Cricket & Black Magic are always a hit, but fortunately Cricket is a member of Therapy Dogs International, so she can make some very special visits. This week Cricket went visiting at an Irish themed party. The music was ah, OK, but Cricket was the star attraction, as usual.
It’s often been said that people look like their owners – or the other way around. True or not, it does appear that dogs not only watch their owners, but learn from their movements.
Besides some basics of how things work, like opening a door, I’m sure that dogs learn from their attitudes as well. Because they are Schipperkes, Cricket and Black Magic have natural ‘watch dog’ or ‘guard dog’ alertness and sensitivity to what they interpret as strange, different, or potentially threatening in their environment. However, they have also learned calmness, caring, and in particular, tolerance of children’s behavior. I have chosen not to emphasise their learning tricks for entertainment, but to learn calming and non-threatening approaches that make them suitable for therapy dog work.
Just like kids, dogs are prone to “do what you do, not do what you say.” Obedience training? A good thing, of course. But I also believe dogs personality and understanding of things can be shaped by yours. That should keep us dog owning people on our best behavior. 
Cricket & Black Magic are very internet savvy dogs. They have their own blog (here), a Facebook page, a YouTube channel, and their own personal email at Salem Design. (CricketMagic@salemdesign.com). So what to do now that they’ve become such celebrities? Find more dog friends online!
So today Cricket & Magic joined DogTree and introduced themselves. The first group they joined was funny stuff & Youtube dogs. Of course. At first we thought DogTree might be just for AU dogs because of the link address, but when we signed up we could see there was a time zone for us, so that’s cool. We may not meet a lot of dogs on the web site personally, but we surely do like looking at dog pictures, and especially looking at dog videos. We found a place for dog jokes, so there will be more on that later too.
For now, here’s DogTree
We are delighted to discuss the wedding, life and adventures of Cricket & Black Magic here. Of course, they have their own FaceBook page and YouTube Channel also. We now see they are being picked up by other blogs and are making the rounds of social media “How Dogs Use Social Media.” Cricket & Black Magic appreciate the press, and are delighted to find out more about where to meet other dogs online.
Ariwriter – How Dogs Use Social Media
The Adventures of Cricket & Black Magic on FaceBook
YouTube Channel for Cricket & Black Magic
See “All”, “Uploads”, or “Playlists” for Cricket & Black Magic. There are multiple playlists for Cricket & Black Magic, one for the Salem Dog Wedding, one for their personal lives and adventures, and one for their visits around town in Salem, MA.