Bad Dog 2

The other day when we returned home from shopping in Newport, the dogs greeted us with their usual exuberance, bouncing up and down like a couple of out of control yo-yos. We carried in the groceries and gave them a treat for being such good doggies.

It was then that I saw the books on the coffee table... the brand new Clive Cussler and James Lee Burke books that had just come into the library the day before we'd checked them out. They looked like a giant rat had been chewing on them.

As soon as I picked the books up to inspect the damage, Squeak crawled under the table with her head between her paws and a very guilty look on her face. She was the rat!

The next day we took the books back to the library along with our checkbook. The librarian looked at them and told us that Jill, (the head librarian,) would let us know how much they would have to charge us. A couple of days later we received this email:

Carol:

I hope your dog did not get indigestion on Cussler’s book The Wrecker. I much prefer the flavor of Rain Gods by Burke. Sorry to say I have billed you for the replacement of the two books. I ordered replacements today. I did give you a BIG break on the cost since you were so direct about the problem. And because you two are great patrons.

So the bill is $20 for the two books. Would you like to have the books??? I will keep them here on reserve for a week.

Thank you again for being good patrons.

Jill Tierce

Waldport Public Library

wplstaff@beachbooks.org

So now we're the proud owners of two brand new, slightly chewed books.

Bad Dog!

Yesterday while I was sleepwalking through my usual morning routine of taking the dogs out, making coffee, getting firewood, and starting a fire in the fireplace, I noticed Squeak playing with what I thought was one of her toys. She was tossing it in the air and jumping on it like a cat playing with a catnip mouse. I smiled and thought, Cute puppy!

I got the fire going, poured a cup of coffee and went in the bedroom to make the bed. I could have sworn that I'd put my partial denture on the nightstand beside the bed, and then as realization slowly sunk into my sleepy brain, I hurried back into the living room where the puppy greeted me with a toothy, Cheshire cat grin. She reluctantly surrendered my undamaged denture and after a half-hearted Bad Puppy! I forgave her.

Teaching Squeak

After just two days Taz has matured from a care free ne'er do well into a mentor and teacher. It's unbelievable how much he's changed since we got the new puppy. Squeak follows Taz almost everywhere, but if she gets too rambunctious she gets a quick warning growl to settle her down.

Amazingly, Taz lets Squeak play with his precious toys, (he won't let the great grand kids play with them!) and he even lets her drink and eat out of his bowls. It's almost as though he's taken on the role of a wise Kung Fu master.

“Follow me grasshopper, and I will show you things that you have only dreamed of!”

“Do not chew on the table legs, or scratch your rear on the carpet. Those are NO!s.”

“If you bite this toy like this, it makes a good squeaky noise! See?”

“Do not worry, you will be able to do it someday. I will teach you.”

“When you growl and whine like this, they will let us outside to do our business.”

“Always do this outside, never in the house. That is a very big NO!”

“Here is a good spot to...Why are you pooping like that? It is very undignified!”

“Here is the very spot where I killed a mole when I was still a pup.”

“Over here is some good tasty grass to eat.”

“In the summer I will show you how to eat apples, too.”

Squeak

The vet called the other day and asked if we still were looking for a companion for Taz. Carol said yes, I said no. Guess who won?

We drove to the little town of Alsea and picked her up. She's supposed to be a full blooded Papillon but I think she's got some Meercat and maybe a little alien from Mars blood in her. Have you ever seen a real dog balance on her two front feet, with her hind legs off the ground to poop?

She's a real ball of fire, Taz just walks around looking confused most of the time. I was afraid he'd be super protective of his toys, food and us, but Squeak is into things so fast Taz can't even keep track of her, let alone protect anything.