I love the comic strip “Dennis the Menace.” The past few days, I’ve realized the character Dennis may not have only been written about a mischievous little boy… but maybe a dog as well.
I have the dog version in the form of a granddog. Meet Chief, my five-month-old blue heeler! My son is his human and needed a dog sitter for a few days, so Bon Bon came to the rescue. Not really, but it sounded good at the time.
Needless to say, I was reminded of all things puppy. I’ve used my firm “NO” voice more in the last couple of days than I have in years. I thought my voice was pretty loud, but it didn’t faze this little guy. I began to think he was training me instead of the other way around.
Chief is 35 pounds of pure muscle, and when he’s excited and running toward you, it’s like having a brick propelled at your body. He’s doubled in size since I first met him. I thought my loud voice carried weight, but this dog has found his barking voice. It echoes through the house as he sneaks up behind the cat. As Chief barks, the photos on the wall turn sideways, and the cat streaks away in horror to a new hiding spot. Chaos is in full mode. You can almost see the grin of satisfaction on Chief’s face.
Like most puppies, Chief is in the midst of potty training. I think I’ve done my diligence putting the pup outside, and then I walk into the living room. My nose leads me straight to the “deposit” Chief left by the fireplace. It’s almost as if he does it just to push my buttons. Thank goodness the floor is brick, and vinegar is my friend.
At bedtime, Chief likes to sleep at the foot of my bed, which is great because I know where he is… especially since he sleeps on my feet. The good part is my feet stay warm, but the bad part is when I get up, they’re numb from the dead weight.
I’ve found myself putting anything that could be chewed on or tossed about up off the floor, trash can included. I took out a 500-piece puzzle I wanted to work on. As I was finishing it, I realized I was missing a couple of pieces. I don’t know how you would feel, but my disappointment set in pretty quickly. I started looking around the table and found the evidence—my puzzle pieces, chewed.
Chief seems to think we’re joined at the hip. He definitely needs to spend more time outside during showers because he does not like doors closed between us.
As mischievous as Dennis in that comic strip is, Chief has one thing over him—the side eye. I now fully identify with Mr. Wilson… and I’ve already ordered my hazmat suit for my next visit.
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