Wednesday, April 4, 2012

A-Z Challenge: D - Dog



D is for Dog

I inherited  was forced to live  agreed to look after my husband’s dog when we moved to the US, along with his children. Although the dog (who is tail-less and called Stubby) was psychotic, she was less frightening than my new step-children. At least I had had a dog before. 


Stubby would have ‘mad moments’ when, for no obvious reason, she would race around the garden at top speed, barking and snapping at anyone in her way, like an out of control Gremlin high on E numbers (and not the cute one). And like a Gremlin, she chewed and ate everything in sight: shoes, flip-flops, books, my favourite sunglasses, socks (which I would then find half-digested in her poo dotted around the garden), whole boxes of donuts (stupidly left on the kitchen counter within Stubby-reach), you name it and she would eat it.

I started walking her regularly, first on the leash at the dog park, but that was way too scary as she kept fighting other dogs and their terrifying owners used to shout at me. So I took to the beautiful Marin countryside and we both loved it. Eventually, I trusted her enough to let her off the leash and, barring one or two incidents we won’t talk about, she has been great ever since. We also stopped giving her all the scraps and treats.

Stubby is now transformed into a calm, friendly, wonderful dog, who never (well, hardly ever) chews anything and adores me and the kids. Although a vast improvement on being pinned against a wall, this can be a trifle irritating when I am trying to creep around the house early in the morning, as she wakes everyone with her over-exuberant welcomes: barking, jumping around and, bizarrely, sneezing. 

Do you have any stories about a badly behaved pet?

36 comments:

  1. So glad you and the dog hit it off in the end. It sounds as if all the dog needed was love and patience - a bit like us humans.

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  2. Hi! Thank you for your comment :)

    I loved this post. I used to have a dog who ate everything too. One time he really did eat my homework. You can imagine how embarassed I was when I had to go to school with a note from my mum that said, ''I know this is really cliche, but the dog really did eat my daughters homework!" :(

    Nikki – inspire nordic

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    1. Thanks Nikki - oh how funny. I hope you were believed.

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  3. HA! We had a neurotic Lab once. He 'christened' everything. Many a Christmas or birthday present required re-wrapping. He climbed trees and fences with equal grace. And if his tummy rumbled, run! You never knew what he'd eaten or what end it would come out of. But boy, did he love to cuddle :)

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    1. He sounds hilarious, Raelyn. Hmmm pee-smelling socks for Christmas??

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  4. While the cat is psycho and runs around getting into anything and everything. Quite aggressive with other cats too, scares some people too..hahahaha....glad it all worked out though.

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  5. Hi, Claire. I leap-frogged over here from Beth Camps' blog. Love this post; it reads like a Cesar Milan success story. Yah! It's so refreshing to hear about someone who figured out what the dog needed and gave it to her/him. Stubby is one lucky dog, and I bet those kids are equally well looked after. I'd tell you dog stories all day but I have got to Get. My. Butt. Into. A. Chair. and WRITE.

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    1. Aww thanks :) although don't think you can quite compare me to the Dog Whisperer LOL Enjoy your writing time today.

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  6. I love dogs... Even stubby ones. Good post. Greetings from a fellow Blogger and Californian.

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  7. Is that a black lab? If so, I used to have one myself, it gave me a big ol' scar on the side of my head which is kind of badass.

    Anyway, I found wrapping all your belongings in tin foil usually prevents the dog from chewing on them. Unfortunately, it makes it a pain to actually use your belongings.

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    1. Might make the sunglasses difficult to wear, I agree!

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  8. My dog Louis who was part Terrier, part Chihuahua and part Rat, had delusions of being a parrot and loved nothing more than to sit on my shoulders when I watched TV...pity he wasn't house trained at the time.

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  9. Great story. I didn't but my friend did. I agreed to keep him while she went to the beach. He liked my kids, not other peoples kids. He was a 10lb Chihuahua full of feist. One afternoon that before she got back he heard a kid outside screaming and ran full speed at my mini blinds and ripped them down. I had to go get another blind because that one was destroyed in the mayhem. Crazy dog he was. :)

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  10. Just took a little time.

    We have a bad-behavior pet right now, our black cat Rocko. She gets stressed and sprays. Yes, a female cat that sprays! What are the odds we'd get one of the few? The vet finally put her on calming medication and she's been much better. She is a loving and adorable cat, part of the family, but we were about at our wit's end with her.

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    1. Yuck. Spraying is horrible. You just can't get rid of the smell no matter what, can you. Glad you got it sorted.

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  11. Not any badly behaved pets per se. But my mom used to have eighteen cats. The whole house smelt like cat piss. I'll never forget it.

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  12. I like this story of Stubby with its humor in the face of a frustrating experience.
    We had two dogs growing up and never knew which one chewed up clothes and eventually furniture. Maybe they did it together. Nonetheless, we think it was some sort of retalitation for leaving them alone during the day.

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  13. Thanks Susan. Yes I think animals have ways of getting back at us!

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  14. It sounds like she changed--for the better! :)

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  15. First of all, I'm so glad you introduced yourself as a Brit living in California. Now I shall read your posts with a proper British accent. I have two Labrador Retrievers myself, and they are quite the pair. In fact, as I sit here typing they are at my back door begging to be let back in. 10 minutes outside is MORE than enough for a dog, you know....
    Dawn

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    1. LOL Glad to hear it! Labs are such great dogs :)

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  16. Oh how i miss having a dog. I don't live with parents or boyfriend, and it would be kind of hard to keep a dog, then again I would need permission first, and I don't think that is happening any time soon lol. But oh how i miss having a dog. I am so jealous of people that walk by with their adorable dogs. Maybe one day.

    Stubby seems adorable, enjoy it while you can :) Thanks for the visit!

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    1. Aww, dogs are a lot of work though. Cats are much easier. Hope you get one in the future.

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  17. Whoa...glad you and Stubby have found a middle ground. :) You cracked me up with the Gremlin reference. So funny! Thanks for the laugh.

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    1. I was actually being kind re with the Gremlin ref - she was much worse! A Tazmanian devil might have been more apt!

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  18. Stubby is so cute! Animals behaving badly... well, you saw that my dog Nemo, snorts fire ants. LOL

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  19. Ha ha - yes I suppose I should be thankful.

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  20. This made me smile. It's amazing what you can do with perseverance!

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