<html><head></head><body><div style="color:#000; background-color:#fff; font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, Lucida Grande, sans-serif;font-size:13px"><div>Hi all, Dale here,</div><div><br></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1509057605254_9938">Well we all know that bassets are smart, clearly smarter than clueless parents as Snoopy points out on a daily basis. Still! Even after all these years.</div><div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1509057605254_9950"><br></div><div dir="ltr" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1509057605254_9933">Well as you know we went down to the county shelter almost 7 years ago and brought home an adorable basset hound having done literally ZERO research on the breed ....... OH MY LORD ..... thank goodness for GGBR who provided a cheat sheet and the drool who provided so much insight! One of the first things we learned on the drool was TRADE! Snoopy was previously owned by an experienced basset hound person (who had passed away). He had been taught to trade as we learned the first time Snoopy stole something deadly (sugar free gum) off of the counter and took off at high speed ........ I saw him do it and took off after him ..... I was in a panic ..... I shouted TRADE .... and he spit the pack of gum across the room and come back with a big grin on his face! I offered him a cookie ..... you should have seen the look on his face ..... it was like you're kidding, right? I spit out the gum and you offer me a cookie ..... FORGET about it where is my gum?? So we tried crackers .... nope ..... found some leftovers in the fridge .... those he accepted.</div><div dir="ltr" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1509057605254_9983"><br></div><div dir="ltr" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1509057605254_9979">Over the years we have used trade so many times I cannot even begin to recount ..... Snoopy is a picky trader .... he will always relinquish what he has but it can take awhile to find a suitable "trade". At this time of year we trade a lot because the neighbor has an avocado tree and some fall in our yard and the pits are dangerous so ........</div><div dir="ltr" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1509057605254_9980"><br></div><div dir="ltr" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1509057605254_9981">Yesterday my husband Greg bought some treats and was filling the treat jar as Snoopy watched. He didn't get any treats. Suddenly charged out the dog door and returned moments later ...... strolled over to Greg, spit a small and partially chewed avocado onto the kitchen mat and looked up expectantly.</div><div dir="ltr" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1509057605254_9996"><br></div><div dir="ltr" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1509057605254_9988">Greg, who is fairly well trained at this point, picked up the avocado and offered several of the treats. </div><div dir="ltr" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1509057605254_10004"><br></div><div dir="ltr" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1509057605254_10005">Maybe we are trainable after all.</div><div dir="ltr" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1509057605254_10006"><br></div><div dir="ltr" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1509057605254_10007">More later from Dale, the ever clueless momPerson</div><div dir="ltr">with Snoopy, OEBE, curator of missing objects</div><div dir="ltr" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1509057605254_10016">and Gracie the dickens</div></div></body></html>