0 My Top 10 of 2012! – things I’m grateful for today

My Top 10 of 2012! – things i’m grateful for today

Wow has this year flown by!  It feels like weeks ago that I gave Handsome a big lick at midnight to start 2012 right.

It’s certainly been a tough one for lots of us.  From wars to attacks to the continuing lousy worldwide economy, to horrible – even fatal – weather, 2012 has tested a lot of people’s and dogs’ patience.  But I’m optimistic about 2013.

Why?  Well, because I think we’ve learned a lot this year that can help us do better, because I believe the economy’s on the upswing, and because, well, I’m just that sort of cheerful mutt!

But also because so many things this year were wonderful.  Here are ten that I’m especially thankful for:

–      Water.  Sounds boring, I know.  What’s simpler or blander than water?  But you might have heard an old song that says, “You don’t miss your water till your well runs dry?”  I’m very active, and so pant a lot, and need to drink a lot.  So I’m grateful for water every time I find any.  And, as clean water gets harder to find, there’s no question, humans need to start caring for this most precious of resources better.  But for now, I just want to bid it a friendly nod of thanks!

–      Babies.  Another very normal thing – but aren’t they absolutely amazing?!  Just through luck, I’ve had a few new ones born around me recently, and I am always intrigued by their amazing minds, their deep souls… and, yes, the fascinating smells of their diapers!  I never met a baby I didn’t like, and I’m cheering babies everywhere, but I will take this opportunity to say a special hello to my pals Hazel, Sam, Avery, Chiara, and Judson!  Welcome to my crazy world!!!

–      The Black Keys.  I tend to like quieter music in general – the noisy stuff hurts my ears.  But I’m also a puppy at heart, and really fun jumpy tunes with a great beat do get my heart racing!  If you haven’t heard this band, or their SOOOOOO FUN album El Camino, you’re missing out!  Plus it’s so fun to howl along with the chorus of “Lonely Boy,” Oh-OH-Oh-Ohhhhhh!!!

–      Red Flags.  Last year, one of my top ten faves was about good friends sticking around and bad friends leaving.  On a similar note, I want to thank “Red Flags” this year.  That’s a term for when somebody does something that reveals to you that they’re not quite as trustworthy as you had hoped.  Like if you’re on a date with a boy who seems a total sweetheart and super-sensitive and caring, and he kicks a puppy and laughs about it.  Probably not the boy to stay with, right?!  Or that girl who’s everything you’ve ever wanted, but suddenly calls you a liar and a cheat because your cousin texted you ‘hello!’  Be Thankful for these moments!  They save us from such hurt and heartbreak later on, and leave you open for possibilities of…!

–      Paperman.  Speaking of romance, I don’t see new movies very often (it’s hard for Handsome to sneak me in to the theater), but last week I saw the most romantic, beautiful, touching love story I’ve seen in years!  And it’s maybe ten minutes long!  It’s a short, almost silent, cartoon film called “Paperman,” that shows before Wreck-It Ralph, which I’m sure you’ve all heard of by now.  And it’s sad and sweet and joyous, and all about the magic that can be created when someone refuses to give up on their quest for love.  Which is something any dog – especially any who’s ever been a stray – knows a lot about!  Love This!

–      The U.S. Election.  This is a tough one to include.  We all got SO BORED with the endlessness of this contest, with all the insults and lies and half-truths, and of course the incredible waste of money that went into it – money that could have done so many good things for the world.  But I still have to say, I liked that the main participants came off as smart (not always the case), that some real issues did get honestly debated, and that the results bode well for a future where more people will be respected, regardless of their race, gender, orientation, or religion.  But maybe the best thing about this election… is that it’s OVER!

–      Gluten-Free Pizza!  Last year I listed Pizza first among things I was grateful for.  But so many people have allergies to wheat flour that I have often found my human refusing to order it (and pizza is one of those things we dogs need you to do – it’s impossible for us to make; the toenails get in the way of our tossing the crusts, you know!).  Thank Goodness for the growing trend of Gluten-Free foods, so those people can enjoy the same dishes as others… and so they can get pizzas they’ll share with ME!!!!

