Eddie is the handsome brown-colored, brindle-marked, bob-tailed dog in the pictures. That’s ME! Just looking at Buster and me in our blog pictures you might assume we live care-free lives. You could conclude that we have no responsibilities and that we pretty much do what we want, when we want. Actually, we are burdened by strict rules and discipline in practically every aspect of our lives. From the moment we arise in the morning until it’s “lights out” at night there are rules, rules, rules.

It’s the same every morning. Mister Tom announces, “Eddie, outside.” I have to run and sit at the door. Once lead securely attached I sit patiently at the open door waiting for my release word. If I take just one step outside without the release word being spoken, I hear a loud “argh” sound from Mister Tom. If that happens I have to come back inside and wait some more. Once I am finished outside I will hear the command, “Eddie, house.” Dutifully I trot to the door and patiently wait in another sit-stay until door is opened and I hear the command “free” which means I can go inside.

There are rules to follow when it’s time for my morning exercises. Rules I have to follow when Buster does his morning exercises. We are tested to follow our meal-time routine every day. There are guidelines covering every aspect of our travels. Travel harnesses must be worn and connected to the seat belt buckle.

The edict “bug off” echoes through the house when people are eating. If we do not vacate the room we are subject to an arm pointing the way out and a sternly repeated command.

RULES (Copyright 2014 by Captain Eddie)

Discipline expected in the daily standard,
I await, never anticipate the spoken command.

Each trip outside listening for the decree,
No jaunt about until I hear “free.”

There’s the dictum I hear when I am caught,
On furniture I hear him exclaim, “Eddie, off.”

Meal time in nothing unusual,
I stick to the plan and follow the rule.

For this and for that there’s an orderly treatment,
Sometimes spontaneity takes a back seat.

And, if I dare to contradict,
Suffer I must rehearing his edict.

Plans and rules define my daily sphere,
Yet I know which laws to adhere.

White-colored, brown-spotted Buster here. Within a couple of weeks of me adopting Mister Tom I started learning obedience stuff. That was more than ten years ago. I still go to classes to learn stuff. Eddie goes to classes to learn stuff, too. My favorite thing about going to class is seeing all my pals and letting them give me pets and scratches and treats. When I adopted Mister Tom, he did not know anything about teaching dogs. Mister Tom loves dogs because we are smart and handsome critters. Since I am the first dog ever to adopt Mister Tom he was determined to help me become a well mannered dog. That is when I started taking Mister Tom to classes with Walter (see the poem I wrote about Walter on April 2, 2013: http://busterjbrown.wpengine.com/?p=19).

OBEDIENCE (Copyright 2014 by Buster J. Brown)

Who knew the training and work,
All the practice that it took.

To learn the things I needed to know,
Actually to compete in obedience shows.

Years I toiled on the simple things,
Before setting foot in the competition ring.

Long sits, long downs part of the repertoire,
Staying where told for what seemed like hours.

Precision heeling, about turns, recalls,
Repeated until I could do them all.

Jumps called “broad,” “bar,” and “high,”
Mastering all you would swear I could fly.

Dumbbells of metal, leather, and wood,
Retrieve as commanded as well as I could.

White cotton gloves, pick the right one,
Marked and commanded I was off at a run.

All of this done to please my companion,
Bonded we did in one way or fashion.

In the end my ultimate reward,
“Good boy” the only words needed heard.

White-colored, brown spotted Buster here. In some ways Eddie and I are alike. Yet in other ways we are very different dogs.

Eddie and I are both All American, mixed-breed dogs. We are roughly the same size. However, as you can see from the pictures on our blog we are different colors. And, Eddie has long legs and a long lean body. I am not as long as Eddie but I am wider in the chest. I am mostly a terrier-type dog and Eddie seems to be pointer and hound mix of some sort. Eddie has a naturally bobbed tail and I have a regular-type tail.

I do not like to play as much as Eddie does. I suppose whoever I first lived with did not teach about play. That’s probably because I was a yard dog in a rural area and never really lived in a house until I found Mister Tom. Eddie likes to play whenever he can. When I am outside my nose is mostly to the ground. I instinctively follow fence lines because there is a lot of critter smell there. It’s the same where there are bushes or plants bordering a lawn. Eddie sniffs the ground a lot but he frequently raises his nose into the air to sniff, too. Eddie roams around all over when he is outside. One thing we have in common is that when we start chasing a critter we don’t pay much attention to Mister Tom when he commands, “come.”

I have lived with Mister Tom for ten years but Eddie has lived with us for a little over a year. In each case, Mister Tom adopted us when we were about one-year old. We are northern dogs now who both originally came from the south.

