So, July 4th was this weekend. Of course that means fireworks and fireflies and noise and celebration and bunnies and screen doors and...
Ten month old puppies Who Haven't Got A Clue going through screen doors when said door is not open. Because there was a bunny and a firework and the two things together were absolutely unacceptable. The first had to be captured and slayed (it got away this time), the second had to be escaped (or captured and slayed, depending upon your point of view). When she slammed it, the whole door came off, pop, no ifs, ands, or buts about it. It was gone, not even shreds left.
It was an amazing feat - especially when she realized it about 30 seconds after she hit the ground at a dead run after the bunny without even noticing that she'd bounced through an obstacle first. The expression on her face then was priceless - and yes, we quickly dissuaded her from the idea that going through doors without opening them would be of future use to her. She is now working on doing the latches by herself.
She's a revelation, is our Miss Olivia. Boxer and bull mastiff on her mother's side, dad ran off before anyone could determine what he might have brought to the mix. She's a joyful, generally intelligent airhead who must have something in her mouth at all times and prefers to mow the lawn and chase swallows above all things (because she's a modern day coach dog, she is, and mowing the lawn entails going back and forth and around and about at a dead run beside the lawn tractor, proving that she is much much much faster than it!)
I raised a son who weighed in at 10 pounds 12 ounces when he was born. My mother, keeper of 8 children herself, could never quite get her mind around this child of mine and labeled him Bam-Bam right from the start. It was an appropriate name, given his ability to rip child-proofing safety measures right out of the walls and plow through them on under-counter and -sink doors by the time he was in his walker. Olivia rivals his abilities - or perhaps I should say proclivities. *sly grin* At 28, my son is a wonderful combination of gentleness and strength, everything I could hope for and more. Right now, as I sit outside in my screenhouse office and eye the Evil Queen of Puppydom watching me from behind the closed glass doors on the deck (she would decimate my screenhouse and I'm At Work!) I can only hope she follows in my son's footsteps and eventually becomes
The Sunshine Princess of All I Survey.
But perhaps I like to fantasize too much... ;-)
Terey
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6 comments:
That is quite a story, and made me LOL. Though I know replace a door is a huge pain. My dogs, Scoobie is and English mastiff/great dane mix and Gizmo is part Japanese Chin/Maltese, drive me crazy. But they are my favorite office companions. Now if I just could get them to stuff envelopes we'd really be in business!
I have Labs. I understand. Little things like screens and furniture are merely hindrances that might get noticed when they fall on the dog creating the disaster, or they might not. Good thing we love them.
Awww....and yeah, when I was a kid our German shepherd/black lab went through the glass window in the front door at a salesman, then when he realized what he'd done, crawled back in, put himself in time out and hid his face under his paws. *grins*
Yasmine
I wrote a nice long comment yesterday and must have forgotten to submit it. We have had a variety of dogs, but none have gone through a screen door or window. My son and grandson, however, have. The legs and stretchers of my antiques chairs and tables have puppy teething marks on them. Not as bad a my friend. By the time they discovered the damage, their golden retriever had chewed one rocker to the leg of their maple boston rocker. We have to many pets, but they all hold a special place in our lives.
ROFL, Yazza. Sounds very familiar - some of our late pets. And Patricia... *gurgle* Oh yes. Been there, done that!!! When the kids lived at home it seemed we had an invisible sign on the house that only dogs, cats and animals in need of rescue could read because they all found their way here. Fortunately we found homes (or the original homes) for most, but did wind up with 6 dogs and 3 cats in the house that lived with us for many many years. It's kind of like having livestock. *grin*
And they make every single day unique. Just like kids.
Terey
lol! I so get this one! I'm on my second Guide dog. Both of y boys know how to work and be little (or ginormous) gentlemen when they need to be, but both boys are labs, and subsequently CRAZY when the harness comes off. I swear a qualification for being a Guide Dog is multiple personality disorder! The boys used to chase each other across the whole house from front door to back door, on a tile floor with no traction. One right after the other, they'd slap nose first into the floor to ceiling windows, and tuble nose over tail into a big heap of pathetic puppy. Luckily they've ever gone through anything, but it's a very close thing. ;)
They make life so wonderful, and I can't even begin to describe to you the friendship and partnership I have with my service dogs. They're each so different, and yet you can't help but love them both to pieces.
-Sass, Kodak, and Arlin the labradorable Guide Dog boys
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