–      Insects!  Everybody out there complains about bugs, how they get into food and bite and spread disease and such.  Well, I hate fleas and ticks as much as anyone, but I think our littlest companions deserve a bit of gratitude too.  Without them, life as we know it would end in minutes.  We need them in so many more ways than we know, and if we sit back and observe them, they have so many lessons to teach us – bees with their code of honor, ants with their mutual support.  I’m not telling you that you can’t bite a flea that’s biting you – I certainly do! – but when these fellas are leaving us alone, they’re worth a note of thanks.

–      YOU!  No surprise with this one!  I work hard, but it’s YOU who’ve made this site what it is.  The thousands of Pack Members, the tens of thousands of visitors, all of you who send questions in, and all who write back to tell me how my thoughts worked out… or just to say hi!  You are just the best bunch of friends a pup ever had!

But you know, up till now, I’ve been able to tell you that, but never to show it. But only up till now!  Because, through the magic of my wonderful friends Sherice and Martin…

–      Now you can REALLY Scratch My Ears!  You might have noticed that, on the right side of every page of AskShirelle.com, there’s a place that says “Scratch My Ears.”  And when you’ve clicked it, I’ve loved it and said ‘thanks,’ but now you get to SEE how much I love it!  Go for it. Ear scratches are one of those special things that you can never get enough of in life!  (Like Gluten-Free Pizza!!!)

So those are what I came up with off the top of my fuzzy head today.  What are YOU feeling grateful for?  (Or perhaps, not so grateful for?!!)

Have a great month and I’ll be in touch soon!

Shirelle

2 How to handle friends who show affection through insults

teenunchained asks: My friends are really cool and I love them so much, and it makes my dad happy cause he doesn’t think I’m antisocial anymore. But, my BFF’s show “love” by being mean and calling names. Bad things. I can’t eat without being self-conscious. I cry almost everyday. I want to be their friend because that’s how they are “loving” but it still isn’t nice, what should I do?

Hi teenunchained –

You’ll probably have noticed that not all dogs are alike.  Even though all us pooches want to be loved, some will run up and jump on you and cover you with kisses, some will stand there and wait for you to pet them, some will shy away in fear that you’ll hurt them, and some will see you as a threat and bark or even bite at you.

Similarly, although all people deep-down want friends, they’ll show and receive friendship in very different ways.  Some people show affection through complimenting each other a lot, some show it by relaxing with each other and not acting on any need to say anything, and others do it by trading humorous insults.  No one is correct, or better than the others; it’s just that different people are Continue reading

0 Why do some children start talking later than others?

Katiekazoo asks: I have three cousins. They are 2-4 years old, and can’t communicate with other people. For example, they can’t say “Auntie I’m hungry!” It worries me. Can you help?

Hi Katiekazoo –

There are a lot of possible answers to your question, but the main one that hits me is – are all three of them siblings in the same family?  You see, children who are learning to speak at approximately the same time often develop a language among themselves which only they can understand.

It’s not that they’re trying to exclude others.  It’s just that as they try to learn to speak with the adults, they’re ‘mislearning’ so many words that they’re the only ones who understand each Continue reading

0 What are good breakfast foods?

sega asks: What are some of the best easy breakfast options?

Hi sega –

I don’t know if you’ve ever heard the term “the dog’s breakfast,” but I’m assuming that isn’t what you’re asking for!  (it means vomit!)

Well of course, I primarily love leftovers of whatever Handsome had for dinner the night before.  It’s always great, it’s very easy for him to prepare (just pull it out of the refrigerator and put it in my bowl), and I’ve always been craving it ever since he got home!

But you’re probably after something more usual.  Well, as good as they taste, my sense of nutrition tells me that starting the day with Continue reading

0 What to do when your girlfriend doesn’t want sex

jaatt asks: I am very shy. I want to have sex with my girlfriend, but she doesn’t like sex. So please tell me how I can force her into happy sex.

Hi jaatt –

Okay, let’s start with one simple statement, that means a GIGANTIC amount:  You should not, EVER, force anyone into sex.

I realize that lots of my Pack members aren’t that great with English, and so you might not have meant your question the way it came out.  But that’s really the point about this issue: you need to be extra-super-careful to make sure of two things:  first, that you never make someone feel like they’re being forced into sex; and second, that you never let anyone misinterpret that you have Continue reading

0 How to treat PTSD?

sazuna45 asks: My cousin is almost sixteen, and she’s had PTSD since she was thirteen. Now there are many reasons behind PTSD, but everything has been cut out, except for sexual abuse. She says there’s a high chance she’s been sexually abused (not raped, luckily). She says she doesn’t remember the full incident, just bits. She’s generally happy now, not knowing and moving on and all. But there are still hard times and her PTSD is getting worse. There’s no way to cure PTSD, as everyone says but it can get better. Right? Can you please suggest something that’ll make her PTSD get better?

