Doggy Duties

If you've ever looked at your dog and thought, wow, your life is great, what I would give for my life to be that easy. Well, I believe we can learn from dogs, and I'm writing a blog, with my dog Daisy, to teach people how to make life that easy.

Actually I started this blog to sell my e-books Jackpot and The Band, but that has now turned into a side gig.

Post for post Daisy and I are tackling life's challenges and world problems.

This is Discussions With My Dog.

Dogs can be useful around the house helping-out with the daily chores. Although, sometimes assistance can be a bloody nuisance. I’ll give you an example.

Me “Looks like the grass needs cutting”

Daisy “OMG lawnmower day !!!”

Lawnmower day is super exciting in Daisy’s world and a chance to play one of her favourite games. When she was a puppy, she used to bark at the lawnmower and snap at the wheels. Now she’s older and wiser, she has found a better way to make gardening fun.

Lawnmower day starts with hauling the machine out of the shed and hoping it will start. Daisy circles the lawnmower in anticipation, then she will disappear because she has just remembered the most important accessory for lawn mowing. We need Ball.

Ball used to be a perfectly functional size 5 leather football. Nowadays he’s a sad and battered looking football who got punctured 5 minutes after Daisy discovered him in a hedge in the park. He resembles a bean bag that’s been left at the bottom of the garden all winter. Ball is no longer aerodynamic. Even with a hefty kick he won’t go more than 30 feet.

The lawnmower is up and running, and I’ve started my first strip. Daisy drops Ball in front of the lawnmower. I stop mowing, carefully holding the automatic cut off lever, edge round the side until I can stretch a foot far enough to kick Ball. Just before I’m inside kicking range Daisy grabs Ball and retreats two paces.

Daisy “Ha, that fooled you”.

I haven’t figured out why, but this is an essential part of the game.

After a while I ignore Daisy and Ball and focus on mowing straight strips. Daisy moves to phase two, leaving the ball, directly in front of the lawnmower to be kicked. I pause to kick Ball. Daisy hares off after Ball and deposits it back in the path of the lawnmower. Daisy is very efficient and can return Ball about twice per strip.

At some point Daisy will inform me “Dad, I dropped Ball in the swimming pool. You need to stop mowing and rescue Ball”. Now I have to break off completely.

Lawn mowing is tiring, we have a tea break.

Daisy” “OMG, you have biscuits. Biscuits on lawn mowing day, it must be Christmas and my birthday. Can I have a biscuit?”

Me “OK, you can have half”.

Daisy swallows the biscuit. I doubt it even touches the sides. “Hurry up and finish your tea, don’t you realise we have a lawn to mow”.

That’s why it takes me twice as long to mow the lawn as my neighbour.

Alastair and Daisy