Secrets of the Models in Our Family

Dewey:

“At the end of the day, it all comes down to exercise and I make sure to get plenty of that.  I walk my master (or mistress) several times a week, every day if possible, in all kinds of weather.  I put some aerobic oomph into these walks by darting left and right to the rhythm of “Dewey.  Dewey”.  Also, I try to smile a lot.  The way we canines do it is by wagging our tails. With all due respect to humans, wags beat smiles. A wag is a clear expression of happiness and love and appreciation, whereas a human smile should never be taken at face value. There's the classic 'polite' smile (when there's a to-do between two dogs that are being walked, their masters and mistresses will typically give this smile). Then there's the smirk. And what about the completely mysterious Mona Lisa smile? Tell me if you don't prefer wags to smiles!

Kyara:

“I make sure to get my beauty sleep. Where and how you sleep makes all the difference.  I  personally, am partial to the master and mistress’s bed. They try to offer me my cat bed instead. When they do that, I give them the look (the one which says “where’s the fluffy pillows, and who’s going to wake you up in the morning, besides, sheesh!”)  I also watch my diet.  Even if I pursue lizards, small birds and insects, I very rarely eat them.  In fact, I drag the remains of whatever I catch through the cat door into the house, providing ample proof of my dietary restraint. Periodically, I visit the ocean, with my master and mistress in tow, where the sea air does both them and me plenty of good.  Staying fit and looking good is not rocket science. You just have to find your own version of "Kaiser Permanente Thrive" and stick with it.

Bella:

I am always up to a good sprint and make sure to get one, either at the dog park, at the beach, at Heather Farms, or even when I'm stuck at home. In fact, every day, I practice my sprints using the stairs in our house (humans call this doing ellipticals).  Me and this neighborhood cat play a game. The way it’s played is that she climbs on to the fence between our houses, presumably to get my goat - not knowing I do not have any goats. Anyway, the cat intrusion being both an invasion of my privacy and territory, I dart up and down the stairs so I can bark at her from different heights – it’s great exercise and I get a chance to exercise my vocals as well. Speaking of goats, I actually do know a farmer and he once had many goats, now only chickens (no, his name is not Old McDonald and I'm not making this up). If you ever need an introduction, I can absolutely hook you up.

Oscar:

Travel is my thing.  It keeps me young and invigorated.  I am a frequent flyer between the East Coast and the West Coast.  I have been a walker in both cities (I guess I am fairly unique in this respect). The difference between New York and Cali is day and night.  New York is all Sex and the City – lots of legs wherever you go, California open spaces. Friendships also help me stay young.  I regularly visit with Bella and she with me and we often stay over at each other’s places. Oh, yes, and one last thing...I watch tv to relax.  I am a bit surprised at the lack of tv channels in California, though. All we have in our house is Fox News -  24/7.

P.S.  Hope you enjoyed this post on the models in our family. If the models in your family have some tips for these models, do share them with me so I can pass them on.

P.S. 2: As always, thanks for reading and wishing you a day full of smiles, real smiles, that is,  - not polite smiles, smirks, or Mona Lisa smiles.