Hi sazuna45 –

PTSD is a term that gets thrown around a lot these days.  People tend to think of it as a bad reaction to something bad that happened to them.  Actually, it’s pretty specific, and pretty awful.  The letters stand for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.  It is a psychological condition brought on by something so traumatic as to be either life-threatening, or – and this is important – “a threat to the physical integrity of oneself or others.”  So while lots of us can suffer the effects of something scaring us (“Paranormal Activity” anyone?!  Or that night I had a nightmare that I was attacked by a gang of Siamese Continue reading

3 Why would a well-cared-for teenager act out?

Nunu asks: We are a family of five. This is my and my husband’s second marriage each. We have a six-year-old daughter, and my husband has two daughters with his first wife. The eldest, 17, lives with her Mom. The youngest, 15, lives with us. The problem that we have is that the 15-year-old spreads lies and steals, which is why she came to live with us. We do not have any financial problems, so the girls get all they need and more. We are very loving parents, always involved with the children, and give them a lot of attention. Lately the 15-year-old has started lying about been emotionally abused and hit at home, as she did when she lived with her mom. She has also begun stealing from us (little things like money, jewelry, and makeup, etc.). We have grounded her countless times and taken her cellphone and laptop away for punishment. We have spoken to her and asked the reasons why she does these things and her answer is always “I don’t know.” She talks back, shouts at everyone, does not do her homework or assignments for school, and gets physically abusive towards our 6-year-old. Please help – we are at our wits’ end with her.

Hi Nunu –

There are so many possible reasons for her behavior that I’m hesitant to even guess what’s going on.  But here are a few possibilities:

1)    Even though you have been an attentive and caring set of parents, middle children almost always feel ignored and alienated in their families (largely because they never got as much attention as the other kids did in their early life).  Lying and stealing can be ways of trying to take power in an environment where they don’t feel any.

2)    Maybe not all her statements are complete Continue reading

0 How to handle a midlife crisis

totogal asks: I know dogs don’t go much through what we humans know as midlife crisis, but boy, I sure am going through something- I’ve never been this unsure about what to do about anything. Applied and interviewed for a bunch of jobs that I’m not even sure now that I want, all of which involve moving, but then I think that’s a mistake because I’ll miss my friends here. sigh My cat seems to be happy wherever I am…or even just looking out the window at the people walking on the street below (he’s doing that now)… any advice??? (Don’t suggest improv…I already tried that and totally suck at it!!!!)

Hi totogal –

Midlife crises are TOUGH!

For those readers who don’t know about them, when humans hit a certain age – usually between 40 and 50 – they often find themselves wanting to change their lives in a major way.  Their job either hasn’t gone well enough, or hasn’t fulfilled them enough, and they want to change it.  Or maybe they want to move to a new place, or change their relationship status in some way.  But they don’t know what to do about that feeling!  Basically, it’s like they’re teenagers all over again, and just as Continue reading

0 How to get great legs

tin asks: How can I get gorgeous legs?

Hi tin –

I take it from your question that you’ve looked at my picture, and want to get fantastic legs like mine!  Oh I agree, in full modesty, they are splendid!  They’re strong and fast and can make me jump really high!  Everything I want in them!

But you, sadly, are a human, and can never have quite the legs I do.  I mean, you’ve got calves with some Continue reading

0 Why is my child so difficult in the morning?

Jupica asks: My kid is 3 years old, and she does a big show in the morning, because she won’t clean her mouth or brush her teeth. She cries and screams a lot, making a big noise. That takes sometimes half hour, and we are almost always late to school. Do you have any nice and easy idea that works in my case?

Hi Jupica –

I have two thoughts, which are completely different from each other.  One is really common and should be fixable pretty easily; and the other is rarer, and really important to get to work on if that’s the case.

My first thought is – you have a 3-year-old who’s going to school.  That’s pretty young, and she might well just hate going there and feeling abandoned by you (even if she actually has a good time once she’s Continue reading