Bebop has this really bad habit. She likes to wake up early. I know what you’re thinking–maybe it’s not a “habit” as much as it is mother nature calling. But even if I take her out REALLY late. Like 2am or later, she still wakes up at 7am…buzzing with the volume and energy of my loud ass alarm.

She’s so friggin cute when she wakes up, too. She’s afraid to jump off the bed so she’ll walk to the edge…dance around it, consider jumping off. Then she’ll come to me and touch her nose to my cheek. Usually I can ignore this and in a sleepy fog pull her into a laying position. A few minutes later, she gets up again and like superman takes a flying leap off the bed. It’s the thud of her hitting the floor that makes me realize that I have .5 seconds to wake up, get my coat and shoes on and get out the door with her before she pees everywhere.

But the most annoying thing about Bebop’s morning ritual is she wakes up long enough to pee, eat and play for about 30 minutes. And after 30 minutes, she conks out again. Lucky for me, it creates picture perfect moments like the photo above with Red. If only I could find a way to push her routine back by a couple of hours…

With every dog I’ve owned, I’ve always created songs. The songs become their theme songs. With Luna, it wasn’t necessarily about lyrics–or even a melody. Her song consisted of a high-pitched tone using her name over and over. Imagine a shrill voice going: LUNALUNALUNALUNALUNA

That was her song. Crazy. Annoying. Hyper…just like her. It’s what I imagined going through her head day in and day out. Another family dog we had was a boxer mix. When he was excited, he’d wiggle and walk sideways toward you with his nub of a tail wagging like crazy. We called it The Little Man Dance. It, too, had a song.

So, I noticed that Bebop likes to dance as well. She stands on two feet and literally hops around. And she can stand upright for a creepy long time. And Bebop is amazingly easy to put into other songs. One goes like this (to the tune of Lollipop): Little Bop, Little Bop, oh little, little Bop–Little Bop {RUFF} Ba-Bum-Bum-Bum.

Another song I like to sing with Bebop is to that song…ummm, well, I don’t know the name of the song, but hopefully you’ll be able to tell: Ain’t No Bopper like the Little Bop Cause the Little Bop Don’t Stop.

But all these are songs that already exist. Bebop needed her own song. And then one day, she was dancing around me for literally minutes. I couldn’t believe that nothing could stop her. I’d push her over and she’d just jump right back up on two feet and continue dancing. And further more, I had just adopted her at this point and she hadn’t yet been spayed. So as she danced around, the fact that she…hmmmm how do I word this gently…..was in “heat” was very obvious. And it simply wasn’t proper behavior. So, Bebop’s song goes something like this: (I know you don’t know the tune, but I’m sure you can make one up yourself)

She is the Little Bopper

You know you just can’t stop her

From doing all those little things

That you know just ain’t proper!

I’m attempting to teach Luna about patience. And what better way to do that than with sunflower seeds…her most FAVORITE SNACK IN THE WORLD. By placing the seeds one by one her nose, I made her wait to eat the rest–only, I think this was better in theory than in execution. In actuality, I don’t think she or Red even realized they had sunflower seeds on their snouts. At least not until Luna jerked her head around, not only sending seeds flying in every direction…but also knocking the bag of seeds out of my hands. Sean tackled Red to the ground and I managed to get Luna in a headlock.

Sean: (breathless from holding the Red down) Maybe we should just let them eat the seeds when they fall?

Me: No. They…(gasp)…must…(cough)…learn…(wheeze)…PATIENCE!

Just then, Luna managed to headbutt me and I had no choice but to release her from the headlock. The dogs feasted on dozens of sunflower seeds and Sean and I were lost in a sea of slobber, tongues and sniffing. So much for patience.

I imagine this is what it must feel like to have children…that is, if your children are hairy, slobbery, hyperactive messes who don’t listen to a word you say. I suddenly feel the need to call my mom and apologize…

My dear friend David is asking…no, scratch that…pleading for people’s help. He needs a new home for his 8-year old beautiful dog, Jasmine. This poor dog has a tragic past and so deserves a wonderful, loving home.

Two years ago, David was moving to the city where Jasmine would not have been happy. Being used to farms and space, it would have been a tough transition for her. Reluctantly, he handed her over to his best friend to care for while he was away. Tragically, David’s best friend was killed in a car accident at the hands of a drunk driver last year. Since this tragic occurrence, Jasmine has been in and out of the animal hospital and foster homes. She contracted ring worm (which has now been cured) and though she still has patches of fur missing, her face is still as beautiful and sweet as the day I met her.

However, Jasmine, like most dogs, is not perfect. As a result of an abusive foster home, she no longer gets along with other dogs and very young children. Older kids are fine, so long as they are gentle and don’t tug her tail and ears and pick at her scars from ringworm. (Yes, the hellion three-year old did this and the parents did nothing to stop her)

But let me also tell you the wonderful things about this dog. I remember Jasmine from college. She is adorable and gentle. Some kind of yellow lab mix (on the smaller side…maybe 45-50lbs). She loves people and is such a calm, sweet dog. She’s very low maintenance, especially in the right lifestyle. If I could take her, I would do so in a heartbeat.

So, please, I beg…I plead…does anyone want to give this dog the home, love and life she deserves? Please ask around…ask friends and family. I don’t want to see Jasmine live the remainder of her life in a shelter.