I haven’t had a pet for a long time and forgot how fulfilling they are. I was travelling on a regular basis, and I thought it unfair to a pet to leave for a long time, doling it out to a pet sitter. Besides, I had grand-dogs who visited now and then, filling my need for touching soft, furry things and opening the back door every fifteen minutes.
Huckleberry, a black labradoodle, had been a dream dog, always smiling, never resisting instructions. He knew several words and snapped to attention when I said his name and promptly did exactly what I said. He died and was replaced by Alta, also a labradoodle, who, although she is about five years old, knows fewer words, but we became friends, and she wraps her long legs around me and kisses me wetly and passionately every time we meet. I like her a lot, especially when she puts her head on my knee and ogles me with her big brown eyes.
That brings us to Rudy, a six-year-old white something-poo, who understands more than one language. He knows English but prefers some other language, I’m not sure what it is, but he is fluent. I know this because when I talk to him, he does exactly the opposite of what I say. If I say, “sit,” he looks and me and runs around the yard. If I say, “run,” he rolls over. When I say, “yes,” he stops, when I say “no,” he continues. He is an alpha dog and runs circles around Alta and me. He’s a food thief, making sure that Alta’s bowl is nearly empty before Alta gets to it, helping Alta maintain her weight goal. A couple years ago my son-in-law threatened to take him to the bad-dog hotel. He understood that threat perfectly and shaped up, but he has once again fallen to the depths of bad-dog-ness.
And now, our dog Cody. Cody is a Cairn Terrier, cute as a button, the same kind of kind of dog as Toto, of “Wizard of Oz” fame, the one that Dorothy carried in a basket for the entire movie. Toto was black and Cody is white, otherwise they are identical. Toto was an actor and knew his lines, but he must have been drugged because Toto totally complied, Cody, not so much. Cairn Terriers are known for their ability to dig out rodents and other small critters, but Cody has another passion. He likes to eat wooden toothpicks and can roust them out of the tiniest spaces, locating them in the depths of furniture or under the seats of the pickup. He has sharp pointed teeth and resists my efforts of removing the toothpicks from his mouth, even though I remind him of the danger of eating toothpicks. His redeeming quality is that he likes me and mostly behaves. He’s about three years old and already knows two words, “rope,” and “squirrel,” both toys that he likes, although he hasn’t mastered his name yet.
It has been fun to get to know Cody, he’s a pleasant animal, and doesn’t shed (a big plus)! He spends a lot of time perched on the back of the couch in front of the stove, so that he can watch the various critters that pass through the yard and let me know if they are infringing on the house. There are lots of birds, a few deer, rabbits, and a cat or two for him to spy. We have a mountain lion roaming in the area, but so far, Cody hasn’t seen him, and I hope he won’t, as one might be lunch for the other. I will let you decide which.
One plus for Cody that I find very useful is that he can tell time. His bedtime is 9:00 and along about 8:30 he begins watching the clock, seemingly counting the minutes. At exactly 9:03, he gets up and growls at the Cowboy, who answers, “You’re a good puppy, it’s time for bed. Let’s go to bed.” The Cowboy coos these words, very softly and kindly, and in seconds the two of them toddle off toward the dog kennel. The Cowboy, following behind him, feeds him a dog cookie, and Cody goes to bed. It’s fun to watch, and now thinking about it, I remember that people respond to the same stimulus, kind words and cookies. It makes me happy, too.
Don’t forget Gail’s book sale…four autographed books for twenty bucks, only until December 19, less than popcorn at the movies, and you’ll make four people happy, five if you count the Cowboy!
