Tuesday 2 August 2011

Embarrassing doggies....



When I finally moved out of the ‘marital home’ just before my divorce came through, I decided it was a great time to finally get the kids a couple of dogs.

They had been asking for a pet for ages.  We’d done the fish tank stuff (they’re gross, they eat each other!) and I said a big fat “no” to any member of the rodent family.  Sorry Hamster lovers, but I don’t like creatures that look like rats, run under the floorboards, and chew their way through electric cables!

And so, finally, we got the dogs. 

They have been absolutely fantastic.  They were easy to house train, the kids adore them, and when I’m on my own in the house, I don’t feel alone.

In addition, through the dogs, I have met a number of local people who have become good friends.  And so last night, when one of these new friends invited me over for dinner, and the dogs were invited too, I was really excited. 

As I walked to my friend’s house, the dogs had a quick pee on the grass outside!  Great, I thought.  Now I don’t have to worry about ‘little accidents’.  But I was also a bit worried.  The little dog was recently attacked by two dogs.  It has made her very nervous and she becomes aggressive when she feels threatened.

For the first ten minutes, everything was fine.  The little dog thought it was all terribly exciting to be in a new house with new smells and I sat down to enjoy a glass of wine.  And then, it all started to go terribly wrong…

First it was the cat.  Having defended herself by boxing my dog with her claw, the poor cat had to be put into the bedroom for both their safety.  Then, my dog decided to turn its attention on my friend’s adorable and gentle dog. 

First she tried to hump him.  He wasn’t impressed!  So he growled at her to give her a warning.  And that’s when world war three broke out.  My friend and I separated the dogs and her poor dog had to join the cat in the bedroom for safety.

You’d have thought that was enough excitement for one evening.  But as it happens, my dog had barely started.  Throughout dinner, the little dog was acting like she was on speed, hurtling in and out of every room she had access to.  And then… she pee’d once my friend’s sofa, twice on the floor and finally… as I saw her scuffling out of the room, I smelt an unpleasant odor.  The source of this pungent smell was in a little pile in the corner of the room.

Despite my friend’s protestations that hers is a ‘dog friendly’ home and ‘not to worry’, I was mortified.  I dragged the dogs home, having apologized countless times, wondering whether I’d be better off taking the dog to Battersea Dogs home, or trying to sell her on eBay!

Of course, there would be meltdown if the kids came back to find their dog missing.  So, I guess I’ll just have to investigate the local dog trainers. 

As I write this, she is of course lying quietly in her bed… looking like butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth… eBay will have to wait a little longer.


2 comments:

  1. Ah, setting the pecking order. That's what was going on. Usually dogs set a pecking order in a few minutes. Sometimes, however, they have to duke it out. That is why the little one went nuts, humped the host, and marked all the territory. She had a method to her madness--a mortifying one for you, to be sure.

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  2. I love this post, my dog is the same,he's so well behaved at home, yet take him to someones house and he's a lunatic and he has to get his nob out for every visitor when at home, but if we go out its out constantly, its not even like he can use it!

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