) and I STILL can't type a coherent sentence.
I have my Mom or Dad type for me, usually.
I was born in June of 1998... I think we celebrate on the
first of the month. I am from Washington state originally.
I'm not sure exactly which city I was born in... it was rural,
and I was very young when I went to live in Moses Lake with
a little boy and girl and their parents. I really liked the girl...
we got along great, but the boy was another story. He was 90%
testosterone and 10% super-mega-testosterone. I'm a lover,
not a fighter, so they decided it would be best to find me
another home at the age of six months. I moved in with the
grandparents in Pasco and they put an ad in the paper. My
Mom saw the ad and came to meet me. I didn't really trust
anyone after some of the things I had been through when I
was just a pup, so she came to see me and take me for walks
for a month before she took me home on January 4th of '99.
I am a pure border collie, but I'm not papered, so some
people think I'm a mongrel. I don't care either way. You
asked how old I am... I don't know when you'll get this message,
so you'll have to have your mom or dad, or have another
grownup figure that out for you. Also, I'm not sure if you
were asking who I like the most, or who I lick the most.
If it's "like", then I'd have to say my family, Mom, Dad,
Rock, Calliope, and Peanut. If you meant "lick"... that would
have to be myself. I don't think I'd better elaborate on that.
Suffice it to say, it's hard for a dog to keep clean.
I hope this will help you with your assignment. Tell me
what grade you get, ok?
Love, Sgt. Pepper
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