Smart Poodle Publishing obviously LOVES dogs. After all, we named the business after our own pooch. And today I visited my friend, Millie, who is a foster parent to needy puppies. Check out these tiny poodle-yorkie-mix puppies. They are 11 weeks old!

I remember when we first got our poodle, GIgi. Our daughter, Rachel was only years old. During the first week we had her, Rachel was upset that she had to go to bed at 9 pm, and Gigi got to stay up as late as she wanted. That was sibling rivalry in its purest form. My husband would tell Gigi she had to go to bed at 9 too, to please Rachel. We always got  good laugh out of that.

Often, Gigi will hop on the couch after my husband gets up, to take his place. She sort of looks around out of the corner of her eye to see if he realizes she took his space over. I swear she is human. (Until she licks filthy dirty puddle water).

Today I was working like a dog (pun intended) and looked over at the couch across from where I was sitting. There was Gigi, spread out, leaning on the pillow like a super model posing for the camera. She knows she is cute, and she uses that to get my attention. It works every time.

I have been so busy working, that my dog has been looking for some attention. How can I ignore her when she looks at me like this? She sure is one Smart Poodle.

Gigi napping on a Sunday afternoon

My friend, Patty, taking it easy with Indie.

A cool dog I met on a Humane Society Dog Walk

With all the chaos in my life this year, I have come to realize that my Smart Poodle, Gigi, knows how to relax better than anyone else I know. She can collapse on the wood floor and zone out so much that I can step over her or right in front of her, and she does not bat an eye.  I envy her ability to just let nothing bother her.

I have found that if I am at all stressed, and I just sit next to the dog and pet her for a while, I feel a whole lot better. So if you or your children are having trouble relaxing, hang out with your pet or a friend’s pet. You’ll be sure to get some calming inspiration that way.

In this age of email and text messaging, I realize that it is all too easy to get lazy with proper usage of the English language and with communicating habits as well. I vow to improve upon my email etiquette from this moment forward. Our children will be communicated via email for years to come as well, so we should teach them a few rules.

Here are some things that turn me off that emailers do:

1. Not responding to an email. When a question is asked, or it is obvious more info is needed, it is polite to answer- even if yours is a personal email.
2. Not proofreading. Grammar and spelling so horrid that I cannot even tell what the writer is saying is unacceptable.
3. Too many abbreviations. EM LOL BIDNKWYARS. (I am laughing out loud, but I don’t know what you are really saying.)
4. Not getting to the point. Rambling on an on is not an effective way to communicate. People are busy and they want to know what you are trying to say quickly.
5. Humongous attachments. No one wants to receive a file that will take up 50% of the computer’s hard drive.
6. Writing in all CAPITAL LETTERS. This is very hard to read.
7. Using a teeny tiny font. This is also hard to read.
8. Not using a subject, or using one that has nothing to do with the email or putting the entire message in the subject heading and writing no copy.
9. Sending a mass email and listing dozens of other email addresses in the TO window, so that all recipients get all the email addresses. It is better to put the addresses in the BC window, so that recipients do not get all those other addresses, which may be confidential.
10. Forwarding my confidential email to a 3rd party. It is best to not send confidential emails for that very reason.
11. Sending emails that should really only be telephone conversations. If there are may paragraphs or a need for countless replies back and forth, a phone call can handle the situation better and save precious time.
12. Chain letters. “If you delete this letter and do not pass it on to 200 friends, your left arm will fall off at midnight.” I don’t think so.
13. Urban Legend emails. “Don’t flash your lights at oncoming traffic to warn them they do not have their lights on. The person in the car will think this is a signal for you to pull over and sell drugs to their gang members.” These nonsense emails are my least favorite. If you get one, just goggle the topic and put in urban legend or scam, and you can get the truth right away. Then tell the sender to check out the scam site too.
14. SPAM of any kind. I wish for Spammers to have total computer blowout.

I am sure many of you out there are annoyed with the same issues. If so, start to teach your kids to reply promptly and politely. Some day all too soon, they will learn about our emailing frustrations as well.

How much does your family love your dog? Looking back at some photos of Gigi from the past few months, I had a good laugh today. She is treated better than most humans! She is loyal, smart, loving, demanding of our attention, happy, playful and best of all, she doesn’t mind me babbling to her all day long. Have a look at these shots of Gigi, and you’ll get a sense of how good her life really is! Check out the last picture. That is from our vacation in upstate NY. She had just had a bath and was shivering, so we covered her with a beach towel.

As you can see, we somewhat torture our poodle, Gigi. Actually, she thinks she is really cool all decked out like that. Gigi wishes you and your family a fun, happy and safe 4th of July. Enjoy all the F’s of the day – the Friends, Family, Food and Fireworks. (Poor Gigi will not be happy when she hears all those explosions!)

We’ll be back on Saturday with photos of our celebration. In the mean time, be sure to turn on the Twilight Zone 2-day marathon on Sci Fi. It’s the best TV-watching EVER!

I spend a lot of time working at home alone. Well, I’m not really alone. I’ve got Gigi, our standard poodle, with me. She follows me around the house, and she likes it when I talk to her. If she were not here, I’d certainly be lonely. When I’m having a bad day, (like yesterday) I like to just sit with her outside and pet her. (We had problems with our website and I was frustrated!!!)

I’ve read stories about pets who visit senior living centers and nursing homes, and how they greatly improve the residents’ well being. After all a pet loves you unconditionally, never complains and has no predjudice.

Rachel is an only child, sort of. She has Gigi as a sister, and this poodle has been a loyal and true friend for her. Observing how much a pet can make a difference in my daughter’s mood and calmness, I really understand how a pet can improve the health and happiness of every member of the family. If your child has a pet, what a lucky child (and YOU) you have! Well, these photos say it all….