Work Like a Dog

In the heat of our Houston summer, it is a wonder to me that August 5 is designated as “Work Like a Dog Day,” according to nationaldaycalendar.com. I think that we would all prefer to work like a dog in December or January, but I did not pick the day for this important celebration. Actually, I’m not so sure anyone wants to really work like a dog anyhow.

“Work like a dog” means, of course, work very hard for a long time. There is no clear history of how this saying started, but it is assumed that it refers to those canines that work as sled dogs, sheep herders, or rodent control creatures. You might want to add to the list those dogs that help people with poor or no sight and the sniffer dogs that find drugs or bodies. Somehow, service dogs do not seem to me to “work like a dog” even though they clearly must work like a dog. What choice do they have?

I have had three dogs over the years. The first one, Doodles, was a Beagle hound, and she is long gone now. My wife bought her at a pet store in Baltimore where we were living at the time. My wife was proud that she got a $10 discount as our friend Mary Jo bought the sister in the litter. Over the dog’s lifetime, I was a keen observer of Doodles, and I assure you that this hound never worked like a dog. She did learn to roll over, shake hands, sit, and lie down, so I suppose that’s something. Still, I can’t call it work. 

After Doodles passed, we adopted a Jack Russell Terrier puppy. My wife would not let me get another Beagle. She was tired of Doodles’ inclination to chew up anything and behave a bit crazy from time to time. I researched the options to find an alternate crazy dog, and I got the feeling that a Jack Russell would be crazy, too. We went to a breeder’s kennel in Dickinson, and my oldest daughter (age 12 at the time) picked out the scrawniest puppy of the litter. Its ribs stuck out, so she named it “Bones,” but that didn’t last long. The dog lived its long life as “Bonzo.” Yes, it was a crazy dog, and it thrived in our lively house of three daughters. I do not ever recall Bonzo doing any work, but come to think of it, there was one time. 

We had a hamster named Rascal. It was an escape artist. Finally, it escaped, and we could not find it. I gave up figuring that Rascal would turn up eventually. One day, my wife was on the phone and Bonzo appeared and dropped a deceased and desiccated Rascal at her feet. I suppose that qualifies for work.

After Bonzo died at a ripe old age, there was a hiatus. Only my youngest daughter, Tammy, remained at home, and she and I wanted another dog. My wife was not so sure, but she relented after a year or so.  My daughter and I went to the SPCA and found a cute puppy that looked like a little raccoon. Nikki was our last dog, and she was special. As Nikki grew, the raccoon look went away. She became a stately furry mid-sized dog. She was a mix between an Australian Shepherd and Australian Cattle Dog. She was very bright. If any dog was going to work like a dog, Nikki was the one. 

But did Nikki work? Not really. Occasionally when there were a few kids on the street, she would try to herd them. Our neighbors had a chicken, and Nikki would lie down in front of the chicken and commune with the bird in some unknown way. Of course, none of that constitutes work. The chicken, on the other hand, laid an egg every day, and that was clearly work. 

So, on August 5, I think I will observe Work Like a Dog Day somehow as a kind of memorial to Doodles, Bonzo, and Nikki. To be honest with you, that day is also my wife’s birthday. Maybe, before we go out to some horribly expensive restaurant to celebrate her birthday, I will chew on a Milk-Bone to acknowledge the canine holiday. Of course, I haven’t mentioned it, but August 5 is also National Underwear Day and National Oyster Day.

What to do? It’s a dog’s life.