Hi Mr. Kirby,

My dog really thinks she is a member of the family. She is an indoor dog (80 pound black lab & border collie mix). she expects to get a little of our dinner when we are through eating. She is still proudly wearing her jingle bell collar from Christmas and wants her coat on when it is cold outside. She wants to be petted and loved and is a valuable member of our family. She received a Christmas stocking from my parents and myself and she also received Christmas presents from 2 aunts, 2 family friends, and 2 cousins. She is spoiled rotten, but she is a sweet and loving dog. We don't know what our family did before her. She is even looking forward to going to the beach with us for a week when it gets warmer.

Thanks Mr. Kirby. Love your column.

My friend just wrote a funny story about her dog on her blog. Check it out...http://mamachickspeaks.blogspot.com/
It is a hoot!

I have a Chihuahua named Tiko. Since my husband and I don't have kids yet, Tiko is our baby. He was my Christmas present our first year of marriage. We’ve had him for two years.

He is genuinely loyal, however he can be very disobedient. He loves to jump in our bed when were not in the room. I yell at him every time I catch him on my bed. You would think he would stop, but he doesn't.

He is extremely protective. He lets us know when we have a visitor and when we open the door, he shoots out of the house letting our visitors know he lives there. He even barks at anyone he sees outside through the window, even if they are in there on yard are walking down the street.

He has regular doctor visits. He has to take heartworm medicine every month. He needs his teeth cleaned under anesthesia, but it is too expensive. If anyone knows where I can go to get it done cheep, if would be appreciated.

My husband didn’t care too much for him when we first got him, but now he thinks we can’t live without him and sometimes I do too.

My dog is a sooner, he'd sooner crap in the house as in the yard.

Our baby, Reilly, is a 4yr old, 84 lb golden lab mix and he is our 'hairy kid'. As a puppy, I taught him different words and phrases and today he brings in groceries (he loves bags with meat and bread), retrieves the Augusta Chronicle from our paper tube and knows all the names of his stuffed animals. I can tell him to go get one of his sutffed animals and he'll go right to it. I can even tell him to go get a stuffed animal from a certain person who gave it to him and he'll know which one to bring to me. If you teach a dog to learn simple commands 'Go Get' and 'Bring it to Mommy' (or Daddy) or 'Leave it' and teach him different items, then you'll have a wonderful, eager, loving and working member of society who'll do most of your work for you and love you as a result...dogs are awesome and ours is babied, spoiled and adored because he's so smart and gorgeous...does anyone know a good Animal Planet agent?? And yes, Bill, I LOVE IT WHEN YOU MENTION DOGS IN YOUR COLUMN!!

We have a dog that is the goofiest thing. Emma is definately not the sharpest crayon in the box. But we laugh every day, play "toy toss" with her every day, hug her every day. We worry abour her being outside when the weather harsh. She is our 4th child!

We have a 22 yr old daughter, an 18 yr old son, a dalmation that died about 6 yrs ago and we have Emma! We were all devastated when the dalmation died. And would be also if we lost Emma!

Both our "human" kids are in college, so our "canine kid" is wonderful to have. When the teenagers think they hate you, your dog still thinks you are "the bomb".

If you want to feel like the King of the World, get a dog!!

When my rott got killed by a rattlesnake, I did not want another pet. My
wife talked me into gettind a Doberman bitch [they are small, about 60 pounds, and we will keep her inside].Sweet Jane, was a five week old, fawn colored puppy, four tears ago. We did not know that her papers were [Warlock]. Now she lets us live in her world. At 109 pounds she is the largest dobe bitch that I have ever seen, and ten times that sweet. But noone comes around without us knowing. Jane is a purebred couch potatoe, that loves boiled chicken. Life would not be nearly as good without her.

Bill,

When you first started writing about your dog I was convinced he must be a Westie. All the stories sound very familiar to me and Maggie, my 6 yr. old Westie. She is so bright and great company. Loves a game of tennis ball in the back yard and will jump into the bath tub on her own for a bath. Her ball playing has produced 2 destroyed ACL's and surgeries, but she is back in good form. Can be sound asleep and an animal can appear on the muted TV screen and she is up and barking, protecting me, I think!We went 20 years without a dog, after we lost our last pup. Can't imagine why!
Keep the stories coming!

