Monday, June 20, 2011

A sample from Bandit's book: Your name is not "No"

Mommy and I are working on my book and I thought you might like to read what I wrote today. Mommy hasn't done her part yet. The book will have a little part that says "Mommy Speaks" and she will write something for people in there. Mommy needs to catch up.

But here is what I wrote so far on my first chapter. It is called a ruff draft. That means that it will get changed around a lot. I hope you like it.

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Chapter One: Your Name Is Not "No"
by Bandit

Now that you are a puppy with a people family, you are probably going to get a new name. Hopefully, you will get a good name, like Scout or Bandit or Bailey. Or even something classic like Rover or Fido.

If your new family lets their pet children pick out your name, you could be in trouble. Some dogs have gotten stuck with names like Sparkly Golden Keychain or Lola Grocery or Tree Tree. Those are definitely not good dog names. How can you defend your home if your name is Sparkly Golden Keychain? A burglar will just laugh at you while he stuffs your TV into a pillow case.

Actually, it doesn’t really matter what your official name is. Your people are going to call you lots of different names, and you are going to be expected to answer to them all.

My regular name is Bandit. But I have other names, too. Sometimes Mommy calls me Senor Fluffybutt. That is because I am a boy dog and I have a very fluffy butt. She also calls me Puppy 2. Scout is Puppy 1, and Bailey is Puppy 3. When we are coming into the house, sometimes she will have us count off as we come in. Puppy 1! Puppy 2! Puppy 3! Usually, it is just Puppy 1 and Puppy 3, because I am bad and don’t come in the house when Mommy calls. But that’s a different chapter. I also answer to Dammit Bandit.

Bailey is also Baileyrina, HereBales, and NO KITTY! Scout is pretty much just Scout. Mostly because he pays attention to Mommy all the time. But we all know our real names: Bandit, Bailey and Scout.

If your people are smart people, they will teach you your regular name first. They will call your name and whenever you look in their direction, they will give you a treat. A nice treat. Like some hot dog. Pretty soon you will know which name you are supposed to pay attention to.

This is important, especially if you live with other pets, like dogs or cats or children. If your Mommy says, “Susie, get in the car” and you come running, you will be very disappointed when you get to the front door and find out that your name is not Susie and you are not getting in the car.

But if your Mommy says, “Bandit, come!” and you know that Bandit is your name, you will also know that you should stop whatever you are doing and run to your Mommy, because she called your name and probably has a big surprise waiting for you.

I don’t know why people use so many names. Us dogs just use smells. Our front ends tell our first name, and our butts tell our last name. We just sniff each other all over and we know all we need to know about each other. I will tell you all about dog smells in another chapter.

When you are a puppy, you are mostly going to hear the name No. No Rover! No kitty Rover! No shoes Rover! NOOOOOO ROVER!!!

Just so you know, No is not your name. That is your Mommy’s way of telling you to stop what you are doing right now. That is one example of how people do not speak Dog. They use a lot of words that don’t really mean what they want to say, and you are going to have to learn to speak People because most people do not learn to speak Dog.

I will warn you that learning how to speak People is not going to be easy.


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6 comments:

Angie said...

Wow, Bandit! You might not always listen, but you must be very smart to write a book!
Are you a herding dog? Maybe your mommy just needs a nip at the heels to get her going.
What confuses me about people is why I can't always go places with them. My mommy and daddy both have to leave me all alone while they go to "work" and I don't like it ONE BIT!!!
-Mister

Bandit said...

Work is a very bad thing. I makes people grumpy. But it does mean they get money so they can buy you treats and toys.

Your mommy and daddy should make a special point of taking you in the car sometimes. I like the car. Sometimes Mommy just drives me around the block for fun. My brother Scout says I am being stupid, because we are only gone a few minutes. But it feels like hours to me.

Your pal
BANDIT

Angie said...

They actually do take me places when they can! Just last night I got to go get ice cream with them. Daddy even gave me a small bite! I guess if work means they can do that, then I'll let them.
Maybe I should tell my people to get me a brother or sister like Scout and Bailey. Then I won't mind when they go to work.
-Mister

Hanna at Dog Products said...

Hi Bandit! My name is Udi and I’m a 2-year-old Shih Tzu.

First of all, I like to hear that your mommy calls you by different names as well. I thought that it was only my mommy who get so confused. She’s called me Puppy although I clearly no longer one, she’s called me Little One, Munster Teeth, Teddy Bear Face, Good Boy and a few other names which I don’t recall at the moment. The truth is that I’d prefer that she confine herself to using my real name but since she’s old, I humor her and respond to all the others as well.

It looks like I’m luckier than you because my mommy takes me almost everywhere with her. Sometimes she gets stopped at the entrance but then she shows a certificate and we are told to proceed. I guess that makes me her Service Dog but I’m not always sure what that means although I have been trained to fetch her medication when she starts struggling for air.

Your 4-Legged Buddy,

Udi

Bandit said...

Angie, if you get a brother or sister, you can get into A LOT more fun trouble when your people aren't home! Or even when they are home. Just now, Bailey chewed up papers, went outside and chewed the screen off the basement windown, and then chewed up some plants!

Love BANDIT

bandit said...

Udi, you are a VERY smart and important dog! That is a big job to take such good care of your mommy!! Plus you get to go everywhere, which is lots of fun!

Love
BANDIT