Boogie: How I get my mom to do stuff

February 22, 2010 at 9:42 am Leave a comment

If Boogie could write, I bet this is what he would say:

How I get my mom out of bed in the morning.

Unlike other boston terriers that my mom has known, I am not an alarm-clock type of dog. I don’t trample all over her in the mornings; I don’t snort in her face. I love to sleep-in so I stay under the covers until my mom wakes me up.

However, sometimes I wake up before she does because I must eat, play or go outside. Here are my methods:

First I lick my mom’s face. Usually this gets me a muffled response. So I lick it again a few times. This might get me a “Good morning, Boogie” but she usually closes her eyes again.
I proceed to “Belly Rub” position. You see, when I lie down in this position, with my head stretched back and my paws folded up on my chest, my mom ALWAYS tells me I am cute and she rubs my belly. I make sure that I am leaning against her because her eyes are closed and she can’t see. I stretch out as far as I can stretch and my mom will rub my belly.
If she stops rubbing, I stretch out my chin and give a little snort. She will usually scratch under my chin too, and rub my belly some more. I try to prolong this as much as possible. It feels really good anyway.
If she rolls over and falls back asleep, I get up, move to the other side, lean against her and get back into “Belly Rub” position. She rubs my belly again and tells me how cute I am.
Eventually she will have rubbed my belly and scratched my chin so much that her eyes are wide open and she is wide awake.
She gets out of bed – YAY!

Works every time.

How I get my mom to hang out with me on the couch.

I am like most boston terriers, a “Companion Dog”. I like to have company when I do stuff. Sometimes I want to lie on the couch and chew on a toy and I want my mom on the couch. It’s hard to get her to leave her desk but I am a very patient dog and I have my methods.

First I go to her chair to say hello. My mom usually pats my head and says “Hello Boogie”. Then she turns back to her computer.
Next I sit at her feet and wait patiently. She usually ignores me for a while but I am a very patient dog so I wait.
If this doesn’t work, I go and get my ball and drop it at her feet. I usually have to wait some more.
When my mom bends over to pick up the ball, I grab it really fast and run in the direction of the couch. This isn’t always effective because she will say “No, Boogie. Go To Your Place” or something like that. I don’t always obey because I have been in “my place” all day and I need a change of scene.
So I bring her the ball again and drop it a few inches further away from her feet. This will make her get out of her chair… which she does.
When she gets up, I grab the ball really fast before she can get it and I lead her towards the couch. We usually have to go through these motions a few times… each time I drop the ball a little further away from her chair so she has to walk further. My mom is not very smart. She takes a long time to work it out. But that’s ok. I am a very patient dog.
Eventually my mom will walk to the couch and say something like “OK, Boogie. You want to play fetch over here? ” I don’t let go of the ball. I wait until she sits her butt down on the couch. Then I drop the ball in front of her.
My mom will then pick up the ball and throw it.
I don’t run after the ball. I make myself comfortable on the couch and chew on a toy. My mom is sitting next to me on the couch. YAY!

P.S. This is Method #1. Method #2 – I take the ball to the kitchen and pretend like I want a treat. When she gets up from her desk, I lead her to the couch.