Living With Oreo

This is a picture of Oreo on a dry day after he has been bathed and brushed. Nice looking dog, right? But you should see him on a day like today when there's an ongoing drizzle outside. Of course, he wants to go outside and of course he manages to muck around in the dirt and water and come back looking like a drowned rat.

Every time we let Oreo out on a day like today, we have to towel him down and clean off his paws. Even then, he still tracks dirt around the house. I've recently taken to bribing him with a few dog food pellets if he'll let me thoroughly clean his feet. So far, this method has achieved moderate success.

With all the time and money spent on dog training, it would be nice if someone could come up with a way to teach dogs to clean themselves off before they come into the house. I picture a mini-shower outdoors with Oreo rubbing his paws together to get them cleaner than clean. Then again, I picture a world without George W. Bush. I guess I'm just a hopeless dreamer destined for constant disappointment. Sigh.

This is another recent photo of Oreo. He's lying next to the famous baby gate which served to keep him out of the dining room even when there is another route through the living room. However, the other night, he finally figured out that this doorway isn't his only point of entry into the dining room. So maybe he's not that stupid after all.

I took Oreo for his morning walk today to allow Cheryl a chance to sleep in. This was the first time in a while that when I took Oreo for a walk he didn't find a Tim Horton's cup. Like most caffeine addicts, it seems that Oreo needs his morning coffee. Most times, he's able to find a discarded Tim's cup which he picks up and brings home with him. I think this says more about how people dipose of their Tim Horton's cup than it does about Oreo's morning drinking habits. It's kind of sad that so many people think nothing of littering. Luckily, inadvertent environmentalists like Oreo manage to clean up after the less than responsible humans. Maybe it should be a dog's world after all.

Cheryl took some recent pictures of Oreo and this is one of them. This is a usual nighttime pose for the pup and even an occasional daytime posture when he's having one of his frequent naps. In fact, this is a tame version of his usual sleeping position. He's usually sleeping next to the front door closet with his feet directly up in the air against the closet door. It looks uncomfortable but it seems to work for him.

Last spring, Cheryl learned of the Porty Walk - a gathering of Portuguese Water Dogs and their owners at the local dog run on the second Sunday of each month. She's been meaning to participate for months now and yesterday we finally decided to go. Unfortunately, it looks like the Porty Walk is no more or has been changed to another date or is on hiatus. In any event, Cheryl, Sarah, Oreo and I showed up yesterday afternoon at 1:30 in high hopes of running into half a dozen other PWDs. Alas, our full-fledged Porty Walk was not to be.

But luckily another family with a Portuguese Water Dog assumed the Porty Walk was still a going concern and did show up. So we ended up having an enjoyable walk with Paul, Sonja, their three kids and their PWD Spencer. Spencer is only eight months old and is therefore still a full-fledged puppy. He and Oreo got along famously although it became apparent that Oreo (at a year and a half) is almost past his puppy stage since he occasionally was less enthusiastic than Spencer.

Despite being a reluctant dog owner, I have to admit from time to time that owning a dog can be fun. Yesterday was a beautiful day for a walk and it was nice to meet Spencer's owners and compare notes on dog ownership. I'm far from being up for daily dog walks but on occasion I can see the attraction. With a heavy emphasis on the words "on occasion."

Before reading this latest episode in the saga of Oreo, keep in mind that our living room and dining room form one L-shaped area with open doorways from the kitchen to both rooms.

Last night we had a guest for dinner and, at one point, Oreo was making a nuisance of himself underneath the dining room table. Cheryl hauled him out and banished him to the kitchen. Since we still haven't removed the baby gate for the doorway between the dining room and the kitchen, Cheryl closed that and Oreo just lay there on the other side of the gate moping.

If he had wanted to, it was a simple matter to go through the open doorway to the living room and around the corner to the dining room. Despite having lived in our house for over a year, he appeared to be entirely clueless as to this alternate route. Even after I twice got up from the table and entered the kitchen through the living room, Oreo just didn't get it.

Cheryl was saddened to see that the dog she once thought was as bright as they come had flunked a basic intelligence test. Oh well, no MENSA for Oreo.