And over the last 4 months of dog ownership, one thing has become abundantly clear: we got a defective one.
Our dog is 8 months old now. In addition to her name which we didn't change after adopting, she's got several nicknames and a few catchy sung phrases too created just for her (All my children have their own songs. This is just what I do.) She wags her tail incessantly, sometimes coupling this with jumping up on people to say hello. The jumping doesn't always go over so well with small people, but I digress. The new family dog is relatively smart. She knows the following commands: sit, stay, down, watch me, and back. Of course like most members of my family, the mere mention of the word "treat" has her willing to do just about anything. Food motivated is kind of an understatement. She hardly ever complains when asked to go in her kennel. If you put your face near hers, she'll give you kisses.
Our dog is a couch hog. Her favorite pastime when she's not playing or eating, is sleeping...preferably on said couch and as stretched out as she possibly can be. The couch is always the default position for her, and her own dog bed is second. The fact that she is not finished growing, yet already takes up nearly 3/4 of said couch, is rather disconcerting. Thankfully she prefers a human companion to share the couch with. And she doesn't discriminate. Kids or adults are most welcome to snuggle and cuddle.
Our dog is playful. Sometimes she gets fits of energy and runs all over the backyard like a wild thing. She is learning how to play fetch, but you really need two tennis balls because she hasn't quite gotten the concept yet of "drop it". Leash etiquette is not her strong suit. A harness has helped. She just loves walks even though she is a tad leash-spastic, especially when she gets to greet other dogs. She thinks that all dogs she meets are friendly, and is rather surprised when this is sometimes not the case. She is learning that people and children do not play in the same way that other dogs might play with her, but honestly for a puppy she doesn't mouth much if ever. Running free and playing with her own furiends at the dog park, ranks high on our dog's to-do list.
Our dog is loyal. If she could talk, she'd probably quote Ariel from The Little Mermaid: "I want to go, where the people are." The kids adore her, but none more than my nearly 6 year old daughter, who often will work on tricks and training with the dog, almost to a level of some kind of dog-whisperer prodigy (I'm seriously not exaggerating. There could be a future career here for this child.)If my kids are sad, which is a rarity, the dog is checking on them. Don't mistake loyalty for guarding though. This is no guard dog. She hardly barks at anything, unless its Buster, our resident feline who arguably bosses her around quite a bit....which is very funny considering the cat is probably a third of her size at best. We've discovered that turning on the sprinkler sends her running indoors. Sometimes I wish she would bark when the doorbell rings, or at least when I'm turning the key in the lock. I mean, what's the point of owning a large dog if they don't bark at the appropriate times? But no, not this dog. She sure does bark if I leave the house without her, unless she's in her kennel of course. When out and about, she periodically "checks in" with me, looking up at me as if to say "How'm I doin?", or "So what's next?". We are her people. She's definitely loyal.
Our dog gets into trouble. She has a ridiculously cute face and trust me, she works this to her advantage to get out of jams. One look at that face and you're suddenly wondering where the dog biscuits are so you can give her one. It's truly terrible. Her newfound size has enabled her to perfect things like putting her paws up on the pantry counter in the hopes someone left a tasty food item within reach. Let me be the first to say that many a loaf of bread has met an early demise. No, I don't condone this behavior and we're working on correcting it, but sometimes the dog wins in the maylay that comes with a three-children-household. Mia culpa. She's also 8 months old and not completely housebroken. I realize part of this is on me and the hubs, for not always seeing her cues. However, standing at the back door silently in a household like mine, may not always get noticed. This is where a bark or two would be more than helpful! Just sayin. Guaranteed if the silent backdoor vigil is not noticed within what feels like a hot second, trouble of an elimination kind ensues. Recently if she's caught in the act, and I immediately usher her outside, her whole attitude is like, "Oh yeah! I'm sposed to go out HERE!" Sigh. Obviously we are getting played.
Our dog is generally obedient, though not without consistent reminders. This dog probably hears the word "NO!" about a bazillion times in a 24 hour period. Here I thought I said no a lot to my children! Not even close. Her favorite home turf pastime is finding toys not belonging to her and making them her own. This is not to say that she doesn't have a growing number of her own toys to play with, including an abundance of treats and rawhide chews. But if given the opportunity, she's more than happy to attempt to personally add to her own toy collection. She also thinks that stealing recycled cardboard and cereal boxes and shredding them up is helpful. Um, no. I suppose I should be grateful this does not include furniture chewing. She is still a puppy, after all. She has never chewed the furniture. Not even once. Barbie however, has not been so lucky.
I know what you are thinking. Sounds like a perfectly normal dog, you say? Yeah, she's pretty wonderful, and a great addition to our family. Even strangers think so. She's becoming an avid social networking canine, with her own Facebook page and a growing number of human fans and furiends alike, some as far away as Australia.
But I'm telling you, she's defective! Something is clearly wrong with her. She is not anything like I'd heard a dog like her would be.
Meet our family dog, Piper. The pitbull.
