I am not a witch. I’m a cute dog! I just dressed as a witch for Halloween.
Halloween scares me a little for one big reason.
Though I love the treats I get—an extra rawhide that’s vet-recommended—I don’t like the tricks part of it.
My BFF Shelley likes to dress me up for three reasons: sometimes on Halloween, always on Christmas and whenever it’s cold and we’re outside or on a walk. I’ve been a witch, a mechanic with a pink bandana and a school girl with a tan skirt and white cable knit sweater. And at Christmas, I have to wear my green T-shirt with an image of Santa with one of his reindeer.
But I don’t like it. When I was little, I’d squirm right out of my clothes, or bunch them up, or get my little paw caught in one of the arms. Now that I’m older, I just put up with it.
I’ve done some research and found that dressing up dogs in over-the-top costumes is usually for the pet owners’ benefit and not for the sake of the pet. It’s OK to dress us up to be warm but not if the costume physically restricts our movements or causes discomfort. Shelley puts me in a warm jacket or sweater if it’s cold out, and I like it well enough after I get used to the extra layer and understand I can still walk.
But when large sections of our bodies are covered by material, it’s hard for us to communicate with other dogs, particularly because body language is one of our major methods for expressing ourselves. Granted, I really don’t like other dogs unless they’re smaller than me, though I do like cats. Still, I need to get my message across.
Some dogs become scared or confused when they are dressed up, and some won’t express themselves. Things on our heads, like hats and hoods, can be particularly disturbing, because they’re in the way and we’re not used to them.
Anyway, here are some photos of me in costume, but as you can see, I don’t look that excited. I’d rather have a treat and no tricks and silly costumes.
I’m not very happy in my witch’s hat. My BFF Shelley took a photo and took if off of me, thank goodness!
I am dressed as a mechanic. This costume isn’t as bad because it doesn’t have a hat!
Why am I wearing a silly bow that matches my silly shirt?
I’m opening my Christmas presents. I’m wearing my Christmas shirt!
I am a very talented and cute dachshund named Zoey.
Nearly every week in 2016, I “sat” at the laptop (I’m a lapdog, too!) and wrote a blog about … well, mainly about me.
It’s because I like to “shake” things up as I “roll” with the flow.
Am I funny? I can do tricks and write my trick words into my post.
I’ve been blogging since 2011 about my life as a cute dachshund, sharing stories and photos to demonstrate the fact.
Being both a dog blogger and a canine poet able to write poems from a dog’s perspective.
Understanding dog behavior and what dogs need and want from their owners. I wrote about how pet owners—I call mine my BFF—need to let us know how much we mean to them, pay attention to us (like all of the time) and give us lots of treats (even healthy ones).
Realizing the elements of responsible pet ownership, like giving us healthy food without too many unhealthy table scraps, avoiding giving us chocolate and onions, and taking us on regular walks.
And, most importantly, telling really interesting stories from my own life.
I also wrote about cats, even though most of them don’t like me too much. I like cats, birds, geese and anything else in the animal kingdom, but not dogs, at least those larger than me. I bark at them, and they look at me as if I’m silly, so I bark again, while also wiggling my tail. They then ignore me.
I don’t like it, so I’ve concluded that cats are safer; they’re not keen on dogs, and I can just pretend they are.
In 2017, I may take a small break from blogging as my BFF and I figure out our blogging goals for the year. Like her, I’m not getting very many Likes, which I don’t understand, because I’m totally cute and fun and the best dog ever!