I am cautious when meeting new dogs especially if they stick their nose in my face. Eddie does not seem to care about this. I am friendly with the dogs I know but that is about it. Eddie, on the other hand, wants to make friends with every dog he meets so he can play. We both like people critters a lot. We like the attention we receive from people.

BEGINNING TO BOND (Copyright 2014 by Buster J. Brown)

Eddie is mostly pointer and hound,
I’m a terrier dog with nose to the ground.

Eddie will stand a point on a rabbit,
I immediately chase, that’s my habit.

As for food, I am a gourmand,
Eddie’s dining is more mannered.

Eddie is taken to frolic and play,
I’ve never learned, that’s just my way.

We like the company, each of the other,
We’re not best pals, but we’re becoming closer.

Buster & Eddie
Beginning to Bond

Buster (white, brown spots) and Eddie (brown, brindle markings) here. Our experiment has lasted a year. Last March was our first poetry post. Over the past year our goal was to post a new poem or musing every week. We are conscientious dogs and have only missed a few weeks where we did not post.

We try to keep the poems interesting for our loyal followers (you know who you are). But, we are simple, ordinary dogs writing from our perspective. We do write a lot about being outside and about food. These are our two most favorite things. Still, we hope we vary the topics enough to hold your interest.

ANNIVERSARY (Copyright 2014 by Buster J. Brown and Captain Eddie)

Our well of passion and spirit,
It’s depth almost infinite.

We live for the moment, enjoying the ride,
Not marking the passage of time.

Life’s simple pleasures bringing a thrill,
Yet share our adventures we will.

On this occasion we’re obliged to declare,
Thanks for joining us this past year.

This is Buster. I’m the white-colored, brown spotted dog. Ever since I came to live with Mister Tom he has been teaching me stuff. It’s the same with Eddie. There are certain things we have to do. For example, at meal time we have to do a down-stay in the kitchen and wait. Once Mister Tom puts down our food bowl he walks back to us where we wait until he gives us the release word. Going outside it’s kind of the same thing. Even if the door to the outside is wide open, we have to sit and wait until Mister Tom says our release word. We go along with Mister Tom because when we do what he asks we get praise and pets. Sometimes we even get treats.

Every so often Mister Tom wants us to do something and we can get stubborn. It usually happens in our obedience training. I get bored and decide I would rather be doing something else. Eddie, too. Usually Mister Tom finds a way to trick us into doing what he wants, or so he thinks.

STUBBORNNESS (Copyright 2014 by Buster J. Brown and Captain Eddie)

We practice, work, and mostly appreciate,
His efforts to make us more considerate.

We’ve done it before and loved every minute,
Yet, this time we balk, our minds aren’t in it.

Sharp focus lacking, attention turned elsewhere.
Why should I do this, why should I care?

We yearn for the new and the different,
Ignoring command and treat enticement.

We are individuals with our own brains,
So what if we occasionally err when we train?

He urges us on with a different approach,
Finally we decide not to suffer reproach.

In the end he thinks he’s succeeded,
Yet we’re the ones who’ve really decided.

Buster back this week. I’m the white-colored terrier dog with the brown spots. When it comes to subtleties we dogs are more observant than you people critters. We hear you whine and grouse about the snow and slush and winter never ending. You would see and hear the changes coming if you paid attention like us dogs. Dawn is breaking earlier and sunset comes later. More significant than that is all the activity I notice among my bird buddies. I watch increased activity from my friendly chick-a-dees. My goodness, those crows are cawing and making a racket these days, too. If you listen carefully you will hear cardinal calls early in the morning. Yes, there are cardinals out there! Lately, I’ve heard red-winged blackbirds calling.

There are fewer mornings when we are greeted by bitter cold outside. So, despite the huge snow drifts we romp and frolic more. Pretty soon there will be mud outside that we can play in! Lately, Mister Tom has been checking the terminal buds on his two special transplanted trees. That itself is a good indication that spring is on the way.

WAITING FOR SPRING (Copyright 2014 by Buster J. Brown)

Earlier sunrise and later dusk,
Slow changes are in the works.

Morning calls are clearly heard,
Cardinal and red-winged blackbird.

Early arrivals or residents,
Yearning for spring, it’s evident.

Sunshine glimmering on snow melt,
Comforting warmth more intensely felt.

Excursions more extended outside,
Our zest for adventure refortified.

Bunnies more active, squirrels reemerge,
Activity of all sort on the upsurge.

Spirits both human and canine,
From doleful to expectant realign.

Buster in spring grass

Buster and Eddie here. One of our loyal Pals-O-Buster™ and Pals-O-Eddie™ was distraught because our weekly poem was not posted. We try very hard to post a poem each week. However, we have been busy lately and fell a little behind. We do not want to disappoint any of our legion of followers.