Can't wait to read more about your new dog theories ~ we have four dogs ~ but we live very rural on a farm. Two are labs and have their own runs (otherwise, they would eat all of our chickens.....they are, afterall - bird dogs). One is a mutt slash lab-bassett (??), - the fourth dog (Bandit - looks like a rottweiler/herding dog mix) just showed up one day and he lives on the front porch and is the official farm dog. We've decided that God sent him to us just after we moved here to take care of us "newbies to the country" people that we are.

They all eat whatever dry food we give them - and it's not the premo-premo either. They get scraps and very bad leftovers turned into science projects that I forgot about in the garage frig ~. They are great dogs - especially since they are always o-u-t-s-i-d-e. Bandit also likes to steal the carcasses of whatever our farm cats have killed and are trying to eat as well.

They are D-O-G-S.

Thanks for asking!
Harriette Jacobs
South of the Gnat Line.com

summited by Audrey,Julian's wife.
My dog is named Rosco, he is mixed shit-shu and Lhasa Apso.
He loves to chase squirels & birds. He runs really fast when
chasing other animals in the back yard. If you stomp at him
he will run circles around you in the eight figure.
He loves high places and will play with a doggie t-bone by
himself, he will flip it up and jump on it wagging his
curled up tail. He grows long hair but we keep it cut because
of tangles. He looks like a different dog without the hair.
His face looks like a cocker spaniel when he first gets cut.

When Mommy is home, he will only go outside with mommy and sit
mostly on Mommy's lap. He follows her like a kid, He doesn't
like being alone in a room. If He is asleep on Daddy's lap and
mommy gets up for bed without him. Daddy will say Rosco Mommy's gone to bed. He will jump up and run jump on the bed
to sleep with Mommy. He looks like he is flying from the hall to the bed. If he is scared he will jump on top of
Mommy and stay there.

If Rosco and Daddy are at home without mommy,he will follow Daddy all over the house. If Dad says lets go sit in the chair,
he'll go to the chair and wait for Dad to get there and then
jump in his lap.

I have to share about my 7-year old maltese, Jasmine. After bringing her home against my parent's wishes last summer, they can't get enough of her! Jasmine loves her t-shirts and playing with my 9-month old tabby cat, Mars. Jasmine has leashes and collars for every season, a reindeer costume, and a variety of t-shirts, sweaters, and even a raincoat for spring showers. Acting like the mom she should have been, Jasmine lets us know when Mars has gotten outside, when someone comes home, and even has enough energy to run circles waiting for her dinner, which is a weight maintaining formula since she ate too many table scraps with her former owner.

Jasmine has patience with my 6 nieces and will roll over for them to blow raspberries on her belly. She sleeps with her head on my pillow and body under the covers, only to move to give me a good night lick. A dog who values her sleep as much as her playtime, I have to wake her up every morning to go out. She is sweet and loving, never leaving my side, even when I need to shower.

When getting Jasmine, I thought she would be the perfect accessory to life. Little did I know she would change me forever. I expected to carry her in a bag, put bows in her hair, and baby her like one would a child. However, she rubs her head against the cat until the bow falls out so she can chew on it, jumps out of any bag I've tried to put her in, and likes to be independent when it comes to all her activities. She is much more a country dog than a lap dog.
Now all I have to do is buy a farm for her to frolick on!

Mr Bill, love your column and your comments about your pooch and your family.
I've been around dogs and owned dogs most of my life, even during my three years in Nam I had two over there.
I'm now down to 4 dogs and a brand new kitten that is aptly named Taz. Is two months old and is going to need a lot of breaking in.
I have two chow mixes out back, one of which belongs to a grandaughter that is stationed in Amesterdam with her hubby for the next 3 years so we have George who is so lovable and dumb as a rock.
The other chow just watches him and I think secretly hopes he will break his neck. LOL.
Sarah Leigh our 16 year old Yorkie is on her last go round. We are awaiting lab results to see what treatment can be done for her.
Ahh, but the King, my Schitzu named Patches that was given to us by a lady in North Augusta rules the roost.
He allows me to sleep with him and will wake me sometimes in the middle of the night just to have his tummy rubbed. Ahhh, the life of a dog!!
Stoney