Odd Dog Things

You've met Nessa, our dog. Well, okay, if you haven't met Nessa, go back and read this. I'll wait.

Nessa is a good dog, but more than a little neurotic. She's earned it, though ... she came to us from our daughter, who was no longer able to cope with two small children and a hyperactive Chocolate Lab. Not to mention the fact that said Chocolate Lab spent her days trying to escape from our granddaughter Leya, who was - quite literally - loving her to death.

So anyhow, we have this neurotic dog. Here are a few of the odd things she does that we've gotten used to...

She can't go for a walk without taking a toy along. Nessa is famous around the neighborhood for trotting along happily on the leash with one of her Frisbees, her bouncy-ball, or some other toy in her mouth. Both of her Frisbees have large holes in the center to make them easy to pick up, and she often carries them upright in her mouth, so that she can look through the hole to see where she's going. We've grown used to people pointing at us and laughing (Yes, Mike, I'm sure they're laughing at Nessa and not at me).

When the walk is over, she expects to play with the toy she has carried along. However, she expects us to work for the privilege of playing with her...she plays keepaway, expecting us to chase her around until we can get the toy out of her mouth and throw it for her. At least a thousand times.

Nessa is a great watchdog. Not only do we get a loud announcement if someone comes onto our property, but we also know if someone walks past the house, if our neighbors come or go, if a squirrel, bird, stray dog, cat, or other animal dares to enter the yard. She also barks hysterically when we come home. It's nice to know she stands ready to protect us from ourselves.

I can no longer go to the bathroom without Nessa's accompaniment. If I go into the facilities, she follows me in and lies down patiently on the floor until I'm done. At bedtime, when she knows that I'll go into the Little Room first, she automatically goes in and waits patiently at the door for me to come in, whereupon she will do the usual canine turn-around-three-times and then lie on the throw rug to keep an eye on me and make sure I do things correctly.

Nessa always selects a place in the house to lie down from which she can keep an eye on both Agnes and I. If I'm in the study and Agnes is in the bedroom, she'll lie in the hallway halfway between the two doors. If I'm upstairs and Agnes is downstairs, she'll lie right at the top of the stairs. If we're both in the kitchen, she'll lie on the hallway carpet right in front of the kitchen door. And if we're both in the kitchen and eating, she'll curl up directly behind one of our chairs so that we can't get up and leave without her knowing.

She's working very hard on mastering the Chocolate Lab Woe-Is-Me expression. She's just the right size to sit next to us at mealtimes and lay her head on the table so that she can observe us with her big, mournful brown eyes, clearly transmitting the "I'm starving and you don't care" look. She is also a master of sitting at the top of the stairs when we leave the house without her, beaming her "You're leaving me all alone, boo-hoo" look. Should we decide to let her come along, it's best not to be standing in the doorway when we tell her to come, lest we get bowled over by about 80 pounds of rocketing dog.

Neurotic dogs. Every family should have one. Trust me - we'll know if you come by to see.

Have a good day. Approach your tasks doggedly.

More thoughts tomorrow.

Bilbo