Raoul’s Two Cents: January 30, 2026
Canine Endearment
If you don’t want to ponder, move on to the Jokes.
Tonka and Tinker, our two Corgis, were playing outside in their dog pen and they were having so much fun. I decided to let them play while I went inside to do some work on the computer. After some time, I opened the door and they rushed inside. But just before I shut the door, I noticed there was a dog tail laying outside. A dog tail?! It looked like Tonka’s dog tail! I looked inside and I noticed Tonka’s butt was tailless and his butt bones were sticking out. But wait! His coat was lighter than normal. Tonka was thinner. Hey, that isn’t Tonka! That’s another dog! Somebody stole Tonka!! Who? What? When?!?!
That’s when I woke up! What a strange dream.
As I stared at the ceiling of the dark bedroom, reality set in and I realized how attached I have become to our dogs. The last time I felt this kind of sadness was when Zoe (our previous dog) passed away over 10 years ago. I was so heartbroken I swore I would never have a pet again. It was a total shock when my wife got our 2 corgis. Life changed. I had to interrupt my days to give them short walks. I had to feed them their meals. I had to vacuum their fallen fur. I didn’t want these extra responsibilities, but I reluctantly did it for my wife. As I pondered why I felt so bad about the dream, I realized I had grown to actually like our dogs and I will miss them terribly if they get stolen or when they pass away.
I must be getting soft — we men aren’t supposed to be so mushy gushy. I’ve gotten to know their personalities. Tonka is the escape artist while Tinker is the clinging vine. So when I take them for a walk I tie both of their leashes together. I don’t need to hold the leash. As Tinker follows me, Tonka is forced to follow Tinker. Tinker is quick, impulsive, noisy and unsophisticated — she sleeps on her back with her legs spread wide open. What a slot! Her motto: “Grab and eat now, ask questions later!” Tonka is a cultured gentleman — slow as a turtle, always assessing the current situation; and when he stares at you, it’s as if he’s reading your mind — “What’s that you say? By golly, did you say something?” Whenever Tinker pees, she looks up at me longing for approval and says “How’d you like this, huh? I know you want this. Am I amazing or what?”
They are always hungry; they are always scrounging for food. Surprisingly, they love lettuce and Bok Choy — especially the crunchy root part. Tinker waits for us to settle down in the sofa. Then she sits in front of us like she is about to recite a poem. She starts with a mumble which slowly crescendos to deafening barks: “Outside! I need to go outside! Stop the TV, stop the sleeping, stop everything! I want to go outside now!” Tonka will join in the barking and will grab anything we accidentally drop and will blackmail us for the treats — “Give me those snacks or else this plastic bottle cover gets it!”
They’re part herding dog and part guard dog. Every night, Tonka sleeps near the sofa to protect the upstairs while Tinker snuggles at the entrance door to protect the bottom floor. No matter how quiet I try to walk, they can sense me coming home a block away. With their full-sized body and their little feet, I imagine that any would-be-robber will have difficulty controlling his laughter when he sees how cute our canine sentinels are.
I have no profound insight for you today (I’m so sleepy because of that nightmare). I only want to warn you of the dangerous charms of these adorable creatures. If you already have a pet, you know exactly what I mean. God designed these animals to bring out the best in us humans. With all the angry political shenanigans around us, maybe it’s time we let the dogs out!
And all of the silly pet Owners said — “Amen!” TGIF people!
In case you are interested, I wrote a song about my Corgis several years ago. CLICK HERE.
Did you know there is a Corgi Beach Day? CLICK HERE.
.
Please do me a favor and spread this website around. Thank you!
Mailchimp has been tampering with my email database so you might get cut off. If that ever happens, you can find me here in travelingboy and resubscribe.
Quotes of the Week
“Dog’s lives are too short. Their only fault, really.” — Agnes Slight Turnbull
“The average dog is a nicer person than the average person.” — Andy Rooney
“If I could be half the person my dog is, I’d be twice the human I am.” — Charles Yu
“The righteous care for the needs of their animals, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.” — Proverbs 12:10
“Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind.” — 1 Peter 3:8
“How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” — Romans 10:15
Joke of the Week
Thanks to Art of Sierra Madre, California.
Parting Shots
Thanks to James of Los Angeles, CA
Thanks to Fred of Long Beach, CA
Thanks to Jennifer of Los Angeles, CA
Thanks to Norm of Encino, CA
Thanks to Art of Sierra Madre, CA
I found these:
My good friend (and jokester) Terry and I came up with these.
Got any good jokes? Come share it with rest of us!
Know someone who enjoys a laugh? Share this website.
Heather
January 30, 2026 at 8:52 pm
Yep, there’s nothing like a dog and two of them is better. My dog, Buddy, goes to work with me everyday and he knows when it’s time to go to work and time to go home. My clients love him and are always surprised when he greets them at the door. He tells me there’s somebody coming before I realize there is somebody outside.
Ed
January 30, 2026 at 8:52 pm
Nice canine narrative and good jokes and illustrations.
Larry
January 30, 2026 at 9:02 pm
I told you about my dog, Patches. I showed you his picture.
He was my 10th birthday present. Before having a dog, I had turtles. They kept dying, because of soft shell disease.
Patches was part standard poodle and Commondore. An Hungarian sheep dog.
My parents got him from. Orphans of the Storm, a place for wayward dogs.
He was 8 months old when we got him. He had had many owners. He was wild.
We had a metal chain assembly in our backyard. We called it his, “run.”
He would often break free and go running down the street with his run behind him.
When my mother told me, she was going to divorce my father, one of my main concerns was what would happen to, Patches?
We looked at some apartments that would not take dogs.
My mother ended up buying a condo in rural Illinois.
We had Patches, castratred. Something my Father would not allow.
It calmed Patches down. In many ways, Patches was my only friend up in nowhere, Illinois. We took long walks together.
Didn’t even need a leash.
My Mother decided to move to California. She asked, but no one wanted to take Patches.
He was 10 years old by then. My mom took him back to Orphans of the Storm to be, “put to sleep.”
They didn’t want to do it, because he was healthy.
Forgive me if I end this email with RIP 🪦 Patches