Study Tips for Teenagers

CaNdAcE asks: Do you have any school tips for teenagers?

Hi CaNdAcE –

School?  Me?!  I only had one school experience, which involved working very hard to stay focused on sitting and heeling when I was much more interested in the smells of the other eight dogs in the room.  The main tip I remember from that school was to keep reminding myself that Handsome had a bag of treats in his pocket, and so was way more worthy of my attention than those pooches.

But is there anything I can offer to teenagers?  People who’ve already been in school five years or more?  Not much – except that maybe teens can have Continue reading

1 How to find a friend

Thesun asks: I need a friend. Where can I find them?

Hi Thesun –

 

What a great great question.  We need all the friends we can get.  So it’s terribly important to find them, and definitely good ones!

 

So here are a few suggestions:

 

1)    Many people are embarrassed to admit they need a friend, or that they don’t have enough.  So your bravery in asking your question is already a great sign.  The truth is MOST people are looking for new Continue reading

What is Science

dogs asks: What is Science?

Hi Dogs!

 

Funny, when I first saw your question, I thought it was a joke.  I mean, everyone knows what Science is, right?  But then I tried to come up with a definition — and it’s really hard, isn’t it!

 

The Merriam-Webster website defines it as:

 

1: the state of knowing : knowledge as distinguished from  Continue reading

2 How to deal with parents fighting

Chupa Chup asks: I am 11 years old. My 7 year old sister told me that my mum and dad were fighting one night because both of them wanted the phone, and my mum got the phone and accidently banged it into the side of my dad’s head and my dad got knocked out, and my mum went to jail to explain what happened to the police officers because my dad was in the hospital. When my sister told me this, I burst into tears. I have been really stressed lately because of this, and because I had a huge fight with my friends (who are not my friends anymore because they’re always mean to me and they always speak over me when I try to say something). I just need to be in a quiet place where I can scream as loud as I want to, sort of like heaven.

Hi Chupa Chup –

 

Wow, you are going through a really really rough time.  It is totally normal that, after hearing what you heard about your parents, you would feel very alone and friendless.  There’s a really good chance your friends aren’t being terrible, but just don’t know how to respond to what you’re going through.  But either way, this stuff you’re experiencing is just awful.

 

If you’ve looked around this website much, you’ll have seen that I often give advice to my Pack friends, but then suggest that they might want to talk to a therapist or counselor about what they’re dealing with.  For you, Chupa Chup, I’m insisting:  you need to Continue reading

The Correct Age for First Boyfriend and Girlfriend

Courtney asks: At what age should you have a boyfriend?

Ah, Courtney, this is a very dicey question!  There are two terms that must be defined here – “Age” and “Boyfriend.”

 

Now I had my first boyfriend when I was about six months old.  I met Kuma at the dog park, and we fell madly in love and would beat the living daylights out of each other every chance we got.  But of course a six-month-old puppy is very different in maturity from a six-month-old human!  If Kuma had done to a baby what he did to me, the police would have Continue reading

1 How to deal with Panic Attacks and Anxiety

Sridevi asks: I am not sure if I have OCD. Sometimes I get really scary thoughts, or pictures in my mind, like that I’m harming someone. It causes me great pain and anxiety. I once had a panic attack for about five seconds – then I listened to some soothing music and felt okay. I do not have any compulsions, though; I don’t do any repeated tasks. I am so confused! Please help!

Hi Sridevi –

 

Well it definitely sounds like you don’t have OCD.  The “C” of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is “Compulsive,” and you don’t have that.  It also doesn’t really sound like you’re terribly obsessive either.

 

But it sounds like you’re absolutely right when you say that you have a lot of Continue reading

1 Should a 14-year-old girl date a 17-year-old boy.

afrakoma prisca asks: I am a girl of 14 years (I turn 15 in October), and I have a date with a 17-year-old. Because people are jealous of us, they always want a separation between us, so they always report me to my mother and also lie. What should I do? Should I leave that person or continue with him?

Hi afrakoma prisca:

I’m sorry you’re going through such a tough experience.  There are a few issues here that I think are really important.

First, three years is a long time when you’re 14.  So this boy is a lot older than you.  Now when you’re 24 and he’s 27, that’ll feel totally normal.  But for right now, I’m not going to say you shouldn’t see him, but it’s awfully important that you make sure that he Continue reading

3 Natural Beauty Tips for Teenagers

CaNdAcE asks: Do you have any ‘natural’ beauty tips for teenagers?

Hi CaNdAcE –

 

I’m so glad you asked me about natural beauty tips.  Because I have to be honest with you – as a dog, I don’t know anything about the artificial ones.  I know some dogs do – Poodles with their curls all coifed into fancy balls, Malteses with ribbons in their fancy-cut hair.  That is not me!  I mean, I can’t even stand it if the shampoo Handsome uses when he bathes me has any scent to it – this is NOT ME AT ALL!

 

Now of course there are things that I think make me beautiful, like rolling in certain substances that Handsome isn’t very happy with (Have you ever walked behind a Continue reading

How do we know Shirelle is a real dog?

Kevphia asks: If you are a dog, tell me what is the best thing you like to do. I’m not stupid — dogs can’t type! Send me proof that you are a dog!

Hi Kevphia –

 

I wrote a poem for you

 

How common are these current trends

Where doubt about us swarms:

Obama had to get his state

To release official birth forms.

And here you question me today

On whether I’m canine

And orange and white with floppy ears

And a very thin waistline.

 

So what can this pooch say to you

To make you to believe

If I sent you photos of me typing

You might think that’s naïve!

“But she just used her Photoshop

To make that pic!” you’d scream.

Yes, anything I’d give to you

Would seem just a cheesy scheme.

 

The fact is, dear, I simply can’t.

I can’t prove what I am.

All I can do is tell you that

My heart is not a sham.

I truly care about my Pack

I’m so glad you signed up.

And over time I hope to become

Just about your favorite pup!

 

Thanks!

Shirelle

 

Can anyone become an actor?

Aiahbel asks: Is there any acting job suitable for me?

Hi Aiahbel –

 

Well I’m not a casting agent (I’m a dog), but from what I see of the stuff on television Handsome likes to watch, I think the answer is Absolutely (but you need to learn to act first!).

 

I don’t know that there’s any sort of person who can’t get an acting job.  Sure, most people you see on TV kind of look alike – all the tall blonde thin women and the tall guys with the jutting chins and such – but then I see fun movies like “Hairspray” and “The Wizard of Oz” and the Harry Potter stories, and I stop worrying about that.

 

The big deal, though, is that you have to be able to really act.  Sure, not every performer who gets popular is a brilliant technical actor – but even the lesser ones, who maybe made it on their looks, are still good enough.  So Aiahbel, I’d suggest that, if you’re still in school, you try to get into a school play.  Or take an acting class.  Or even just put together some friends and make a fun video.

 

It’s one thing I’ve heard a lot about actors:  The best ones got acting jobs because they loved acting, and if they couldn’t get the jobs, they’d just act for free.  So have the fun first, and see if it’s what you really want to do.  And if it is – then get out there and make yourself a star, and when the magazines all ask you who encouraged you to make it, you just tell them “I knew the coolest dog!”

 

Good Luck!

Shirelle

 

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