She's a maniac, maniac on the floor (I sure know)
And she's dancing like she's never danced before

Songwriters: Rodney Price / Michael Sembello / Richard Stephenson / Dennis Matskosky

Note: The song was used in the 1983 movie Flashdance and inspired my comic!

So many puppies and dogs end up at a shelter or a rescue organization simply because their humans gave up on them. People often blame the dog for it’s craziness, saying it was “untrainable” or “dumb” and that couldn’t be farther from the truth.

Our current puppy, Minnie Pearl (an American Eskimo) turns 6 months old this week and she is still being very much what we call a “Minnie-ac”. We thought we learned everything we needed to know about puppies with our former dogs, Joey (a Border Collie/American Eskimo mix) and Vegas (an American Eskimo), but Minnie Pearl has proven us wrong.

Our first dog, Joey, was a rescue that lead us to take him to training classes at our local pet supply shop, Feeder’s Supply. Joey was stubborn, but sweet and very smart and we learned that quickly during his classes. Through him, we learned very simple techniques that helped us cope with his behaviors. We used many of those techniques with our second dog, Vegas, though he was completely different than Joey. Vegas was what I considered a “people pleaser” and showed incredible remorse when he made a bad choice.

Minnie Pearl, seems to a be a good blend of both Joey and Vegas. We know she’s sweet and wants to do well. I consistently do training sessions with her, walk her daily, play with her, travel with her and more. She loves to learn and minds most of the time. However, we are still dealing with potty training, teething (we’ve recovered 12 puppy teeth so far), and wild puppy time (usually at night right before bed). She’s also had her first heat cycle (oh….wow…that was CRAZY times 1,000!).

Though we have her spaying scheduled next week (on Valentine’s day…..we found that to be kind of comical), we know her puppy behavior may slow down or not afterwards. We know the American Eskimo breed has a lot of energy (from our time with Vegas), but they all have different personalities. We have decided that if she still is continuing being a Minnie-ac despite all our research, vet visits and experimenting, we will seek the knowledge of a dog behaviorist or take her to classes like we did for Joey. Sometimes a third party can see things that you cannot (just like a therapist). We know she’s an awesome dog and truly love her, so she’s worth it. She gives us unconditional love and we will do the same for her no matter what.

I encourage every human to try their best to seek all options before turning in their puppy or dog to a shelter. Sometimes a dog is not a good fit for someone or a family, but that’s why I also encourage everyone to also do their research before getting a puppy or dog. They are WORK and if someone is not willing to put in the time, effort or spend a little money, then maybe a dog is not the best pet option for them.

Happy Friday ya’ll! Sending our light and love to anyone who needs it!

Here’s some music and a video to inspire you to dance into your weekend:

Maniac, Performed by Michael Sembello