Thursday 1 May 2014

Tail envy?

Really, there are few situations in life which are not improved by having a tail.

Now Gail is questioning whether my readers (with the obvious exception of esteemed Mayoress Madi), will bear yet another post on the topic of my rear-end appendage.

Do you think she could possibly be suffering from Tail Envy?

It must be so limiting, to have to use just your facial muscles to express joy, anticipation, delight, friendliness, uncertainty, vigilance, anger and fear, do you not agree?

I am thinking that all those not-so-young actresses with faces immobilised by botox might get hired again, if only they were able to access a nicely flexible tail to help convey emotion.

And did you know that us wire-haired fox terriers really are very special and unique in this area of anatomy?

It's not only that we don't mind a bit if you tug at our tail, quite hard, in a way which would cause offence to most pups. According to Gail's vet friend Kirsty, when (heaven forbid) WFT's are put under anaesthetic, our tails twitch in a manner unique to our breed*. Isn't that something else?

Some folk, e.g. dog show judges, would claim I am over-endowed, tail-wise.

Clearly, that is a ridiculous concept.


*Gail was intrigued by this snippet of terrier lore, and later asked Kirsty if the trait had been documented anywhere, but was disappointed to learn the evidence is merely "anecdotal".

19 comments:

  1. I don't really mind gettin my tail tugged at either - westies gots a carrot-like tail dat were designed to be tugged on when we got stuck in a hole chasin vermin!

    But don't ya touch my butt! Den I'll snap ya!

    ReplyDelete
  2. we don't like our tails being touched at all - it is always the hardest part of us for mom to brush and in fact we usually sit down making it even harder for her. And you know the Dweeb brother of mine...his tail is so so long it drags on the floor and worst of all - he NEVER wags it.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hari OM
    No such thing as too much tail. Tall tales on the other paw are to be disdained. Could the anesthesia v WFT tail twitch be such a one??? Hugs and wags, YAM-aunty xxx

    ReplyDelete
  4. I likes your tail... I's so glad they don't dock tails anymore in da UK... if only they would stop that here. Momma luvs WFTs but wouldn't want them to cut one's tail...

    Bertie, I's givin' ya da Sunshine Award... it's given to pups we admire...ya can read about it on my blog.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Bertie,
    The tail never lies, so our humans always know exactly what we are thinking!
    Woofs,
    Riley and Enzo

    ReplyDelete
  6. Lucky you Bertie as they cut mine off in the puppy farm before I was rescued. Peeps calls me Stumpy sometimes. Have a tremendous Thursday.
    Best wishes Molly

    ReplyDelete
  7. We wouldn't be us without our tails! No botox needed here.

    XXXOOO Bella & Roxy

    ReplyDelete
  8. MOL MOL BERTIE YOU ARE 100% CORRECT IN A NANO SECOND I RECOGNIZED YOUR MOST WONDERFUL TAIL AND IT'S ADVANTAGES...
    WHAT WONDERFUL NEWS TO READ FROM VET KRISTY THAT YOUR WFT TAIL MIGHT ACTUALLY HAVE A MIND OF IT'S OWN!!!
    HUGS MADI THE 2ND (of course Gail is #1) MOST ARDENT ADMIRER OF YOUR TAIL

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hmmm..my tail is as long as yours Bertie, but I don't have nearly as much fluff at the end! I like yours better. Wanna trade???

    gusssie

    ReplyDelete
  10. Do you realize how jealous we are! Our tails are 1 inch
    Lily & Edward

    ReplyDelete
  11. "THEY" have their precious Thumbs.... BUTT WE have our TAILS. We think they Invented Thumbs beclaws they are SO green with Jellyness over OUR TAILS.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I have a very expressive tail. It is a true barometer of my feelings. A few weeks ago, the folks took me to visit mom's dad and I was so worried about where I was going that my tail was down and almost tucked between my legs. On the other paw, when dad comes home every evening, I jump on a chair and wait for him to come greet me. Yesterday mom watched me wag my tail for three minutes straight while he took off his watch, put away his keys, installed his laptop, etc, etc. Three minutes! Angel Jake had a very short tail and we used to let his fur grow so it looked longer; but he could never wag it as well as moi!!!

    You, dear Bertie, have a splendiferous tail!

    Wirey woof,

    Just Harry

    ReplyDelete
  13. Sorry, buddy, but I'm with Gail on this one. There's no need to have a tail. I don't have one, just an itty bitty nubbin, and I do just fine! Boxers don't need tails to show our joy -- we wag our whole bodies instead!

    ReplyDelete
  14. You are right, we think people are missing out not having tails.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Howdy Bertie. Excellent tail mate. Looks like it is perfect for signalling Gail while out walking. Rory has sometimes bruised family and friends with his wagging tail hehe and mine wags even when i'm sleeping haha. Take care mate and have a great weekend. No worries, and love, Stella and Rory

    ReplyDelete
  16. Tail Envy for SURE! And don't you just hate "anecdotal" evidence (which truly isn't evidence at ALL)?!?!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Well we are sure glad that we have such wonderful endowments and that peeps have tail envy, and you got one to be jealous of.

    The Mad Scots

    ReplyDelete
  18. your tail is adorable! who wouldn't be jealous and as for that anecdotal evidence, I doubt it. Mom once had a friend of DAds over whose boyfriend pulled on our pug tails to straighten them she had to repeatedly tell him to stop. That was the last we saw those"friends"

    retro rover

    ReplyDelete
  19. Mom calls our tails "handles." Such an insult to dignity!
    Miro and Emily Dickins

    ReplyDelete