I took the Little Deaf One- he remains unnamed to protect myself- to work with me today. With deaf dogs, but especially deaf puppies, constant reinforcement is important when teaching hand signs. By having him at work with me, I can tether train which gives me lots of opportunities to practice watch me, sit or whatever sign we are working on. It’s amazing how fast training can go when you have a dog literally attached to your hip. As I’ve said before, being able to take my dog (or a dog) to work is one of the few fringe benefits and I am grateful during times like this.
At lunch, I grabbed a few toys and jumped in the car with the Little Deaf One. Whether I have a dog with me or not, I generally choose places where I can sit outside. But today, I had a hankering for Arby’s. Don’t judge me; my physician does enough of that.
The closest Arby’s doesn’t have outdoor seating, so we ordered at the drive-through and ate in the car. He played with his toys and tried to eat the change in the cup holder as I parked the car in a shady spot. When I unpacked the french fries, he took notice and dropped his duck. He then worked me hard with the saddest eyes and most dramatic lip-licking he could muster. Monsieur Milou wanted a french fry and was using the only two tricks he has learned in his three and half months: woe is me and I’m so hungry I might die. He wasn’t successful, but he happily accepted a small bit of roast beef and he made me smile. I also got some excellent photographs. Here are two of them that really convey his sense of dedication to le French fry.
These may be the only tricks he know but mine are 6 & 7 years old and “woe is me” and “I’m so hungry I might die” happen to still be their favorite beg tricks 😉 With a face that adorable, his forever owner better be prepared to withstand these looks because he is already very good at it!