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I can’t believe I’m in the doghouse again!  Well, not my real doghouse, but my personal time-out corner I sit in when foolishness gets the best of me!  You would think I’d learn to follow the rules, but many times my mischievous ways overtake sensible thinking. When that happens, I hear my full name, find myself in the corner, and head to bed without dessert!

Where are my manners? Let me introduce myself. My name is Dogwood, but everyone calls me Woody. I’m an eight-year-old black and tan miniature dachshund (or wiener dog) from Kentucky  (Making me “Woody, The Kentucky Wiener!”). Being the runt of the litter or underdog, the owner of that Kentucky tobacco farm said I wouldn’t amount to anything. That all changed the morning a lady and her one-year old redheaded miniature dachshund appeared. The lady scooped me up and we instantly fell in love.  Mom and the other wiener dog (Chloe, who’s now my sister) took me outside, gave me a name, and the rest, as they say, is history! 

Our family has grown to include Dad (a human), two brothers (Rio, a Labrador, and Little Bit, a cat) and two sisters (Cheyenne, another Labrador, and Dolly, another cat).  Even though there is plenty of barking, meowing, chasing and fetching, there’s also work to do. We call it teamwork!

You see, mom writes books about us. Not only did people read the books, but also my phone started ringing. “Woody, can you come to our school and talk about dreams, goals and hard work?” As an underdog, I knew about those things. Dad always says we can achieve, with work hard. “It doesn’t matter that you’re little,” dad says, “it’s your attitude and work ethic that count, so work and dream like a big dog!”  While mom, dad, Chloe and I travel to schools, our siblings watch over the home place, keeping the lions, tigers and bears at bay! We’ve never seen a lion, tiger, or bear in the neighborhood!)

In fact, we’ve been so busy that we haven’t taken a vacation in years. Imagine our surprise when dad said he was treating mom, Chloe and me to a vacation! “Where?” Chloe and I barked.  “Washington D.C. – our nation’s capitol!” Dad replied. We were PAWS-atively thrilled!  We’ve been planning our route, packing our Scooby suitcase, and counting the days before we head east! 

Dad bought us a coloring book of D.C. It has pictures of well-known monuments. Everyone knows how much Chloe and I love to color, so we’ve been spending our free time coloring the stately buildings, trying our best to stay between the lines. Dad was sure the book would help us prepare for our trip. What he didn’t count on was that my love of art would land me in the doghouse! Mom told us we couldn’t play until we picked up our toys and brushed our teeth. “Then you can have free time,” mom said.  “And Woody, no more coloring until you’ve completed your chores!”  “Yes Ma’am!” I answered, fully intending to obey, but what would it hurt if I finished my masterpiece? “Just a few more minutes and then I’ll start my chores,” I thought.

Chloe was minding mom, explaining that I better obey too, yet I was sure mom would understand once she saw my stunning portrayal of the Washington Monument. Wrong! What mom saw was scattered toys and food stuck between my teeth from lunch. The next thing I knew, mom called me Dogwood and ordered me to obey at once. She didn’t have to tell me twice! Once I accomplished the task, mom scooped me up, just like she did that spring day eight years earlier, and gave me a kiss. “I love you, Woody. You’re a sweet little boy, but you must follow rules! You know what this means, don’t you? You must sit in the corner and think about your actions - and no dessert either.” After a few more hugs, kisses, and tears (sniff, sniff), I found my way to my familiar corner.

So, here I am, realizing I’ve been selfish. My parents are taking Chloe and me on dream vacation – Washington D.C. - and I can’t even mind my manners. I can’t wait until mom returns so I can tell her again how sorry I am. While I’m waiting, I think I’ll close my eyes (yawn) and imagine the Capital City. See what happens next time when our paws hit the ground in D.C. Will we meet the President? I’ll keep you posted. In the meantime, remember to obey your parents and work and dream like a big dog!

Woody, a k a Mr. Dogwood

Thanks to LG&E/KU both E.ON companies and KPA for making this project possible. Thanks to the Kentucky Secretary of State for sponsoring the new podcast. For podcast and questions and activities go online to www.kypress.com.