Round Robin: Silly Pictures, Not-So-Silly Dog

Okay, here it is, Tuesday night after midnight, technically Wednesday, February 1st, 2006. (Actually, it's still Tuesday as I write this; but it will be Wednesday by the time I click on the orange Publish Post button.) Yep, it's time for another Round Robin Photo Challenge. The topic this time, as suggested by Celeste: Silly Animals!

Now, I really wanted to give you one of my patented off-the-wall interpretions of a RR topic, but I have a contractual obligation to post pictures of Tuffy as often as possible. Besides, no other animal, silly or otherwise, made itself available to me for the photo shoot. So, heeeere's Tuffy!

I took most of these at lunchtime today, when I went home and brandished some dog biscuits to enlist Tuffy's cooperation. The rest I took after work, doing the same thing. Hey, Tuffy's not so silly -she knows what it takes to get some treats out of me!

Now, if there's one thing Tuffy Toro cares about, aside from (possibly) her people, it's dog biscuits. When John and I walk in the front door, together or separately, Tuffy expects a dog biscuit, and usually gets it. When we walk through the kitchen, Tuffy expects a dog biscuit, and occasionally gets it. When we eat, ditto. And she can pretty much count on a couple of dog biscuits at bedtime. When she gets a treat, she usually takes it outside, or else into the living room. When instead I say, "No food, no treat," or "All gone," it usually takes a while to convince her. Then she stalks off.

So riddle me this: why are there two dog biscuits at Tuffy's feet, uneaten? I'm not quite sure. Silly dog! I think she was trying to figure out what I was up to with the camera and calling her into the kitchen, and was therefore too nervous to eat at that moment - at least until it was clear nothing bad was about to happen.

Yes, Tuffy is a nervous dog. I wouldn't really say she's a silly dog, by and large, but she definitely has her quirks. Drop something, or make a noise, or carry a large box, and she'll probably run away. It takes at least ten minutes to get her to stop barking at anyone in the house other than John and me, and at least half an hour beyond that to get her within ten feet of you. If John and I scratch her on the bed, she'll usually roll onto her back - and start to sneeze about thirty seconds later. She won't eat unless at least one of us is home - unless we're out of town. Then she'll eat a little, eventually.

And one more quirk, although it's totally not Tuffy's fault. She does her heaviest shedding in January and February, the only time of the year when it gets even a little cold around here.


These close-ups are due to Tuffy approaching me as I took the pictures. This wasn't because she's a big fan of the camera. I don't think she really minds it, but she's probably not too fond of the flash, or my inexplicable commands as I set up the shots. But she kept coming up to me because a) she wasn't sure what I wanted from her, b) she gets excited when I go in the back yard with her, and c) (most important) I had dog biscuits. I know these aren't good pictures from a technical standpoint, but I like them. Check out those expressive brown eyes, not distorted by a camera flash, for once, and a little milky with cataracts. Yes, Tuffy's getting older. She's ten years old this year.


Really, though, I don't believe for a moment that Tuffy is the silliest animal in the house. She's just being a dog, wary of dangers, mooching for food, checking up on her people. No, the silliest animals around here are John and Karen - by far.


Here ya go, TufTuf. Good dog.

Karen

Now got see what everyone else is posting (and yes, you're still welcome to join in yourself!):

Round Robin Linking List
(as of Wednesday 2/1 at 9:30 PM MST)

Celeste... My Day And Thoughts (AOL) and My Day And Thoughts (Blogspot) Posted
Carly... Ellipsis...Suddenly Carly Posted
Karen... Outpost Mâvarin Posted
Derek... Through My Eyes and Derek's Picture Of The Day
DesLily...Here, There and Everywhere (Blogspot) and Here, There and Everywhere (AOL) Posted
Becky... Where Life Takes You Posted
Robin... Search The Sea
Julie... Julie's Web Journal Posted
T. J.... Photo Inclusions: Every Picture Tells a Story Posted
Tess... First Digital Photos Posted
Kat... Prima Luce
Steven... (sometimes) photoblog Posted
Alan... F-Stop Posted
Kimberleigh... I Shaved My Legs For This? Posted
Patrick... Patrick's Portfolio Posted
Nancy... Nancy Luvs Pix Posted