Heart Like a Dog

The Good, the Bad, and the Oh My God of living with dogs!

Food Fight…Day One Hundred And Thirty Eight

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We’ve had a couple of incidents in our house that revolved around food; trouble is I wasn’t certain until this weekend.

I wasn’t even really sure what happened the first time or who was involved.  I did know that I had two dogs waiting for breakfast in the kitchen and one cat crying in the doorway.  I had my back to them and I heard a growl and a snap and when I turned around Sampson was on the floor, Delilah was in one corner and Bob the cat was in the doorway.  I wasn’t sure if one of the dogs went after the cat or if one of the dogs went after the other one.

The second incident happened Friday between Delilah and Bob.  I was making pizza in the kitchen and Bob was crying in the doorway for food.  I opened the pantry door and Bob thought he might check it; trouble is that is Delilah’s job (at least according to Delilah.)  She told him verbally and with her body language that the pantry was off limits.  Naturally I told her to back it down.

The third and defining incident (at least for me) happened this morning.  We feed our dogs the raw diet, which consists of ground meat at night and turkey necks in the mornings.  Because we buy in bulk, every three weeks or so I have thirty pounds of turkey necks defrosting in my bathtub; today was one of those days.  Of course the door to the bathroom has to be shut tight, otherwise Delilah would be in there eating frozen turkey necks; all thirty pounds.

I went in this morning to package up the defrosted necks and naturally Delilah came with me, but this time so did Bob.  I saw her turn and let him know once again that he was treading on hallowed ground.  That was when the light bulb went off and I realized the dogs are becoming a bit possessive with Bob about their food.  At that moment, Delilah and Bob were banished from the bathroom while I did what I needed to do. 

Now I know what is going on and as the saying goes, “Knowing is half the battle.”

I think I will try feeding Bob first in the morning so he is out of Sampson and Delilah’s space, and if necessary I will implement a “No dogs in the kitchen rule.”  We can’t have the dogs going after the cat.

The House Of Bounce…Day One Hundred and Thirty Seven

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Walk into any room in my house and you are likely to come across a shredded dryer sheet on the floor.   Why you ask?  Delilah.  Delilah loves dryer sheets; they are like a drug to her.   She will dig in the laundry garbage or through a clothes basket to find a used dryer sheet.  Then she takes the dryer sheet and holds it between her paws, and using her teeth she shreds it.   Once the dryer sheet is “dead”, Delilah rolls in it.

First comes the shredding.

 If you hand her a dryer sheet, she gets a dreamy look in her eyes, and she lifts her head back, and opens her mouth and takes the dryer sheet and shreds it; and then she rolls in it.

Then comes the rolling

Aw Mom....did you have to tell everyone?

 

We think the reason she does this is to mask her scent; as she has rolled in other items that smell when we are on the trail.  Animals in the wild; particularly wolves will roll in something foul smelling (usually something that is decomposing) in order to mask their scent from other animals, so they can sneak up on them and capture their prey. 

The dryer sheets are a wasted effort, because if there is one thing Delilah doesn’t do; it’s sneak up on anything!  When Delilah sees something that attracts or interests her she is not quiet about it.  She is full throttle, intense and focused. 

The Watcher In The Woods…Day One Hundred and Thirty Six

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My husband served 6 years in the United States Army as a Military Policeman; he is always vigilant about keeping us safe and has taught me to be vigilant too.  Two Fridays ago, someone was watching me when I took the dogs for their walk.  Fortunately for me, I saw him just about the same time Sampson saw or detected him.  We were in the field when Sampson stopped and looked into the woods; about the same time I reacted to a noise I heard and looking up I saw someone stopped and looking at us.  I wasn’t close enough to describe anything about him, except that he was male and wearing a blue coat.  I was a little nervous but didn’t really concern myself about it; I just made the decision that I would not venture out of the open area into the woods, instead I stayed close to the entrance to the park. 

He continued on his path and then crossed the back of the field; Delilah ran up to him and I called her back.  He continued across the field and made his way to the wooded area on the other side and that’s where he stayed; leaning against a tree; watching me and the dogs.  It freaked me out a little but I knew Chet was on his way, so I wasn’t too worried. 

I saw Chet before the dogs did and began making my way towards him, I greeted him with “There’s someone here.”

“I know” he said, “I saw him as soon as I walked in.”

I filled him in a little bit about what had transpired and by that time,  he (the watcher) had crossed the field again and back onto the trails we normally follow.

I said, “I’d really like to know what he is up to.”

Chet said, “We can follow him.”

So we did.  We got into the woods but just couldn’t catch up to him.  Eventually, we saw him again, but never got close enough to exchange words.

Honestly, I think the person I saw was a kid, a lot of kids go up into the park to smoke dope and drink beer, but since I can’t be 100% positive as to what he was up to, I have to be cautious.   I am now even more vigilant than ever; I turn around every minute or so checking 360 degrees to make sure I am not being followed or watched.  Chet is constantly teaching me, about being vigilant. 

“When you come to an area where there is a drop or cliff, look over it to make sure no-one is hiding there.”

When you come across areas like this, you should look over to make sure no-one is hiding.

 I noticed something the other night while we were hiking;  Delilah looks over the cliff too.  Most days she runs ahead and actually goes down and investigates the area below the cliff.  Delilah has great instincts and I trust her judgment; she is a smart and vigilant trail dog.

Delilah Stone...Always Vigilant

 
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