The Power of Persuasion!

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

This morning I got up earlier than everyone else and turned on the TV.  There happened to be a show on with a couple of women trying to sell embroidery machines.  I have no interest in sewing, knitting, or needlework of any kind, but I found myself mesmerized by what they were doing and thinking that maybe I needed an embroidery machine.  Keep in mind the last sewing project I did was probably in my high school Home Ec Class where I tried to make a one piece jumpsuit and ended up cutting the back of the legs 4 inches shorter than the front.  My teacher had me sew a panel and piece it in so the front and back lengths were the same, but it looked stupid and I don’t think I ever wore it out of class.  I mean if a six-foot tall girl is going to wear a one-piece plaidish jumpsuit around town there just shouldn’t be anything else like a panel in back to call attention to the outfit.  Luckily, I was able to turn the TV off before I called in with my credit card information and ordered something else that I would open later in the week and wonder what I had been thinking at the time of the order.

 

I am going to say the same thing happened when I found out about Doodles.  We used to take an annual cross country ski trip every year and once, when we were out and about on one of the trails a woman and her dog happened by our group. The dog was one of the most beautiful dogs I had ever seen and he had a name like Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Benjamin Franklin or something equally historic that I can no longer recall.  I just remember I loved the dog and his name.  As they passed by, I asked her what kind of dog it was and where she had gotten him and this started me on thinking I might need a Doodle. Her dog was so well behaved that the only thing that could have been better about him was if I could have paid for him in 5 easy pays plus tax and shipping and handling. Thankfully, she didn’t want to sell him or I may have had to leave the ski trip and travel home with my new dog and never would have ended up with my Fudge and Vern.  By the time we got back to the lodge, however, the seed was sown and I started my search right there on the Internet for my own Betsy Ross or Eleanor Roosevelt.

 

I really do have to give that dog credit for putting Doodles on my radar.  I don’t remember even knowing about them until that chance encounter in the woods.  Of course, I had no idea how to pick a good one, but I was sure they would all be as well behaved and adorable as the dog I had met.  Just like the time I saw the Rachael Ray pots and pans on QVC that came in the greatest blue color ever, no one was going to talk me out of those pans or in this case, a Doodle.  John tried, too.  He kept telling me to wait until my heart had healed from the death of our dog and to make sure I really wanted to start over with a puppy.  Usually, I would respond to him by asking him to take a look at the adorable puppy I just found in the cutest chocolate color and he would shake his head knowing he had lost the battle before it had even begun.

 

John also knows that I pick most things by color and my biggest disappointment in life is that I drive a grey van that I call “the Boring Mobile”.  I even told the salesmen that Toyota needed to get with the program and realize not everyone wants to drive a black, white, or grey car.  If they would have had a burnt orange one on the lot, I wouldn’t even have needed a test-drive before I drove it home.  I picked my blue van by telling the sales woman I wanted a pretty color and a DVD player.  Save all the bells and whistles for someone else, but give the outside of my van some pop.  I also won’t even consider a white car and don’t care what the deal is or the savings.  It wouldn’t be enough to make me drive a white car.  We own several extra bikes because I bought them based on color, before John insisted I go to a dealer and get fitted for a bike.   I was less than thrilled to see that the bike that fit me was black and continued to look around the sales floor for a snappy teal one even while John was paying for the bike. 

 

Getting a dog on impulse or strictly by color can be the worst mistakes you ever make and far worse for the dog when you figure that out later.  The trouble is puppies are so darn cute that you instantly want to take one home and it is only after you get home you realize they can be more work than cute.   I am sure most people who know dogs can also tell you that the odds of me ending up with a dog exactly like the one I saw in the woods that day were slim to none.  That dog was meandering along beside his owner content to let the world go by.  The dog I picked by color would have run away the minute I let her off leash and returned at some point dragging a deer she hunted down behind her.  Nothing about my Fudge says meandering and lucky for her, I was in it for the long haul.  I am also willing to accept that the Nature versus Nurture theory could go either way when talking about my Fudge, although I could put up a good argument that she came this way and it was exacerbated by my lack of training.  And then we have my Vern.  The dog in the woods seemed very smart to me and just this morning, Vern had to be escorted down the back steps to do his business and then couldn’t find the opening to get back up the steps.  He went around to the wrong side and stared at me through the fence looking on to our deck like he was willing me to make it open. I had to go get him and he greeted me like I had just saved his life.

 

I do love my Rachael Ray pots and pans and my blue van lasted for almost 300,000 miles, so maybe I am on to something or it is just dumb luck.  I also wouldn’t trade the dogs I have for any other dogs in the world.  Do I wish Fudge would meander more? You bet!  Do I think the breeder tricked me when she said Fudge was content to let the world go by?  All the time, and I am sure she left out the part where Fudge watches “the world” go by and then gets up and chases it into oblivion. Do I wish Vern had a little more finesse and practiced his “here I come, ready or not!” form of affection a lot less? I know my toes do!  Actually, I am pretty sure all of me would appreciate a heads up when Vern comes barreling through the house.  Luckily for my dogs I have low standards. Not everyone does and that is why when you are making a major life commitment to a dog you should choose wisely and not let impulse play a part in your decision.

[F, Calla & Luca]

I would never dream of buying an embroidery machine but I did buy some super duper crochet hooks this winter in a fit of "I need to make something". Needless to say the hooks have yet to be used. I think you need to keep impulse buys on a small scale. Clearly doodles don't fit that qualification but imagine life without Fudge and Vern :-)

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Thank you, Laurie. The part about Vern trying to find the opening  to the deck made me laugh out loud, and I hope that while everyone is laughing at your imperfect doodles, they also get the message here about life commitments. :) 

[Jeannie Duke]

I love your posts and I'm so glad you were in it for the long hall. A perfect dog wouldn't make for such great stories. :)