What every child [and that man in emergency] should know about doggies.

In my intermittent quest to make this blog useful, I've decided to write this post today.

I came across this blog only recently. The lovely lady who owns the blog doesn't seem to comment much at all. But I fear I'm so enamoured of her work, I must remain her fan. By the way, she has no idea I'm writing this and I hope she has a sense of humour, as indicated by her drawings.

Her name is Lili and she has some of the best ever illustrations of dog behaviour I've seen. They're whimsical and rather cool. Perhaps more importantly, I think they're pretty accurate. [Full disclosure, as my American friends like to say : I'm speaking as a layperson. I've had dogs since I was 5, almost *gulp* 50 years, but have no formal education or knowledge of them.]

Below is some of Lili's work. This one is based on her own dog Boogie, who has one blue eye.

I'm sorry this is so tiny, but I had some issues finding the right size to upload. Click on the picture to enlarge.  Alternatively, for a 100% eyestrain-free size, CLICK HERE.

If you're a dogowner, you'll recognise the postures straight off and are probably having a giggle and awww moment.

If you're NOT a dog person, well then, the illustrations are even more for you. 

I live in a tiny suburb with one of the highest dog numbers in the city. Recognising doggie signals isn't just helpful, it's essential as we jostle for space on pavements and in parks.  

I can't count the number of times toddlers have toddled up to Rufus B Thumper, plump little fingers stretched out like tasty meat treats. I could understand why they did it. He was, after all, A Very Gorgeous Fluffy Bear Of A Dog.

But for the life of me, I could never understand why the adults let them do it. And why they got cross when I intervened.

Luckily for the toddlers [and me, The DogOwner Who Must Take Responsibility For The Stupidity Of Others and Rufus, The Dog Who Would Have Copped A Needle If Anything Bad Had Happened] - Mr Thumper was a gentle giant.

I've seen the same thing happen countless times with littledogs. For some strange reason, many people consider littledogs to be harmless though statistics often indicate otherwise.

Once, at a bus stop, I saw a man put his little chi's face right up into the face of a baby so he could say hi to the little doggie. He was just passing by and didn't even know the child. I don't know who was more startled. The dog, the baby or the baby's father. I think my heart just leapt out of my chest at that moment. Fortunately, the baby was not interested, the dog held its peace, and the man moved on.

Not so lucky was the man who bent down to pat an unknown doggie tied outside a pub one night and got his nose almost bitten off. How do I know this? I happened to be at the emergency hospital when he was brought in, bleeding like a stuck pig. I heard him say words to this effect, "But he was a friendly dog! He was wagging his tail!"

That man would no doubt have found these illustrations very useful.

In closing, and while I'm in my naggy fire and brimstone mood brought on by the passing of a gormless summer, why not check out Ms Tonk's helpful list of things we could all do as dogowners to make life better in the doggie community?

I think I might be breaking rule #8 here with this post. As for #6. Hmmm. I suspect Georgia might have something to say about that.

"Ahem. Excuse me Cushion but, are those MY brand new beef liver treats from South Australia you're handing out?"

P.S. If you liked the drawings, please go check out Boogie's blog where there are many more! Don't forget to say "Hi!" [politely as illustrated] to Lili.

As far as I know, she doesn't bite.

+++

More useful reading.

+  A short paper on dogs in society, from the Australian Companion Animal Council

Excerpt:

"Dog bites are often a human problem, associated with inappropriate selection of dogs, ignorance of dog care and management and inappropriate behaviour around dogs."

+  This might be a Wiki article, but I found it interesting.

Excerpt:

"Like humans, dogs that feel insecure may ultimately turn and defend themselves against perceived threat. It is common for people to not recognize signs of fear or insecurity, and to approach, triggering a defensive reaction. "

+  In case you're wondering what other useful posts I've written, here they are - 1, 2, 3. After only 2 years of blogging too! You can see I'm trying my very best.