Hello to all my friends!

I am home again after being shipped off to the vet once again. Really, this is all just a little too much - seven trips in just over two months! Even with the special treatment I get at the vet, this is too much for me.

The human assures me she is home for a few weeks, and I hope so. I need to be able to relax and catch up on my sleep and treats. Nobody gives me more treats than my human, so I have a lot to catch up. I have also decided that when I first get home from the vet I will refuse to sleep in my dog bed. Its quite simple really - just a battle of wills and you can guess who wins! I don't really have an issue sleeping in my bed - its really comfy, but there has to be some payback for all this travel - right?

In the short time that I have been home, nothing too exciting has been happening. You know, good food, lots of treats and walks. With the hot and humid weather we've been having I find myself running out of steam on our walks. So, my goal now is to see how slowly I can walk. Its amazing just how much one can slow down. The human, in her never ending quest to make me happy, is endlessly patient with me. I can tell she would really like to scoop me up and carry me home to put an end to the walk, but she resists every time. I think I am now able to stretch a what was a twenty minute walk to a 35 minute walk! I am going for 45 minutes!

This weekend we will celebrate Independence Day. I remember from last year there were a lot of fireworks around the area. Now, you know that generally dogs despise fireworks, but this year I will not be bothered by the mini-explosion at all! This is one of the benefits of being deaf. Another will be after my human attends a Michael Buble concert tomorrow evening. You know when she gets back and for a few days after that she will be listening to Michael Buble CDs and worse still, singing along with them - YIKES! At least this time I won't have to listen!!

Well, there you have it - an update from Clifford George Jackson
Let freedom reign!

Resurfacing

Wow! I can hardly believe how much time has passed since I last posted on my blog. It was right after Mother's Day, and here it is almost Father's Day.

Well, I can give you a whole bunch of reasons for my silence but the real reason is that I have been trying to deal with some changes in my life. I am never a big fan of change anyway, but the things that have been happening have had me a little out of sorts.

As you know, I am getting up there in age, and I have been aware of some subtle changes with my body, but in the last few weeks and months it seems that instead of these changes creeping up on me, they have been executing a full on assault! So, suddenly I gone from missing the odd sound to missing all but the loudest sounds. The vet had mentioned something about cataracts on my eyes, but until recently I didn't really buy it - now I have to acknowledge that I am loosing my sight too!

All of this has been a tremendous struggle for me to accept and so as I have been trying to deal with this new found vulnerability. One of the most difficult things for me to handle is needing help from my human. I feel like the roles have been reversed and she is now my protector. It's a bitter pill to swallow.

My human has really been trying to make me feel better. She has pointed out some benefits to being deaf. We have been having lots of thunderstorms lately and I, of course, can't hear the storms, so I can sleep through the whole thing. Recently, when we were walking, we met two adorable little girls who wanted to pet me. As they were really close, I could see that they were talking in the really high pitched manner that excited little girls have - and once again, this didn't bother me, and I could stand there and soak up the attention.

The human even bought me a really cool Chinese jacket on one of her trips (I think Chicago)- its not quite the smoking jacket I wanted but its close and its really cool! Watch for photos!

So, my friends, this has been a challenging time for me, but I think its something we get to face if we are lucky enough to live a long life. And as I slowly learn to accept my frailties, I will remind myself of all the good things in my life - things like friends, and families, and FATHERS!

Happy Father's Day!
Clifford George Jackson

Post Mothers'Day Wrap

Hello all,

I am back home and the human is back from New Orleans. It seems that the oil spill in Louisiana is wreaking havoc. Did you hear that they use dog hair to assist in the clean-up? I personally never shed, but for my colleagues who leave dog hair everywhere, remember this fact the next time your human rants and raves about dog hair on their clothes!

So, yesterday was Mothers' Day or is it Mother's Day? This is an odd holiday for dogs. Very few of us remember our mothers, which makes sending a card difficult, right? Seriously though, although I don't remember my mother, I do think about her, and wonder what she was like and what kind of life she had, and what she would think about me.

It makes me a little nostalgic but it also makes me realize that biological mothers are not the only mothers we have. Aside from the obvious meaning, mother also means originator, protector, take care of someone tenderly,... When you look at it like that you realize that in the course of our lives we may well have more than one mother.

And that is probably a good thing, because sometimes we need all the mothering we can get. I watched my human yesterday and although she didn't say much about it, I could sense that she was missing her mother too. Her mother lives in a different country and like so many of us who are far from our mothers (in whatever way that might be) Mother's Day reminds us of the hollow place we have in our hearts when our mothers are not with us. My human has several people who help mother her since she is far away from her own mother, but I can tell she has a strong bond with her South African mother.

In some ways (and please don't tell her or I will have to endure being showered with kisses and being spoken to in baby talk) my human is one of the mother figures in my life, as are some of the wonderful people at the rescue organization who helped me at the worst time of my life. Sometimes I think that people who aren't your mother but step up and act as mother when you need it most, need a special holiday all of their own. I wonder what we could call that holiday?

Mothers come in all shapes and sizes, and aren't always what you are expecting, but they always seem to come through for us. So lets celebrate all our protectors, and all those who care for us with tenderness, whether we call them Mother, Mom , or anything else.

To all my mothers - thank you and I love you all
Clifford G.

On my way to the vet!

Well, hello again,

I thought I would try and sneak in another post before the human takes me to the vet for a 6 day stay. She is heading off to New Orleans for some big conference - all work and no play makes her pretty dull!

