Dog Date 4th July
Blog Entry 14
On Saturday morning the day began as usual. I got up when Mom did, she fed me and Tuffy, let us out to run around a bit and do our business, then went out to take care of the horses.
While she and Dad were off to Starbucks to compete at the crossword (which Mom always wins) me and Tuffy had another snooze.
When they came back, Mom was looking in all the cabinets for some Ace. She was muttering something about having to keep me calm that afternoon, because another dog was coming to the house.
I thought I must have heard wrong: Mom doesn’t need another dog besides me.
Introductions
Around mid-afternoon, Mom took us both out in the back field for a run. I love it back there: it’s all up and down slopes, there are two groundhog holes (which Mom doesn’t like us sniffing at because the owners sometimes pop up their heads) and lots of yummy horse poop to push our noses in!
We got back and Mom gave us our tea. Soon after that I began to feel a little bit woozy, but she and Dad packed us into his Mini and we were off to the dog park.
This was a real treat: Dad doesn’t usually come to the dog park with us, and thinking about it, Mom hasn’t taken us for a long time. (Something about ‘Jeeves not knowing how to say proper hello’s to other dogs’ or some such nonsense.)
Instead of putting us in the dog pen, Mom and Dad put on our leashes and took us for a walk along the road back to the park entrance. Then I saw Ross. I love Ross!
But when I tried to run up to him and say ‘hello’ Mom wouldn’t let me. She made me walk past him. And then I saw her: a black dog with spotted white paws was walking on a leash next to him.
Wha-a-a-at!?
Well, I can tell you she’s a very rude dog. As we walked close by each other, I got up close and she snarled at me. I was offended and snapped back at her. We were pulled away from each other.
Then it was Tuffy’s turn to be introduced. That didn’t go well, either.
We walked along on our leashes for a while and Ross took his beastly dog into the dog run. She stayed on the leash and a couple of dogs came up. But they knew not to get familiar and after a quick sniff walked on their way.
Then I was allowed off the leash in the small dog run and Ross let his dog off, too. Her hackles rose and her tail was upright. I said ‘hello’ and I thought I was polite about it, but she lunged at me. Ross and Mom had to separate us.
We then all drove back to the house and Mom made sure that we were all re-introduced outside, so that me and Tuffy wouldn’t get mad when the new dog came into our territory.
Me and Tuffy steered clear of that dog when we got inside.
Dad grilled dinner and Ross told Mom and him to stay very calm so they wouldn’t get us all riled up. It really helped. Mom says that Ross is a regular Dog Whisperer and keeps calling him Dr. Millan.
We all started wandering around the patio and pool area, although we were still wary of each other. Mom said that she liked the fact that I wasn’t being a butthead, and was finally learning to be respectful of other dogs’ space.
You see, she’s embarrassed because I don’t see the point in all that sniffing each other’s butts when dogs meet new dogs. My motto is, ‘Life is short, let’s get playing!’ Mom says it’s mortifying because I can’t be trusted with her friends’ canines.
Anyway, that night the new dog, who was still being called by her rescue name, Coral, went upstairs to sleep in Ross’s room with him. We were all surprised at how quiet she was the entire time she was in there.
Day Two
When I woke up the next morning, I assumed that I’d just had a bad dream about a third dog and it was back to being me and Tuffy as the only canines in the house.
Then Ross slipped downstairs with That Dog on the leash, while Mom had to keep Tuffy and me away from her.
Drat! She was still here!
While Mom went to church and Dad went off to Starbucks (where Mom would later join him and thrash him at the Sunday Crossword) Ross spent a lot of time working with the three of us.
He texted a photo of me and Coral sniffing at each other to Mom, who was really pleased. Then Ross texted that right after that photo was taken, Coral fought with me!
But a few minutes later he texted another photo of us all lying down on the kitchen floor tiles near each other, peacefully.
Well, after I’d been through all that trauma, would you believe that Ross put me and Tuffy on our leashes and led us outside to meet yet another dog?
Coral is taller (but skinnier) than me, but this guy was a lot taller than me. He’s Frost, a white German Shepherd, purebred like me. Mom hid in the house: she didn’t want to hear how the ‘hellos’ went.
She’s been nervous about all these goings-on with new dogs suddenly coming to the house. But she keeps saying how proud she is of Ross and how he’s been handling us and getting me, in particular, to learn that leaping into another dog’s space isn’t cool and not the way to make doggy friends.
When me and Tuffy and Frost came back into the house it was four dogs milling around. Coral had already been on a long walk with Frost earlier that day (when Coral finally went away for a while) so she and Frost were at least acquainted.
Tuffy tried to be dominant with Frost, but Ross put him on his side and told him ‘no.’ It happened one more time, and Ross did the same thing again. Tuffy was cool and realized he shouldn’t do that anymore. He didn’t try that again.
Frost’s owner Dillon is a close buddy of Ross’s, and he was staying the night at our house. Dillon is another one of these calm dudes, and Frost is a very well-behaved dog. It’s quite sickening how obedient he is.
Pool and Playtime
Coral was put in Ross’s room, and Frost went into another spare room. Me and Tuffy had the rest of the house to ourselves while the humans went out to dinner.
When they came back all of us – canines and humans – went outside to play.
Dillon put Frost in the pool but he didn’t like it and came back out. Then the running began.
Boy, that was fun! Dillon threw a ball miles and miles away, and Frost ran after it. That animal has a turn of speed. I ran after him, and Tuffy ran halfway before he stopped and waited for us to come back. How boring is that?
Coral stayed with Ross for the longest time before she began to run after the ball a little bit. She’s pretty timid, which is why she is a little aggressive, Ross says.
This went on for ages and ages. Me and Tuffy played with Frost, but very respectfully. The pictures of us chasing the ball are too blurry to post. :(
The running and running wore us out! By the time it was over we dogs were ready to crash on the floor and didn’t care who was next to whom.
(BTW: Mom insists on that extra ‘m’ – she says it’s the sign of an educated dog. She also wants me to say ‘Tuffy and I’ instead of ‘me and Tuffy’ but there are limits.)
Coral was put in Ross’s room, and Frost went into another spare room. Me and Tuffy had the rest of the house to ourselves while the humans went out to dinner.
When they came back all of us – canines and humans – went outside to play.
Dillon put Frost in the pool but he didn’t like it and came back out. Then the running began.
Boy, that was fun! Dillon threw a ball miles and miles away, and Frost ran after it. That animal has a turn of speed. I ran after him, and Tuffy ran halfway before he stopped and waited for us to come back. How boring is that?
Coral stayed with Ross for the longest time before she began to run after the ball a little bit. She’s pretty timid, which is why she is a little aggressive, Ross says.
This went on for ages and ages. Me and Tuffy played with Frost, but very respectfully.
The running and running wore us out! By the time it was over we dogs were ready to crash on the floor and didn’t care who was next to whom.
(BTW: Mom insists on that extra ‘m’ – she says it’s the sign of an educated dog. She also wants me to say ‘Tuffy and I’ instead of ‘me and Tuffy’ but there are limits.)
The Second Night
I was so tired that I let the humans go to bed without me. I just stayed in the kitchen, completely pooped.
At about 3 in the morning, Mom came in to check that I was O.K. I barely lifted my head, I was so exhausted. But when she left the room I missed being snuggled up with her. Five minutes later I padded into the bedroom and climbed onto the bed with Dad and Tuffy and her.
It had been a good day. Having other dogs in the house isn’t so bad after all!