Category Archives for "About Shirelle"

0 What’s Shirelle’s life like?

aana asks: Which continent are you from? Where are you living at the moment? Are you married? What’s your age?

Hi aana –

Thanks for all your questions about me.

I currently live in North America, near the west coast of the United States, pretty close to Los Angeles.  I’ve been a lot of places around this country, and my ancestors, I believe (no one’s sure of my breed, but based on some people’s best guesses) come from Siberia and the Arabian Desert.

Dogs can’t marry, but I do have a Continue reading

0 How to get someone to trust you after you’ve lied to them

Destined962013 asks: Me and my boyfriend have been together for over seven months now. About four months ago, I lied to him about something very serious. I really had no reason to lie to him in the first place, but I did. The problem is that, since then, I have been completely truthful about everything, but he doesn’t believe me. I was wondering if you know any way for me to show him that I really am not lying to him now.

Hi Destined962013 –

Quick answer:  No.  There is no way to prove you’re not a liar.  There’s a rule in logic that says “One cannot prove a negative.”  What it means is, it’s impossible to prove that something is not the case.  You can only prove that something is the case.

For example, let’s say you go home, and you see that your cat was bitten by someone this morning.  Can I prove that I wasn’t the one who Continue reading

0 How old should one be before getting a dog?

danny asks: What is the appropriate age for keeping a dog?

Hi danny –

I assume you’re asking about the right age for a human to be, if they’re going to adopt a dog.  If I’m wrong, and you mean to ask what is the right age for a dog to be adopted, please get back to me on that.

I don’t think there’s an appropriate age for getting a dog.  What matters is the appropriate Continue reading

0 Where is Shirelle from?

ananya asks: Where are you from?

Hi ananya –

I don’t remember much about the first few months of my life.  I was born as part of a litter, and wandered about with my mother and brothers and sisters, till one day I was picked up by a dog catcher and taken to a pound.  I spent about a week there, before a stranger bought me and took me to his home.  That home was the first place I ever began to develop a sense of “being from” somewhere.

As you probably know, that stranger was a man who kept me around, fed me, sheltered me, taught me a number of rules, and – most importantly to me – has Continue reading

0 What to do when you feel everyone hates you

bella asks: I hate my life! Everyone around me hates me! I don’t know how to respond to some questions, and so sometimes I answer in a rude way, even though I don’t mean to be rude.

Hi bella –

I know how you feel.

We dogs never hate our lives (even when we’re locked in cages, treated horribly, hurt, etc., we just love being alive; it’s part of being a dog), but I’ve seen so many humans who feel just the way you’re describing.  It’s really sad and unfair.  I’m sorry you feel that way.

I also know what it’s like to feel like everyone hates me, and that is based on experience.  Have you ever been put in a Continue reading

2 How to get your parents to treat you more fairly

jessanna11 asks: I’m 12 years old turning 13 in a few weeks . Everyone at school has the latest technology, whereas I don’t. I don’t want to sound like a spoilt brat because I’m not, but I just wish they weren’t so stubborn. I have a Nokia phone made in 1999, and it’s really embarrassing because my friends all have iPhone 5s. I begged and begged mum for an iPhone for my birthday (I have never gotten a present before – I just get money, except once I got my cat). I ask why I can’t have one and she says, “to teach you the value of money, so you know that nothing’s going to be handed to you in life.” Money is not the issue, but it just seems so unfair that I’m being brought up this way while other kids get luxuries. I am the eldest in the family, and I feel like my parents are tougher on me; I do have a laptop and iPod touch, but I bought those two things myself from doing work like cleaning, and saved up birthday money. Meanwhile my 7-year-old twin sisters have laptops, and my nine-year-old sister has a Android smartphone and laptop that my parents paid for. I didn’t get treated that way when I was young, so why do they? I’m a perfectly well-behaved child, I do soccer, I’m in the Navy cadets where we learn discipline, I am in extension classes at school for History, English, Maths and Science, and I work after school every night for two hours (earning about $8 every afternoon; I haven’t actually being paid yet but I’m to scared to ask). So how can I convince my stubborn parents to give me something for once in my life, other than the necessities, instead of just trying to teach me a lesson?

Hi jessanna11 –

I feel for you, but I think you’re asking the wrong question.  The issue here isn’t why you’re not getting a top-of-the-line phone, which is a super luxury, especially for someone your age.  Rather, it’s why you’re being treated unfairly, compared to the other kids at school, and even your own siblings.

I’m saying this to clarify the situation.  If your family was deeply impoverished, the idea of you getting a smartphone wouldn’t even come into anyone’s mind, but you’d care a lot about Continue reading

1 How to handle a younger sibling getting all the attention

Cookie Vidal asks: Hi I’m an 11-year-old and I have a 7-month-old brother and everyone gives him the attention that I want and I feel low at my house. I’m not like some people who, when they feel rejected, don’t play with their younger siblings. I just want people to at least know that I’m still alive. How do I let myself look visible?

Hi Cookie Vidal –

This is a very common problem, for lots of people (and dogs!).  You have a very specific situation, with a baby in the house.  But it can happen with older siblings, or even classmates.  So I first want to show you a piece I wrote for someone who was jealous of someone at school getting everyone’s attention all the time.  But then I’ll come back to your actual issue:

It sounds to me like you’re dealing with a very odd concept called Continue reading

0 What to do when a friend suddenly stops contacting you

prettyndsweet12 asks: My friend recently moved and I really miss her. She’s like a second mom to me. The only contact that I have with her now is through social network chatting. But I haven’t heard from her in the past three days, and I’m worried and sad because I really want her to text me back. What should I do?

Hi prettyndsweet12 –

Your question “rang a bell” in my mind, and I was sure I’d answered one like it recently.  Imagine my surprise when I found that I had – and it was to you!  So I know we’ve already talked about missing your friend.   I’m guessing that the really tough issue is what to do when you don’t hear from her.

Well, my friend, I relate!  Every day, Handsome leaves me locked up in our Continue reading

0 How to get kids to do start doing things on their own

Cookie Vidal asks: My brother always asks me to do something when he can do it himself, and I get frustrated. How do I approach it?

Hi Cookie Vidal –

Your situation reminds me of something I went through as a puppy.  When I was about six months old, Handsome took me to the veterinarian to have me spayed (the operation that makes a female dog not able to have puppies).  I had a lot of stitches in my abdomen, and had to walk carefully while it healed – but no one was able to tell me that in a way I could understand.

Right away, after we got home, I tried to jump up on the bed to take a nap.  Well as you can guess, I couldn’t jump very high, and the trying really hurt!  So Handsome lifted me up and put me on the bed.  Then, once I’d had a little nap, I jumped off the bed onto the Continue reading

0 What to do if someone gets a crush on you

789decision789 asks: What do you do as a teenage facilitator, when your student is madly in love with you?

Hi 789decision789 –

I’m going to assume that the student you describe is younger than you.  My answer would be the same even if they weren’t, but it sure makes it easier if they are.

Given that I am about as adorable a dog as has ever sniffed a tree, I face this problem all the time.  And while it’s nice to be lovable to the world, and it’s great to be really attractive to someone you’re interested in, it really puts you in a tough position when someone you don’t want any romance with (or legally/morally can’t have one with!) lets you know they’re completely smitten with you.

But the reason it’s tough is that you don’t want to Continue reading