We have finally purchased and settled into a home in Malibu. Roots have sprouted and the El Niño storms have certainly provided the rain for the roots to grow. We really love it here. Even though we are hoping to build a small farm so we can have the pony in the back, the dogs and we are quite cozy on this little sleepy beach street.

There has even been a change in Pongo, the wonder dog. Even before we got him, the breeder told us that "he is a climber and you are going to always have him on a leash when he is outdoors". That was fine with us as we are not the types to let our dogs roam. For the last six years, we have been walking him four times a day, rain or shine, so that he can do his thing.

Even on his leash, he tries to prove his machismo and love for danger. All ten pounds of him struts when he is outside. He seems to be quite certain he could stop a car or truck zooming by at fifty miles an hour by biting its tire. He must be forcibly held back. (It kind of makes us wonder how smart he REALLY is.) There is no question in his mind that he could take on and win in a fight with the Doberman around the block. And, there was a Boston terrier female near where we used to live and he had no doubt that she was madly in love with him. Pongo could not be trusted outside on his own.

Rafikki, on the other hand, as long as WE are safe, will mosey outside and do his business and mosey back in. No problems. No distractions. Just doing the business and coming back in to be with the gang. Pongo would watch him out the window and appear a little disjointed about Rafikki's independence. It kind of ruffled his coat. It never occurred to me that we was not just watching but also learning.

When we moved into our new home with the solidly fenced back yard, we knew how convenient life would be for Rafikki. Just open the back door and one, two, three. Pongo would still have to be walked. At least so we thought.

One day while I was not paying attention, when I opened the door to let Rafikki out back, Pongo shot past me like a rocket. I watched, trying to control my horror and devise a plan to catch the little bugger before he got out and flattened by a car he was trying to halt. To my surprise, he proceeded to go to the grass, lift his little leg, do his thing, and come right back to the house. He walked passed me, stopped, and looked back at me as if to say, "No big deal, dude".

So now, both the dogs, like two ladies at a restaurant, go to the bathroom together. I never would have thought that you really can teach an old dog a new trick!

Pongo's Potty Training Feast
"Fried" Rice with Chopped Egg and Chicken Per 10 to 15 pound dog, 1/2 cup cooked and cooled brown rice, 1/2 cup poached and cooled diced chicken, 1 hard boiled egg, cooled and chopped Toss together and serve to the deserving little pooch!

-Harry Schwartz, celebrity television chef, cookbook author, father, husband, pet lover, columnist, and business man, has appeared on many television shows as "The Today Show", "Wake Up America"(America's Talking), and on the TV Food Network. Harry's new cooking program debuted early last November on PBS, "Chef Harry and Friends". Check your public broadcasting listings for times and dates of his show.