"Is He Real?"

...that's the question I keep hearing from people. You'd be surprised how many times we hear it, from both kids and grownups. In fact, just this week three different people asked us that. This is not a question I ever heard while raising Willie (yellow lab)...not even once! Apparently, Willie was "real." Dakota? Hmmm, that's another question!

I always just answer, "Yes," (I mean, obviously!) but to be honest I'm a bit puzzled by what they mean. I should just ask them next time. Here are some options the kids and I came up with -- feel free to leave a comment and let us know what you think!

1) Is that a real guide dog? (Or, are you just dressing up your pet?)

2) Is that a real dog? (Or...I don't know...a very convincing stuffed animal?)

3) Am I seeing things? Is he an optical illusion? (Maybe there are some really philosophical types out there!)

And now, something we were glad wasn't "real"! One of the new places we visited this week was a sports store. I was looking for some exercise equipment. We rounded the corner and came face-to-face with...



...possibly the meanest-looking man Dakota had ever seen! Dakota was really put off by the angry look on his face (a bit hard to see from this angle)...at least, that's what I think it was. Mannequins don't normally throw him for a loop, and I don't think the missing arms had anything to do with it. When I touched it and showed him it was all right, he consented to sniff it but you could tell he was still suspicious. I gave him a treat for being brave, but as you can see in the picture, he ate it without ever letting his eyes off that guy. Finally, as we were moving away, some little boys came up behind us and started punching another punching bag...and then the "mean man." Dakota looked back as much as if to say, "There, see? They agree with me! That guy is dangerous!"