Okay, the Puppies

Most of you readers already feel sorry for me for having to live my life surrounded by the furry rascals. You are already aware that there are multiple rascals living in my home and eating my groceries at any given time. Well, they are not exactly eating the same groceries I eat, but I work hard to BUY the groceries they do eat...so I guess they really are MY groceries. You get the idea.

What you might not know is that even when I leave my house and visit, say my brother's house for a few hours, there are still furry rascals with which to contend. They are no less rascals than the ones I see everyday.

Here are a few photos to help illustrate the kind of foolishness that surrounds me. To start, inside my brother's house, we have Dolly. She like every wienie dog I've ever met is a hopeful opportunist. This is illustrated here as she is caught on camera scouting the dining table for groceries not being carefully watched.


Moving outside to the backyard, we get a glimpse of Jack, the black Lab. You might be familiar with the well-bred capabilities of this breed to hunt and retrieve. This boy, however, is just a little over-the-top. He is focused...in a very INTENSE sort of way. All day, in the 95-degree heat, he hunted. He stalked from place to place...from up to down to up again...in my brother's multi-level backyard. Periodically, Jack came trotting poolside carrying an object of retrieval. Creepy. We aren't really sure what he looks like without something in his mouth...and just what IS that in his mouth?


Here's Dolly again. She really is so much more than hopeful and opportunistic. She also has an anxiety disorder. I have observed that these kinds of characteristics and behaviors...in dogs are referred to as "cute" and "adorable" by their owners. In this photo, you can't see the obsessive barking, fretting, and concern that preceeded her leap into the pool to save Cody (yes, Cody our baseball hero).


She jumped in and swam continuously until we saw signs of exhaustion and put her back inside (where she climbed up on the table and finished our lunch leftovers).


Back at home, the behavior is even more disturbing. Gus seems to be developing quite a glamour complex. Either that...or he's trying to conceal his identity.


Why would he want to conceal his identity? Well, I'm not sure (because I didn't actually witness the deed), but I think he and Joey switched toe nails. As a reminder, Joey = small dog and Gus = big dog. Yet here are Gus' toe nails...


...and here are Joey's nails. If you give furry rascals too much free time, this is the kind of silliness that comes of it.


Finally, here is the most disturbing behaviour of all (remember friends, I LIVE with these beasts every day). As best I can tell, Santa was checking up on us to see whether we were being "naughty or nice" and...well...I'll come out and say it.

Gus ate him.


And just because he LOOKS sorry, don't you believe it.