Friends

 OK.. this blog started off rough. I said once a week I would update you. I lied.  My birthday passed (I turned 6 in human years),  friend Albie's birthday past, my little people birthdays past... and weeks past.  But... that squirrel that tries to pass (t).. through my territory, and then to the bird feeders, fill its pouches, and heads back to the shed up the hill?!  What is it thinking?! That squirrel is dumb and has a hard time getting past the perimeter of my property. He may be quite fast, but escape can only last so long till you get caught... He often lands up under our cottage, which you can imagine is VERY difficult for me to accept.

So, how did this blog idea start after all?  When a friend of my person said in response to my persons disdain for Facebook "Is it possible to befriend a dog on line? To all the sniffers that are denied their rights to Facebook friendship. Having a good portion of your sensory input coming through your nose must limit your ability to have an exclusive "electronic friend". Maybe some technology will spring up that allows an olfactory function just for you dogs and bears and Ardvarks or elephants who want to be part of the Facebook pandemic. Imagine a USB plug and play with a scent transmitter-receiver where sniffers, and wanna be sniffers can join humans in their virtual world and bring a new fragrance to offices, schools, homes and labs (no pun intended). The possibilities are endless. "  I found his insight into Facebook exceptionally good for a human. It really points to the ridiculous fleeting and potentially superficial nature of it all. And us dogs, nothing is superficial. We know. We smell. We are sensitive on many levels. But we will play the game if we have to to get what we ultimately need. We are... also very good at manipulating our persons in thinking we are cute and attentive. But deep down, some of us have cat like instincts. We are independent. Just better at getting what we need than cats.

So talking about friends.  I often think like Winnie the Pooh.. -->

“I wonder what Piglet is doing," thought Pooh.
"I wish I were there to be doing it, too.” --A. A. Milne

 

Here is a list of some of my friends:
Barkley, Albie, Bramble, Mike, Monkey Mook, Alex, Nika, Tobin, Frank, Felix, Sergio and Sophia, Sara, Francis, Auntie Andrea and Uncle Bill, Charlotte, Doug and Patty, Rocket, Stan, Kristen.

Barkley is my hiking buddy, and I am secretly totally in love with him. He has no idea how good looking he is- in personality and looks! But he is younger than me, so I need to pretend he isnt that special. But he IS! Also, I believe he is an exceptional good writer, so maybe we will co-author a book some time. Albie, I met when he was a puppy, and I still need to boss him around.  His people are my aunt Andrea and uncle Bill. My person wouldn't have me if it wasn't for them. So that's very special, and they are very good people.  Bramble is my best girl dog friend. She too is an artist and Leonberger. Mike gives me apple cores and lets me hang out in his office. He has a gentle Leonberger soul (I think he was one in some other life).   It drives me crazy when I know he is in his office and I cannot get in.
Alex has red hair like me, and takes care of me sometimes when my person is traveling. He is trying to finish his thesis. I think I can help some. Just look at your data! Nika is one of my new friends in Mosier. So is Monkey Mook. My person doesn't understand why I won't go up the hill anymore. DUH! Its not the poison oak! I want to see if I cannot some how bump into those cute buddies of mine! Tobin is the Man. He is THE MAN. That's all I can say. He was when I was a pup, and he remains... now, 'the man'. His people will visit me in France in October.  Too bad, he cannot come too.  Frank and Felix let me sleep on their couch. They are from Montana, so, really laid back and hyper in one bundle. Sergio and Sophia are my jack russel buddies. Sergio and I are the same age and played a lot as puppies.They have some ballet and Italian heritage, I don't fully understand. But I love them anyway. And Sebastian is a hyper Boston terrier. And he is so in love with me it is sort of annoying.   But our people think it so cute and funny, I try to tolerate the attention. Oh my!

I haven't seen some of my favorite little people friends since late November, but luckily they have Harvey and Nova. Harvey... I must tell you, is .. well, amazing. He doesn't really like me much, but what a dedicated dog. He hates cold and swimming, and would have swam till he drowned, just to be with his little people. Nova is also amazing. Unlike prissy me... he is quite OK being totally abused, have his little people sit on his back .. and all that.  I miss my little people.   The one would always randomly reach out to me, and give me a hug and have this amazing huge smile when I licked his face.  In time I will see him again.  I did see one of my little people friends the other day. Otto, my friend who died, was that little person's dog. But now she has the sweetest miniature Australian Shepherd, called Daisy. Daisy is lucky to be with her new people and they with her.

So our lab is also researching the nature of friendship. Whether its a parasitic association- I don't think ticks are friends!, or whether its a mutual but obligate friendship- well, like my person and I. We must co-exist. I tolerate short times when she has to be gone, but it is always a struggle.  We are studying this, using a very unusual microbe that belongs to a group of organisms called the Nanoarchaeota. Recently, our collaborator was able to sequence the genome of a single cell of a new member of the Nanoarchaeota from Yellowstone National Park. Check it out here:
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Podar et al., 2013. Biology Direct 2013, 8:9