Frogs and Toads

My Friend Tobi from Costa Rica who writes to me in my Blog NEARLY DIED once and he had to be Saved by his Vet. He saw something funny Hopping About and thought it would be Fun to Play With. It was a FROG.

I have never seen a FROG, but Marmite picked one up once. She didn't Nearly Die. We sometimes have TOADS in our Garden too. Perhaps FROGS and TOADS in Costa Rica are more Poisonous than FROGS in England.

Tobi says DON'T PLAY WITH FROGS. They may look like Fun when the Hop About, but the Taste HORRID.

Person has found out that if enough toxin is ingested Dogs may have an Irregular Heartbeat and Act Strangely, as if in the grip of a Hallucination. Also Mouth irritation with Foamy Salivation, Depression, Weakness, Collapse, Difficulty breathing, Seizures, Fever, Vomiting and Diarrhea.

Yuk.

My Person used to like FROGS and TOADS. She says she had a Pet Toad when she was a Child. She called it Timothy. Timothy lived in a big box with stones and earth and a pond and leaves. She used to feed Timothy with Worms. If the Worms were too big she cut them into smaller bits. Sometimes Person took Timothy into her Bedroom.

Person says she wouldn't have a Pet TOAD again now. Nor a Pet FROG. She wouldn't want me to have Foamy Salivation and to Act Strangely as if in the grip of a Hallucination. Nor Monty the Mont. Nor Marmite.

Alpha Wolf makes the Decisions

In just one single evening alone Person got up and Opened and Shut the Door for us TWENTY-SEVEN TIMES. She counted. The only Door to OUTSIDE is in the Sitting Room where Persons Sit all the time.

Person is 'Gaining Control of the Door'. Person is Practising being and Alpha Wolf.

Since Person came back from doing Canine Communication and Wolves at Jan Fennell's farm things have been DIFFERENT. Things are also very QUIET. Jan Fennell has Eleven Spaniels and Two Utonagans. Utonagans look just like Wolves but they are not Wild. The dogs don't make a fuss of Persons. They are PEACEFUL Dogs.

In our House it used to happen like this. Marmite would carry on making her funny Grimbling noise from where she was lying until Person couldn't stand it any longer. Person would Open the door to let her OUT and then Close it again. (Person doesn't just leave the door open because it's too cold for her). Then I would need to see what Marmite was doing so I make my sad little noise until Person would get up, Open the door for me, then Close it again. A few minutes later Monty the Mont would think that he had better be OUT with Us so he squeeked to go OUT. Person would get up and Open then Close the door for Monty the Mont.

Then we would all want to come back IN.

Monty the Mont always wants to come back IN first. He needs to make sure that Persons haven't gone away anywhere without him. The I want to come IN a bit later, to keep an eye on Monty the Mont. Marmite likes being outside and Marmite doesn't care much where I am or where Monty the Mont is or even where Persons are, so Marmite comes IN last.

A little while ago Persons had to get a new Handle for the Door because the old one fell off.

This is why Person is Gaining Control of the Door. She says that the Alpha Wolf decides where the pack goes and when. The Alpha Wolf makes the DECISIONS. And Persons are the Alpha Wolves. I am not an Alpha Wolf. Nor is Monty the Mont and certainly not Marmite.

So, Person is now deciding when we go OUT. Person is now deciding when we come back IN again. If one of us goes OUT we all go OUT. If one of us comes IN we all come IN. We have to WAIT. This way Person Opens then Closes the door once instead of three times.

That is the idea anyway.

Unfortunately yesterday afternoon Marmite spoilt it all. Marmite was Not Very Well, just like I Wasn't Very Well last week. So yesterday Marmite asked to go out lots of times. Marmite always makes lots of grimbling noises for a long time until she is let OUT. Person tried IGNORING her.

That was not a good idea. Person hadn't realised that Marmite Wasn't Very Well.

This picture is when I was very little and Marmite and Monty the Mont were looking after me.

Still Sick

I didn't do Person Training yesterday. Monty the Mont did Training and so did Marmite, but I had to go back to the car.

I was in the Top Class for the first time. This isn't because I am better than Marmite, it's because He-Person who is Marmite's Handler at Person Training can't do the Top Class. He has to do something called Going to Work.

In the Top Class I said Hello to some of the Dogs because I hadn't met them before. Then I started to walk to Heel. Then Linsey-Trainer-Person said 'Tell your Dog to SIT. I heard her so I SAT (my-Person-Handler then said SIT but I was already Sitting). Then she said 'Forward' and I walked to Heel again. Then I stopped. Then I was Sick. On the Floor. It was some Grass that I had been eating. So Person took me back to the car.

She said it wasn't a very good start in the Top Class.

Person is going away this weekend on the Canine Communication course to UNDERSTAND DOGS. I don't want her to GO AWAY. I don't really want her to UNDERSTAND DOGS.

So perhaps if I keep eating Grass and if I don't eat my food and if Grass makes me Sick then Person will Stay at Home.

Click here if you would like to see my 'Pleeeeeeease Let Me OUT' video again.


Here is a picture of our Field. You can see the steps leading up to our garden. You can see the Old Station House behind and the window is where Artist and Sue-Person, our Neighbours From Heaven live. On the left is where Guy-Person who didn't get burnt on Bonfire Night lives.

You can just see where I live with Monty the Mont and Marmite, behind the wall.

Not very Well

I Wasn't Very Well last night. My tummy sounded like the Dishwasher.

I asked to go OUT by making my little sad noise, and then I asked to come IN and then I asked to go OUT and then I asked to come IN. In the end Person just left the door open all night.

Person thinks I ate too many Figs off the Fig Tree. But I didn't eat as many as Marmite and she is OK. I didn't eat my Breakfast this morning. I just went back to bed.

It is Person Training today. Perhaps I shall stay at home.

Click here and you can see a Movie of me wanting to Go OUT when I had only just asked to Come IN.