We created a monster

Okay, maybe not a monster, but we definitely made Albie a fan of the boob tube. The very first night we brought him home, we happened to watch a movie called Up. For those who haven't seen it, its a wonderful, animated film that features dogs in the story line. Near the end of the movie,  there's a scene with lots of barking and growling and snarling. Our little pup was captivated. He couldn't figure out where the noises were coming from or what all those colors on the screen were. He was mesmerised. Thus began Albie's fascination with the television.  It's actually grown over the years, but I don't want you to think that all we do with our dog is sit around and watch TV. We're actually quite fortunate to have a very active dog who keeps us on our toes. But during down time, while we sat around watching TV, we soon realized that certain commercials made him rush to the screen in anticipation. The first commercial we noticed that did this was for a horse track. Initially it was their ads promoting the dachshund races. Albie would rush up to the screen to watch the dogs run around the track. Soon after, he began to recognize their theme music, the traditional tune that starts every horse race. As soon as it began, he knew to run to the TV. Eventually, we moved from that area and no longer saw that commercial. It wasn't long before he recognized a new theme to a local mattress company, whose mascot was an adorable Old English bulldog. He can be lounging in the bedroom, but if that song comes on he knows that dog going is to be there and here he comes running from the other room. During the last baseball post season, a beer company was running an ad about a man and his dog. At one point, the man leaves the dog alone at home. The dog sits up all night long, fretting over where his friend is and when he'll come home. It didn't take long for Albie to join in, sitting in front of the screen and whining with the onscreen pooch. He never did catch on that the guy always made it home. 

Not everything on TV is Albie-approved. He has a fear of bugs, specifically flies. We think it began when he was a puppy, abandoned at the laundromat. It is such an intense fear that he just has to hear the 'buzz' and he's gone, hiding in his crate. Unfortunately for him, we are fans of the zombie TV show, The Walking Dead. Every episode is full of both dead people and flies. Albie is not a fan. He also doesn't enjoy the numerous wildlife shows we watch. Only the ones about ocean life are ok with him. 

 I know that there are actual cable networks whose programming is devoted to entertaining dogs. I've seen one such program. It was a bunch of colors swirling on the screen with strange noises and music playing. I'm sure I could be wrong, but I just don't think they would work in entertaining my dog. His tastes lean toward the more thought provoking, or at least that is what I like to believe. 

Recently, we have taken to spending Saturday and Sunday mornings watching Albie's TV shows. He has two that he really likes. Dogs with Jobs is a show we found streaming on Netflix. Every episode features two dogs and the special tasks they've been trained to perform. Of course Albie's favorites are the dogs who work on ranches, as long as there are no bugs. Another favorite is Dogs 101. It features several breeds each episode. He particularly enjoys the puppies. Last night, he suffered (along with us) through the Super Bowl, so we rewarded him by watching the Puppy Bowl for a bit. He really enjoyed it and I definitely liked it more than football.

Do Kevin and I regret introducing him to television? Not at all. We are so thrilled to be able to share so many things with our dog. TV is but one small thing among many. In the end, we all get a ton of joy out of the small screen.