Spring.
Except for Piper.
She calls me an obnoxious little usurping bitch.
And TWooie sometimes calls me “Get the eff away from me!”
But why do they call me Spring? Oh hey, a ball!
Oh hey! Another ball!
Wootie’s got some competition in the Big Air department!
And he’s pretending he doesn’t care. Today he chose to stay earthbound, and demand – at top volume – that I kick his Fifa for him.
Wootie has some amazing personal qualities. One of the lesser known ones is his ability to move his nose independent of the rest of his face, to an astonishing degree:
I’m thinking this is not normal. I’ve never seen another dog who can move its nose around like Woo can, while his face remains stationary. Can any of your dogs do this??
Sorry for the poor quality. My telephoto lens is, ever so slowly, givin’ up the ghost. The motor appears to be dying by degrees, so it’s becoming harder and harder to focus on action, especially if the light is poor (ie a grey day). This is the perfect excuse to justify the purchase of a new, better telephoto (mine is something like 8 years old and has seen a LOT of action). However, Dexter has eaten up all my new-lens savings.
I LOVE eating things! Especially underpants!
Less than two weeks until the Big Snip … I scheduled his surgery for two days after the Cliffies trial, so we’d have one last chance to play before what I assume will be a long recovery from his very invasive neuter.
My very invasive WHAT THE EFF?!?!
Not a moment too soon either, I’d say. My dogs have been very spoiled over the holidays, often coming to work with me en masse, or much shorter days alone than they are accustomed to, as traffic was so light that my commute was a lot quicker. So on the first day back to work on a long day, with a heavier commute, I gather tensions were building at home in my absence, and Dexter and TWoooie engaged in what can only be described as The Great Pissing Match of 2012.
*Somebody* or somebodies (Dexter does not always act alone) lifted his/their leg on damn near everything in the house and claimed it for his/their own. When he/they ran out of vertical surfaces, special attention was paid to dog beds, and I was gifted with some urine soaked cushions and one extra special deposit of a large dump in Spring’s crate bed. Ah yes. I have dogs WHY again, exactly?
When I walked in the door, I was greet by one face that was very defiant:
And one that was very nervous.
And then, once I’d scrubbed all the urine off the house, and did umpteen loads of dog bed laundry, and collapsed into bed, I was awoken at 3AM by the sound of shattering glass. My floating shelf above the sliding door, which holds – held – my collection of border collie and sheep stuff, came loose from the wall and sent much of it hurtling to the floor. Fortunately, quite a lot of it landed on the dog beds below, but some of it shattered into a kajillion pieces. There is no joy in my soul that comes of vacuuming up glass and porcelain at 3AM.
I could tell you about chasing naughty TWooie through the swamp the other morning at 5:30AM as he chased a naughty beaver, but I think you get the idea. 2012 is not off to an auspicious start!
I’m going to my happy place now.
Or I could just go admire Tweed, blowin’ in the wind.
But actually I am going to agility class, to face the wrath of The Sadist. Not that I’ve done anything specific to incite his ire, he’s just mean :)
Spring has taken Piper’s spot in class, as Piper’s knees can no longer take jumping. Don’t tell her though, she’ll be heartbroken. I bring her to class early and let her play on the equipment for 10 minutes or so, so she thinks she did something.
I don’t think she’s falling for it, Food Lady.
Shut up Woo. Or TWooie’ll bite you in the pants!
Alice says
Those shots of Springaling make my heart leap. “My heart leaps up when I behold a Spring in mid-bound grace.” Ahem. Something tells me Wordsworth wasn’t writing about hounds. Anyhow. Sorry to hear 2012 isn’t treating you a little more nicely; hopefully Dex’s de-testicling goes well–when are your trials?
Judi says
Bellybands might cut down on the pissing contests. Or at least contain them locally rather than all over the place.
Helene says
I could not stop laughing looking at Wootie’s nose. My dog came running over but did not think It was funny. Some days she has no sense of humor.
Lise says
My whippet can get some pretty good nose displacement going– I always figured that at the end of that long muzzle, so far from his brain, it’s developed a sort of rudimentary intelligence of its own. But I have to admit he’s got nothin’ on Woo.
Glory says
I love your posts, they are very funny! :)
Taryn says
My Cardigan can move his nose like Wootie. About a year ago I posted about it on my blog: http://cardiganshirecorgis.blogspot.com/2011/01/someone-put-his-nose-on-crooked-today.html
Hope your new year improves!
Natalie says
OMG. I would cry if I came home to dog pee everywhere like that. Yuck yuck yuck!!
Carol says
Oh. My. God. Your pee story takes me back! Back to the time. I had just worked an awful 12 hour shift, and got home at midnight. Had a snack, cause I didn’t get a dinner break. Climbed the stairs to go to bed. All over the upper landing was bloody cat diarrhea, like 6 piles. I almost added my snack to it!
My little blind cat had walked through it and tracked it back and forth into adjacent rooms. When he stepped in it, he obviously didn’t like it, cause he shook his paws. Repeatedly. The walls looked like a Jackson Pollock painting. I cried.
I got towels together, dragged the steam carpet cleaning upright up the stairs. I worked on cleaning until freaking FOUR AM. I cried some more. I cursed my husband, who was out of town.
I called in to work for the next day, so I could take Boo to the vet. The pain continues, cause we have to feed Boo, and thus all four cats, $90/26lb bag prescription enteric cat food. Shit(!), I’m about to cry again. Or lose my lunch…
I feel your pain!!!
Adrienne says
Read this on my phone last night, doesn’t allow for the photo captions. Had to re-read today for the full import. LOVE
You know what I like about this blog? (Well, one of the things.) Life is pretty interesting and it’s ups and downs can be very dramatic. Hollywood seems to think that “drama” has to be life or death to be interesting, it doesn’t. I really appreciate you sharing as much of your life as you do with us. The good and the bad (hey, no sugar coating here right?) It’s really something to be able to read and relate to someone else’s life in all its “interestingness”.
And of course Piper. And Spring. And the photos. :-D
Alaska says
Well now, your story makes the three piles of poop and one partially destroyed couch that I came home to the other night seem like a mere trifle. Thank you for making me feel better.
clairesmum says
have you ever seen the plaque that says
‘if it’s got tires or testicles, it’s gonna give you trouble!”
Twoo and Dexter look like they are both guilty as sin, in their own ways. They gotta be extra cute for a while, now, to get out of this mess.