Denver -- December 11, 2009

John, Dog bless him, felt a little sorry for me after last week's DogBlog ("E is for Exasperate") and suggested that this week I could write about the GOOD things I am learning. Huh, and here I thought it was all good.

"Hmmmm," I pondered. "Like what?"

"You know Sit," John reminded me. "And you've learned Shake and you've been working on Down this week."

I wagged my tail in excitement. "Right, and I know my name, too!"

John frowned. "Yes, but you don't always come when we call you. That's something you need to keep working on."

"Why?" I wondered. "I come to you eventually."

"Because if you don't come right away when you are called it falls into the Exasperating category, instead of the Clever category," John said, picking me up and cradling me in his lap. "And you know how Marianne feels about that."

"Yeah," I said, sighing happily as he rubbed my tummy. I sat up suddenly. "OH, I remember other things I learned this week! My CCI puppy in training friend Calhoun taught me how to grab the end of the toilet paper and run through the house with it! I can do a pre-wash rinse on the dishes and help load them into the dishwasher. And I learned how to launch myself into your lap from across the room. FLYING PUPPY is good, right?"

John snickered but stopped when Marianne glared at him. "Um, no Mars, those things fall into the Really Exasperating category." He took a moment to compose himself and continued, "But in the Clever category you have learned to carry the key to the mailbox and carry mail back to the house. That's actually Exceptionally Clever, especially for an 11-week old puppy!"

That's me, Exceptionally Clever.

Chow for now!

Mars

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