The wearing of the green. A show of solidarity from Jack the Scottie.

A service announcement from Jack.

The end of Agility Class.

Life with Jack and Spec — always interesting.

Agility safety according to Jack: “First, check out the new jump. Then, jump it.”

Welcome home!

The Eternal Argument: Chili or Wings?

Jack — present at Groundhog Day

Jack and I are taking a Level 1 Obedience class at the Nashville Dog Training Club. We are halfway through the class of eight weeks. There are about 10 people and their dogs taking the class. Jack loves the experience -- so many sights and sounds and smells, so many new things. He's a bit crazed by all the distractions. And I'm a bit crazed by being new at this dog-handling task. THE TASK Here's the deal. The class is to teach me . I'm supposed to get and keep Jack's attentio

Jack took up some new hobbies this summer. The one he's enjoying the most is reading. He's working his way through all the greatest dog books. Charlie the Ranch Dog Balto Walter the Farting Dog Racing in the Rain: My Life as a Dog Because of Winn Dixie The Clifford Series Where the Red Fern Grows Jack tried to get Spec interested in reading, but it didn't turn out so well. Spec just ended up chewing up a Common English Bible . He didn't really understand the concept of

Jack's friend, Tracy, called early this week to say that she had a job for Jack. Tracy needed help with Sammy the maltipoo puppy who was coming over for a few days. She needed someone (like Jack) -- to keep Sammy entertained. (Awwww, Jack ... we remember when you were just a tiny puppy, and now you've got your first job.) So Jack's been at Tracy's helping with Sammy. When we went to pick him up today, we observed his work for a while. (He's very good at this babysitting stuff

Jack does not like windy days. There are strange noises. Leaves start chasing you down the street for no good reason. And Very Scary Things  show up where they are not supposed to be. Like Big Scary Boxes . And Branches . And Trash Containers on Their Sides . When Jack starts out on his walks, he surveys the street to be sure that everything is ok. If something is out of place, he goes into his "I'm Alert" pose -- like in the photo above. On this particular morning, there was

I recently went out of town on a trip, so Jack (and Spec) got to go to Tracy's house for a week. Her house is much more fun than his at home. Tracy works with dogs. Here are a few of Tracy's notes about Jack's week at dog camp: Tuesday, May 24 Jack rode really well in my car -- maybe because Spec was in it. Jack didn't want to get in the car, though. He didn't even want his leash on to leave the house. Mike (the handyman) was here when we got here and Jack jumped all over him