Dog Speak

Sometimes I wish I understood dog language.

Not because I have a dog. I am somewhat allergic to most animals, and so I live pet free. My daughter's family, however, has four dogs--three chihuahuas and a pekingese mix. They are among the many dogs that live in our neighborhood.

Teddi, wearing a bit of frosting on her nose from a friend's
birthday cake.,

At almost any time, day or night, dogs can be heard. Sometimes it is a loud chorus of all the dogs who are outside. Sometimes it is just one or two. When my daughter's elderly peke mix, Teddi, goes outdoors and all is quiet, she will begin to bark. It is as though she is asking, "Who's out?" And when our next door neighbor's pugs are not out in their yard, Teddi will patrol the fence, barking as though to say, "Come out and play!" One of her favorite games is to run up and down her side of the wire fence, while the pugs run up and down on their side.

Two of the dogs that live on the other side of our house are outdoor dogs. They are always out. They bark a lot. Their enclosure is made of six-foot high board fence, which mean they are very limited as to what they can see. Therefore, they react to every sound. I think they must be barking because they want to know what is going on, or, because they can't see much, they are giving out warnings. Or, perhaps both. They are the dogs that so often are barking throughout the night. Sometimes they stir up dogs in backyards all up and down the alley.

With all the dog conversations going on around me, I'd like to know for sure what they are saying!