education: Prelude to a Lick

Not an everyday outfit; it's a Brazilian futebol shirt and shorts that Phoebe thought would be fly on Chet, the doggie Pele. He planted his feet and refused to move until he was de-costumed.

Chet Baker had the most marvelous time at the New River Birding and Nature Festival last week. It was his third New River appearance. He was meeter/greeter at Opossum Creek Retreat and he dove into his role. He also took it upon himself to discipline and corral four golden retriever x beagle pups who showed up at Opossum Creek needing food and love. Offisa Pupp rounded them up time and again, then came back to his real job, which is kissing people and sitting on their laps allowing them to massage him. Chet is truly wonderful in a crowd. His love gets spread around enough so that no one person ever gets overwhelmed. But when there's only one guest, he can take the greeting ritual a bit too far.

We’re working on helping Chet Baker be more polite to newly arrived guests, but that sudden spring-loaded French kiss of his is proving hard to quell. He can launch himself from a sitting start straight up in the air four feet and get his tongue waaay into a visitor’s aghast mouth faster than you can say AGGH! Guests settle into two groups: those who like it and laugh uproariously, getting down on their haunches to facilitate the orgy of kisses; and those who make spluttering noises and wipe their mouths with the back of their hands while making an awful tragic-comic face. Kissing is something that Boston terriers do, and they like to kiss right on the lips. Sometimes I wonder if the breed is being actively selected for this trait; they are so devoted to it. Kissing is to Bostons as tolling ducks is to the Duck-tolling Retriever. This behavior is proving intractable doubtless because the kids and I love Chet kisses and ask for them, so how can we help him understand that guests might not?

I will kiss you

And kiss you again.

You may feel free to give advice on this vice of his, as long as you don’t suggest I start clicker training or take him to obedience school, because I’m too lazy for both those things and I pretty much adore him just the way he is. I figure there ought to be a way to switch him to polite mode, but the natural enthusiasm of a Boston terrier for lusty greetings is a force of nature right up there with those geysers that spurt up out of Yellowstone Park every hour on the hour. Ol’ Irrepressible.

While speaking to the Toledo Naturalists’ Association this winter, I had the pleasure of staying with my friend Diane, an insanely smart, capable woman who is looking to launch a new career having something to do with one or both of her twin passions: nature and healthy food. She’s willing to relocate and ready to rock. She’s open to collaboration, has a big dollop of entrepreneurial spirit, and I put this out into the universe because I would like to help her find her joy, and also because she was such a gracious hostess and model for the following little Chetshoot. Leave me a comment at juliezickefoosedotcom if you have ideas for Diane.

Oh, Mether, I hate good-byes. Diane has been so good to us and now we have to go home. I think you are mean to make me leave. She has bunnehs in her backyard who do not yet know how to outsmart me, Chet Baker.