It is beautiful today. Spring has arrived in my part of the state. It's a warm 75 and Beau has been out on the deck most of the day just loving it and slugging it with spring fever! C'mon boy! Let's take a walk! Here we go with the ritual of excitement as he dodges the collar and grabs the leash with his teeth and tries to walk me! Now, I've always talked a lot to my dogs. Ever since they were pups, I would talk, talk, talk to them. I think it is safe to say that they have a reasonable understanding vocabulary. When my last dog Emily, (a cute little cocker) would get her leg tangled in the leash, I would stop her and ask for her paw to drop the leash through. She did it every time. Sometimes I'd stop her and she'd do it before I asked. Now Beau is clueless. I've asked that dog for eleven years to give me his paw to untangle the leash and he just stares at me or worse gives me that doggie grin. Today as we were walking and tangling the leash, I just looked at him and said,"Oh Beau! Just give me your paw and I'll straighten it out!" Well, I got the silly doggie grin BUT the paw went up. Can you teach an old dog new tricks? I think he knew all along.