Confessions: Undies, Poop, and Mints

Hello Friends!

Just a reminder, when mamma rescued me no one was sure of my past history or my exact age. Guesses are that I was between six and nine months of age, ready to be spayed, and in desperate need of training. I was pretty much a crazy, hormonal adolescent, so it was a good thing the shelter made the spaying and training conditions of my adoption!

So, believe it or not, I was not always a good dog. I know, I know, it’s very hard to believe, bol! I did a lot of weird things as a pup, didn’t we all? Some of them were what mamma calls “gross”, but I say it was just “normal” doggie behavior. And, of course, it was my job to teach mamma the virtue of patience!

I loved mamma so much and missed her terribly when she left for work and college that I raided the laundry. Yep, you guessed it, I loved mamma’s underwear! I didn’t touch daddy’s underwear, or my human sisters’ underwear, nope, just mamma’s. I thought I was very clever stashing her undies all over the house, but mamma and other humans were not amused. I guess I outgrew that fun trick after a bit.

I soon discovered poop! It was winter when I was adopted, and I had a lovely back yard in a wooded area all to myself, so I discovered rabbit poops. Nommy! That wasn’t enough though, and this is where, in mamma’s words, I became “gross” because I started eating my own poop. Frozen treats, I say! In case you are wondering, yes, when spring came and everything thawed, I stopped eating all poop, the rabbits’ and my own.

Finally, and I do not recommend doing this, so please, learn from my mistake, ok? One day when mamma was in the shower, I raided her book bag. Ooooh, I got a yummy, movie-sized box of Junior Mints^®. I ate the whole thing of chocolaty and minty goodness, including the box. I guess I was lucky that the chocolate was not enough to kill me or make me too sickly, but I got a terrible tummy ache.

We, as dogs, have an insatiable curiosity that needs to be indulged and channeled to go along with our incredible sense of smell. We need help learning what is ok to sniff and taste because we are willing to smell and eat almost anything and everything, which sometimes just is not that good for us. I outgrew my affinity for undies and poop, and mamma makes sure I don’t get near any chocolate, so it’s all good!

Doggie Discrimination

Hello Friends!

 

I am a very lucky dog. Mamma walks me at least two times a day, every day, no matter what the weather brings. Now that the weather is getting warmer, the walks will increase in length and quantity, until it gets too hot, then it may change again. I love to walk! I love to sniff, after all, I am a dog gifted with a pretty good nose for sniffing. We have our usual routes we walk, and I have my favorite potty spots, and even if Mamma changes our walk direction, I still find my favorite spots.

 

I admit, I’m not always the best walker and I test Mamma’s patience sometimes. She has tried lots of different training techniques, but I’m still “bad”. I am good until I smell something, of course, Mamma doesn’t always see what I smell, but I dig in and collapse low to the ground, so no one can move me until I’m good and ready. Or I see something, and then I pull and pull some more, choking myself until I get to where I want to go. Oh, and if there is another dog, forget it, I lose my mind barking with excitement, and pull like a crazy dog, and this just totally freaks the other dog out, so it becomes a very stressful situation for all. Mamma says it’s in my nature to be stubborn and protective because of the German Shepherd in me, but she also concedes it’s her fault for not training me better.

 

Well, today, Mamma took the neighbor’s 7 month, 50 pound, female, Golden Retriever puppy for a walk, and I was not invited to go! Mamma says it was a totally different walking experience, mainly because the puppy never gets to go on walks, so it was new, and because the puppy is just that, a cute puppy. Mamma says the puppy was very good, no pulling and no barking at other dogs, unlike what happens with me (uh-oh)! The biggest thing Mamma observed, and found a bit upsetting, was that puppy got lots of attention, oohs and aahs and requests from humans to pet puppy. That doesn’t happen with me. People fear me and turn the other way or cross the street to avoid me. I love to be petted too, you know! So, without any scientific data, Mamma believes this was just another case of doggie age and breed discrimination, plain and simple. Mamma says it’s ok, though, because she would never trade my mature and protective nature for anything in the world, not even a cute puppy.