Along with those magical words, Breakfast and Dinner, they boys know quite a few more words for food. Treat, cookie, cheese, and bully stick are some of the top ones, though Ray also knows peas, jolly ball, tug-tug, and antler. Ray also knows all of our animals by name while Julius knows who Julius is.

Then there are the phrases. “Would you like…” always draws an adorable head tilt because while the boys are pretty sure they would like one, they need to know what it is. The most comical, though is the phrase, “Who wants one?” That phrase always draws a crowd of three because, no matter what “one” is, they all want one.

Simple phrases, to be sure, though Asia often tries to take things one step further. Ray knows that all treats like bully sticks and kongs must be eaten on a mat, which can be anything from an actual dog bed to a towel on the floor. He knows we always have that layer between him and the carpet so one of his “go-to” offerings is to run to his mat and wait to be treated.

It can get comical watching him run around looking for the nearest mat in order to get a treat but lately Asia tries to make him reason things out. Holding a treat she says, “If someone wanted something, where might they go?” Obviously, Ray can not reason, but since that is his go-to, it is funny to hear the conversation and to see him run to his mat as if he thought the process through.