January 1, 2008

Party, party, party.

Mercy me. The humans have been celebrating what Marianne calls The Silly Season. She explained that at this time of year they eat too much yummy food (a concept I frankly don't understand since all food is yummy and never "too much"), drink festive concoctions, and spend lots of time laughing it up with friends and family.

I've been to a number of these laugh-a-thons recently, and while I don't always get the jokes, I do enjoy being around lots of humans who make a fuss over me and give me belly rubs.

Also, I've noticed that the humans tend to be distracted and not notice when a dog swipes a tidbit or two off the buffet. Not ME, of course, that wouldn't be acceptable service dog behavior, but my sister Madeleine the Greyhound is tall, sneaky, and always on the lookout for snacks. She loves parties.

At any rate, we hosted the neighborhood New Year's Eve party last night and there was much merriment, lots of food, and many festive beverages. Madeleine got herself banished to the bedroom for surfing the buffet table, but I kept a low profile and munched on some Milk-Bones. I guess I got a little silly -- I honestly don't remember much -- but someone snapped a photo of me wearing a lampshade. How embarrassing.

This morning Marianne was sitting at her desk in the study writing in her new date book. When I asked what she was doing, she explained that humans make "resolutions" of things they will do in the coming year.

"Like, 'I will eat all my dinner?'" I asked.

Marianne laughed and said, "No silly, we make resolutions of things that will help us improve ourselves. One of my resolutions is to keep my desk tidy."

"Ah," I said, moving away from the edge of the desk as a landslide of books, bills, Christmas cards, and old CCI Newsletters teetered precariously. "I certainly agree with that one. My foot still hurts from 'Schulz and Peanuts: A Biography' falling on it yesterday."

"Poor baby," Marianne cooed in a suspiciously mocking tone. I eyed her and she relented.

"No, I'm sorry," she said. "And that is a good reason why I need to keep the desk tidier. But you could make some resolutions that would help me, too."

"Moi? You mean I'm not the perfect puppy?" I asked in horror.

"Um, well, no, there are things you could work on," Marianne said gently.

And so we worked on our New Year's resolutions together. Here's my list, with a great deal of input from Marianne:

1. I will not remove things from the trash cans. Apparently this is not considered "retrieving."

2. I will not bark at people or other dogs. "Speak" is a command, not an optional activity or performance piece.

3. I do not need to stretch luxuriously and dramatically every time I get up, even if I do get a laugh from everyone watching. Service dogs are supposed to be unobtrusive. Huh.

4. I will lose the teenage attitude and perform a command the FIRST time, not the third time I am asked for it. It turns out she IS the boss of me.

So, my canine compatriots, what are your resolutions? Send me an e-mail and let me know.

Chow for now!

Parker

Questions or comments for Parker? Send them to Call7ForHelp@TheDenverChannel.com.

Would you like more information about Canine Companions for Independence, or perhaps be a puppy raiser? Call 1-800-572-BARK or go to www.cci.org for details.