Friday, November 10, 2006
Adventures In Dog Sitting
Some of you have known me for a long time and know that I used to have a dog that I miss very much. Some of you also know that I’m pretty good with animals and while I’m no Dog Whisperer, I do pretty good just by instinct alone. I seem to understand animals better than I do humans, more often than not.
So I was thrilled when I learned that I would be dog sitting for four days. I was also given permission to start training him because he’s got a few....well...he took the “Stranger BAD!” training in school a little to the extreme. It’s all easily rectified with some guidance, patience and consistency. I love animals and I know many people are very, very fond of their pets so it is an honor for me to do this.
Yesterday was our first day together, the dog and me, and we got off to a great start. After he was dropped off and had sniffed his surroundings a little bit, I took him on a walk to explore the neighborhood. I started training right away and within that half an hour walk, this dog was doing exceptional. At first it was a lot of work but he’s a smart dog and picked it up very quickly.
I then brought him back to the house and let him meet the cats. That went down fairly predictably although the white cat, who loves dogs, and he are ok with each other. Unfortunately I had to go to work so I left them all to hash out any differences while I was gone. When I got home, it was evident there had been a lot of chasing going on but no one had any scratches or bite marks so I’m sure it was all about establishing territory and hierarchy.
Took the pooch for a walk and he did really, really well listening to my commands and while I think this is a smart dog, there was a part of me feeling kind of smug about just how damn good I am with animals.
Of course, that little high was shattered about one hour later when he kicked me in the eye. That’s something I never thought I would say. Ever. In my entire life. But there it is. I have been kicked in the eye by a dog. And he kicked me hard...like a horse. I was down for the count for quite awhile after that. What’s more? He’s a small dog, no bigger than your common house cat. You may be wondering how that happened but I think we should all just move on from here.
Anyway....I laid down on the couch and the pooch curled up at the end while the white cat settled in to my arms and it was so peaceful and just....cool that I passed out until this morning. There didn’t appear to be any problems while I slept so I would say, all in all, it was a successful day.
Woke up this morning and my eye was a little swollen, red, still hurt and kind of burned but I figured if I didn’t tell anyone, they wouldn’t know anything happened. Because, really...would you want to explain that one to your boss and relentless co-workers? The day was pretty much a repeat of yesterday although the cats, all of them, are growing accustomed to this new creature who whimpers a lot when they won’t let him touch them.
Tomorrow we are having big adventures. We are going to the pet store and then to the beach. I love the beach as it is but there’s just something about taking a dog out on to the beach that is just so fun that I think I might be looking forward to it more than the dog. Sunday we are going to an off leash park. I’m not going to let the dog off leash yet but he’s going to start getting socialized with other dogs. That should prove interesting.
It’s so....I’m so happy to have a dog around again...even if it’s just for a little while so this weekend is going to be a blast. In the meantime, here’s a photo of said dog:
Yes, you punks, that is the dog that handed me my ass.
Oh just shut up. And pick yourselves up off the floor. It’s unbecoming. Sigh...I don’t even know why I bother to tell you people anything.