While I am at the vet, I am having my teeth cleaned. When I was last there they tried to clean my teeth, but I was not having any of it. When I first moved here I had to have 20 teeth extracted, which is no joke. And which was also not my fault. Its not like I had a toothbrush and some floss. My life before this was not exactly pleasant and I did not get the kind of care and attention I get now. So, after enduring that last lot of dental surgery, there was no chance I was letting them anywhere near my few remaining teeth. So, my human has arranged for me to be sedated while they clean my teeth. She had convince me that this was a) going to be painless for me and b) that it was critically important. She did a good job of convincing me, and now I realize that this minor inconvenience for me is important - I really can't afford to lose anymore teeth!

J and W have promised to come and visit me while I am staying at the vet. It pretty cool for me, because I am the only dog boarding who gets visitors. It does a lot to boost my reputation! Plus they always bring treats!

Well, hopefully when I write again I will have some pearly white teeth to show you. In the meantime remember to floss!
Talk to you soon
Clifford George Jackson

Rainy Monday

After some spectacular spring weather, we have had some rain on and off since Saturday. Now I know rain is important for several reasons, but as you know I am not a big fan of rainy days. It has severely curtailed my outdoor time, so I might have become a tad cranky over the past few days.

What is more interesting is that the human appears to have some sort of spring fever and is going out more. This is really strange, but not necessarily a bad thing. She went to dinner with friends on Saturday evening and then went out for lunch on Sunday! Usually the only thing that gets her out of the house is when she has to travel for work, or when she has to shop for my food. So, I wonder what is going on? I am not complaining, sometimes I like having the place to myself as it gives me time to lie on every piece of furniture in the house.

This morning the human took me for a walk - in the rain! And would you believe it, the cat, Olive, joined us for our walk. She often joins us for our walks, even when there has been snow on the ground. It really makes people stop in their tracks to see a cat out walking with a human and a dog. Have you ever heard of a cat going for a walk, let alone a walk in the rain? She finally ran off when a school bus came driving by and spooked her. We haven't seen her since. She has probably found some new and exciting place to explore. But in the rain? She is, to put in mildly, an interesting cat.

Well, I need to try and find a cozy spot and catch up on my sleep.
Stay warm and dry 'til next time
Clifford G. J.

Did you think I had forgotten you?

Hello to all of you!

I know its been a while since I last wrote to you. I wish I could say that I have been busy, but that would be a stretch of the imagination. Once again you can blame the human, she has been busy and that means I have to lie around and wait.

I hope you all had a good Easter. I did, and I got some Charlie Bear treats in my Easter Basket. I overheard the human telling someone that she was going to cut egg shapes out of bread and give them to me as my Easter treat. Well, at least she was trying to be creative! For those of you who are puzzled by this, I usually get bread as my treat. This pancreatitis severely restricts what I can eat, so no ordinary dog biscuits for me. I stick to wholewheat bread and Charlie Bears, both of which are low in fat, which is what my pancreas can't handle. Hardly a tough life! Besides the Clifford likes to watch his boyish physique, so only the best for me!

The human and I kicked back on Sunday night and watched some movies and then watched a few episodes of the Dog Whisperer. That Cesar Milan, he is quite something, isn't he? He really thinks he has us dogs all figured out. He thinks because we respond to some command we have changed our behavior and you humans are now in control. Hasn't he read my earlier blog posts about acting? And as for that notion of the human being the pack leader, well, really, is he kidding? Does he, and don't all of you humans, realize what is going on? We can respond to your commands, do those little tricks you find so amusing, stay off the furniture,...but do you really think we care? We know what's going on, and we know which side our bread is buttered. So, next time your dog does something cute in return for a treat, just stop and think about what might be going on in our old brain box. I guess its no different than you feigning respect/love/admiration/fill in the blank, for your significant other/spouse/boss/fill in the blank, to get what you want from them.

Luckily for me, my human doesn't try to implement any of his techniques with me. As she says, "Cliffy, you are the perfect dog" so why would she want to change anything. Sometimes she shows some real potential.

Well, the human is hitting the road again this weekend, so I am gearing up for a visit to the vet. Its been a while since I visited them, so I hope they have things shipshape and ready for me.

And to those of you who have asked for my opinion of healthcare reform, I will be posting my comments on that soon.

Happy Spring to all of you,
Clifford George Jackson

Birthday wrap up

Well, my friends, here I am a year older. The birthday party went well, and I want to give a shout out to all my friends who came out to see me and celebrate with me. It was a good evening!

Two of my favorite humans, W & J, gave me this really cool shirt. It reminds me of a Roy Lichtenstein piece of art - you know pointillism meets pop art. It says "Woof" on the back, which saves me having to say it myself, people can just read my shirt. They also gave me a necktie. I know some of you think of neckties as an instrument of torture and a means of "the man" controlling you. But I don't agree. I think its lends an air of sophistication to me, and really is exactly what I have been looking for.

So, with the gifts, the ladies serenading me and some new friend/maestro tickling the ivories, it was a good night indeed.

Sunday, although it is the real day that marks the start of my new life here, was quiet, almost uneventful. Unless you count the 93 minute international phone call I made. Well, it wasn't intentional for a start. Someone left me alone for a long time, and that same someone left the phone on the love seat right near the pillow I like to sleep on. Its not my fault that I belly dialed some foreign country and let them listen my abdominal noises for 93 minutes. So, you can imagine someone was not happy with me.

I am including a photo of myself in my new shirt and tie. The quality is not very good, but you will get the idea.

Until next time, always remember to give a little love, or is it, get a little love?
Clifford George