Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Bad Dog
"Bad dog!" That seems to be the one common cry of dog owners. "Bad dog!" followed by a scowl and a shake of the index finger is the universal reaction of those who are forced to cohabit with canines.
Oreo, of course, is no exception. Although I keep saying that he's basically a good dog (which he is), like any other dog, he has his bad side. And this week he managed to exhibit that in spades.
They say that bad things happen in threes. Well, whoever "they" is, Oreo's exploits seem to confirm their observation.
First up was Oreo's pillow snack. We have a nice little pillow that Cheryl made and it sits at one end of the living room sofa. Up until now, Oreo has lived in harmony with that pillow. But a couple of days ago, I came home to discover the pillow sitting in the middle of the living room. I assumed that maybe someone had tossed it down there. But on further inspection, I noticed that someone had chewed a corner off the pillow. And that someone turned out to be Oreo. I chastised him but since I hadn't caught him in the act, that did absolutely no good. In fact, given that I fed him his dinner shortly after, he probably figured he was being rewarded for his act of pillowcide.
Oreo's second bad deed happened tonight when Cheryl took him for a walk at the local dog run. Apparently Oreo found himself a nice, juicy, decomposing animal and rolled around in the remains until he achieved the desired level of stink that clearly appeals to him. Cheryl was not pleased as she had to spend a half hour in the bathroom bathing Oreo to remove his hard-earned disgusting odor. Why do dogs like to roll around in dead animal remains? If you asked a dog, I'm guessing he'd say "Because it's there."
Number three on Oreo's bad boy triple play also happened tonight. I briefly left a dirty dinner plate on the kitchen counter while I stepped out the door to discard some garbage. On my return, I discovered Oreo with paws up on the counter attempting to do a pre-wash on the plate. Having caught him in the act, I yelled the mandatory "Bad dog!" and shooed him out the back door. He knew that he'd been caught but somehow I doubt that my lesson sunk in. The only thing I noticed was that when Cheryl let him back in, he gave me a wide berth....for about five minutes.
I can only hope that "they" are right and that our three bad incidents are over. But knowing Oreo, I suspect there's another three in the works.
Oreo, of course, is no exception. Although I keep saying that he's basically a good dog (which he is), like any other dog, he has his bad side. And this week he managed to exhibit that in spades.
They say that bad things happen in threes. Well, whoever "they" is, Oreo's exploits seem to confirm their observation.
First up was Oreo's pillow snack. We have a nice little pillow that Cheryl made and it sits at one end of the living room sofa. Up until now, Oreo has lived in harmony with that pillow. But a couple of days ago, I came home to discover the pillow sitting in the middle of the living room. I assumed that maybe someone had tossed it down there. But on further inspection, I noticed that someone had chewed a corner off the pillow. And that someone turned out to be Oreo. I chastised him but since I hadn't caught him in the act, that did absolutely no good. In fact, given that I fed him his dinner shortly after, he probably figured he was being rewarded for his act of pillowcide.
Oreo's second bad deed happened tonight when Cheryl took him for a walk at the local dog run. Apparently Oreo found himself a nice, juicy, decomposing animal and rolled around in the remains until he achieved the desired level of stink that clearly appeals to him. Cheryl was not pleased as she had to spend a half hour in the bathroom bathing Oreo to remove his hard-earned disgusting odor. Why do dogs like to roll around in dead animal remains? If you asked a dog, I'm guessing he'd say "Because it's there."
Number three on Oreo's bad boy triple play also happened tonight. I briefly left a dirty dinner plate on the kitchen counter while I stepped out the door to discard some garbage. On my return, I discovered Oreo with paws up on the counter attempting to do a pre-wash on the plate. Having caught him in the act, I yelled the mandatory "Bad dog!" and shooed him out the back door. He knew that he'd been caught but somehow I doubt that my lesson sunk in. The only thing I noticed was that when Cheryl let him back in, he gave me a wide berth....for about five minutes.
I can only hope that "they" are right and that our three bad incidents are over. But knowing Oreo, I suspect there's another three in the works.
