Someday in my future, I plan to have a black dog whose name is Betty. I want a black dog because they are among the last dogs to be adopted if they are adopted at all. It’s called Black Dog Syndrome and I will blog about that some other time. I will name her Betty just so I can sing Ram Jam’s Black Betty with her. Or him, I don’t think a boy dog will be upset with the name of Betty. But I certainly expect the dog to chime in during the “bam-ba-lam” part.

I sing to my dogs, and I use the word “sing” loosely, but the dogs like it. I think I started singing to Dudley that very first morning when he pawed at me to inform me it was morning and he was hungry. It was considerably earlier than I was used to getting up on a Sunday morning in my pre-dog days and that’s how our “early morning singing song” began where I substituted “Dudley” for “Starshine” when I sang Good Morning Starshine from the Broadway musical Hair. He loved it! Sometimes he’d jump up on the bed and get a belly rub, other times he’d dance around the floor harrumphing along trying to move it into the kitchen where he could have breakfast. When Zoe came, she got her own verse of Good Morning Starshine and sometimes I’d sing My “Zarona” to the tune of My Sharona, but we never made a habit of it.

I tend to sing along with what I hear on the radio or t.v. and insert their names for a little nonsensical fun. Currently, the most popular is “Hark how the Dudleys, sweet silver Dudleys all seem to say throw cares away .  . .” because we hear it about 5 times an hour. Do you sing to your pets? What’s your favorite song to sing to them?

I have not been able to get a picture in his Santa hat (he really hates it, so I’m not trying too hard) plus he doesn’t like the digital camera at all and tries to hide when he sees it, or at least move and flub the picture. He wasn’t wild about my tossing a string of lights over him either. But I managed to get a couple of snaps before I vacuumed and put the skirt around the tree.

I will not smile for the camera and I will walk away as soon as I can get up.

With the excitement of the holidays, make sure your pet gets the attention he needs and be careful where you put your holiday plants and gifts of food.  Check the cords to your lights and make sure Fido and Fluffy aren’t chewing the electrical cords. Shoeful of Drool wants everyone to have a happy and safe holiday!

“No one appreciates the very special genius of your conversation as the dog does.”~ Christopher Morley