Both our dogs were taught the standard tricks of ‘paw/handshake’ and ‘beg’ at an early age.

I realised that Snoopy felt a need for greater expression when I entered a dark room one evening to find him begging to no one in particular. Switching on the light I noticed that Snoopy was actually begging to a lizard on the wall. ‘Come down and fall into my mouth’ was what he was saying but since he knew no other way to say it, he begged. That’s when I decided that he ought to be taught more actions.

But first came the decision of what to teach him. Snoopy, being the smart dog that he was, had already caught on how to express his feelings with just ‘beg’. He wanted food, he begged. He wanted to go out, he begged. He wanted to say sorry, he begged. What could I teach him then? New actions for new feelings was the answer. Thus began the arduous task of teaching him feelings. Whoever said you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. In time Snoopy learned to yawn when I said ‘how boring’, to sit still when I said ‘statue’ and to extend his paw and then lick my hand (which I laid over his extended paw) every time I said ‘gentleman’.

My darling Snoopy. I bet he’s the most gentlemanly and the coolest dog in all of dog heaven.