Friday evening through this afternoon we had a visitor in our house. A small, black, four-legged visitor who occasionally made brave attempts at barking: my aunt's dog, Trixie.
That's right, I got to pug-sit! Yay! It was a blast! Trixie is the Energizer Bunny of the dog world, I swear. My mom played fetch with her from the time she arrived (11 a.m.) until I got home around 6 p.m., at which point my mom grabbed her dinner and a glass of wine, and made a bee-line to her bedroom, and I took over entertaining Trixie.
By the way, "fetch" in Trixie-terms you throw one of her toys (a stuffed "roadkill" skunk I've named "Skunky" and a weird thing that was, at one time, either an stuffed octopus or an onion; I decided it was an onion, and named it "Scallion"), then she'll run after it, and bring it back to you in stages. She'll bring it up a few feet, then stop and drop it, and give you a "pleasepleaseplease play with me!" look. She'll bring it up a little more and stop-n-drop-n-beg, until finally it's at your feet. However, when you go to pick it up, she'll fight you for it. At this point you've got two options: play tug-of-war for a bit, or just rip it out of her mouth so you can throw the darn thing again. I alternated between doing both. All night.
Trixie with Skunky.
Trixie with Scallion
I took her outside to play for an hour or so, certain that would tire her out. I was wrong.
I was so very wrong. I gave her half a greenie which Spunky Jillian bought for her, and she settled right in on that, looking so tired I figured we were done for the night, and I could watch Bring It On Again.
I was wrong. Again. Once she finished with the greenie, she grabbed Scallion, and tried to entice me to play some more.
I tried to get her to chow down on the bull chew, another gift from Spunky Jillian, but she would have none of that. Quite frankly, I don't blame her! A bull penis??!! EWWWW!
And so it went: I threw one or both of her toys, watched a bit of the movie while she made her way back to me, wrestled the toy out of her snarling little mouth, and threw it again. By eleven, I was finished, even if she wasn't. I crawled into my bed, turned out the light, determined to ignore her, and go to sleep. Trixie is actually a pretty smart pup, and took the hint right away. She jumped up on my bed, curled up at my feet, and was snoring away less than two minutes later. Sometime during the night, she must've crawled under my covered, 'cause when I woke up at 7 a.m. I was eye to snout with a snorting, snoring little pug. I wish I'd had my camera then, because, lordy, it was cute!!!
This morning, mom and I took Trixie for a long walk, then I gave her her breakfast, another bit of greenie, played outside and in, and this time, managed to wear her out! Actually, we were both beat, and fell asleep on the sofa for about two hours!
My aunt came to get Trixie just before 5 p.m., and as much as I enjoyed her visit, I wasn't sad to see her go. I love Trixie, and will cheerfully pug-sit again, but as for getting a doggie of my very own? Mmm maybe not. I just don't have that much energy. Nor do I have that much tolerance for the Doggie Smell which lingered long after the pug left the premises. Maybe I'll settle for a cat instead. Cats don't smell, do they?
That's right, I got to pug-sit! Yay! It was a blast! Trixie is the Energizer Bunny of the dog world, I swear. My mom played fetch with her from the time she arrived (11 a.m.) until I got home around 6 p.m., at which point my mom grabbed her dinner and a glass of wine, and made a bee-line to her bedroom, and I took over entertaining Trixie.
By the way, "fetch" in Trixie-terms you throw one of her toys (a stuffed "roadkill" skunk I've named "Skunky" and a weird thing that was, at one time, either an stuffed octopus or an onion; I decided it was an onion, and named it "Scallion"), then she'll run after it, and bring it back to you in stages. She'll bring it up a few feet, then stop and drop it, and give you a "pleasepleaseplease play with me!" look. She'll bring it up a little more and stop-n-drop-n-beg, until finally it's at your feet. However, when you go to pick it up, she'll fight you for it. At this point you've got two options: play tug-of-war for a bit, or just rip it out of her mouth so you can throw the darn thing again. I alternated between doing both. All night.
Trixie with Scallion
I took her outside to play for an hour or so, certain that would tire her out. I was wrong.
I was so very wrong. I gave her half a greenie which Spunky Jillian bought for her, and she settled right in on that, looking so tired I figured we were done for the night, and I could watch Bring It On Again.
And so it went: I threw one or both of her toys, watched a bit of the movie while she made her way back to me, wrestled the toy out of her snarling little mouth, and threw it again. By eleven, I was finished, even if she wasn't. I crawled into my bed, turned out the light, determined to ignore her, and go to sleep. Trixie is actually a pretty smart pup, and took the hint right away. She jumped up on my bed, curled up at my feet, and was snoring away less than two minutes later. Sometime during the night, she must've crawled under my covered, 'cause when I woke up at 7 a.m. I was eye to snout with a snorting, snoring little pug. I wish I'd had my camera then, because, lordy, it was cute!!!
This morning, mom and I took Trixie for a long walk, then I gave her her breakfast, another bit of greenie, played outside and in, and this time, managed to wear her out! Actually, we were both beat, and fell asleep on the sofa for about two hours!
My aunt came to get Trixie just before 5 p.m., and as much as I enjoyed her visit, I wasn't sad to see her go. I love Trixie, and will cheerfully pug-sit again, but as for getting a doggie of my very own? Mmm maybe not. I just don't have that much energy. Nor do I have that much tolerance for the Doggie Smell which lingered long after the pug left the premises. Maybe I'll settle for a cat instead. Cats don't smell, do they?