TRANSGRESSION (Copyright 2014 by Buster J. Brown and Captain Eddie)

Practicing lessons starts our day,
Evenings we’re off to work and play.

Places to go and people to see,
Our schedules can get quite busy.

So if our weekly poems are missing,
Forgive us our transgressing.

Hi, this is Eddie, the mostly brown-colored fellow. Mister Tom says I am a deliriously happy dog. My bob-tail is constantly wagging. I wag my tail when Mister Tom and I are working on obedience stuff. Even when Mister Tom corrects me when we are working on obedience stuff my tail is still wagging. When we go on car rides, of which I am not particularly fond, I wag my tail and jump in the car or pickup truck. I get so happy at times that I want to jump up and say hello. Mister Tom does not want me doing that. I do get intensely focused on playing with my toys and chewing on my chew toys. But, if you say my name, “Eddie,” my tail starts wagging and I will bring my toy over to you.

One day Mister Tom was preparing our dinner in the kitchen. Buster and I were closely watching him to see if he added anything extra like bananas or apples or stinky potted meat (oh boy)! I was standing next to the bottom cabinet when my wagging tail made a knocking sound against the cabinet. Buster barked because he thought someone was at the front door, so I barked because Buster barked. Mister Tom looked at us and called us knuckleheads! Can you imagine?

Smiling Eddie

DELIRIOUS (Copyright 2014 by Captain Eddie)

There is joy in almost all my life,
Few things to cause me strife.

Elation hearing a treat bag rustle,
Ne’er a sound could be more blissful.

Euphoria in an outing of any sort,
Always a chance to run and cavort.

Glee in knowing I’ve done a job well,
I’ve learned how to take the dumbbell!

Bliss when belly rubs given,
Acting as though I’m smitten.

Hearty tail wags will always exclaim,
Happiness in just hearing my name.

A comforting sense of well-being,
Delight in just knowing the daily routine.

And if you’re ever sad or glum,
I’ll eagerly share my delirium.

White-colored, brown-spotted Buster here. Eddie and I are considered All American Dogs/Mixed Breeds. Arguably even our names are All American. I, Buster J. Brown, was named after a legendary wild boar hunter from Mississippi, Jerry Brown. Eddie’s full name is Captain Eddie Vernon Rickenbacker after the flying ace and Medal of Honor recipient.

Mister Tom does not care what our lineage is. He tells us we are “good boys” and that is all that matters. He sometimes calls us knuckleheads and goofy, but he always smiles at us. We have no official pedigrees. Mister Tom does not even know what our lineage really is. I am probably mostly terrier dog of some sort. Eddie appears to have some hound and pointer in his background. Rather than “mixed breed” we consider ourselves “rare breed” dogs.

RARE BREED (Copyright 2014 by Buster J. Brown)

Pedigree of unknown origin,
No standard shared by our kin.
Terrier, pointer, shepherd, retriever,
All could be mixed in.

Some telltale traits we exhibit,
Subtle clues to our mosaic.
Our mixture not mere curiosity,
Consider us unique quilts.

Backgrounds blurred and muddied,
Surprise packages indeed.
In addition to All American,
Any mix a “rare breed.”

Eddie here. I am the handsomer of the two dogs in the pictures.  That is, the mostly brown-colored, bob-tailed dog. Most people who talk about dogs will talk of “heeling.” Heeling is a position of a dog with respect to their handler. Buster and I have learned that “heel” is a specifically defined position on the left side of our handler.

Well, I’m not writing about that sort of “heeling.” I’m writing about “magical healing.” I am an expert on “magic” because I have studied those evil-doing magical squirrels. I see squirrels do all sorts of magical stuff. Because of this I recognize the good magic we dogs can do. In particular I believe we dogs have magical healing powers just because of our presence and aura.

We meet people all the time. Whether they are new friends or old pals I see the effect we have on people. Mostly we make people happy and friendly. Even sullen and dour folks will grudgingly smile when they see us. We don’t even have to make a noise or meet them. People smile even more and forget their ills and worries when we greet them. Letting them touch us makes them calm and serene.

There is magic in our names. People always smile when they say our names. I bet you readers are smiling right now when you read “Eddie” and “Buster.” You see, our names are magical words!

Mister Tom tells us that we dogs are extraordinary and wondrous creatures. We agree with him.

MAGICAL HEALING (Copyright 2014 by Captain Eddie)

Friendly demeanor and open heart,
Wondrous feelings to all we impart.

Tail wags are a magical thing,
Amplifying our friendly greeting.

Long-time friends and strangers alike,
Smile and show a positive psyche.

Giving us pets brings folks inner satisfaction,
We never turn down such rapt attention.

Forget your troubles, ills, and pain,
Your soul will be soothed just saying our names.