I've had dogs and cats all my life, but never have I had a hound before. A real hound. Until my border collie mix Katie and I added Max to our family last fall. Max is a Blue Tick Hound or Blue Tick Coon Hound, to be precise. Coming from the East (Virginia suburbs/WashDC) I'd heard of several of the "serious" hunting dogs. What I didn't know was how "lovey-dovey" they were. First thing in the morning, Katie is raring to go outside. Squirrels are waiting, all sorts of fun is outside. She'll bark if I take more than a few seconds to put the tea kettle on. Max, however, wants love. Hound Dog Love, I call it. Several minutes of pats and rubs and all sorts of attention. Then, he goes outside to greet the world.
Today I want to give you an update on how almost-adult Max is doing. He looks like a gangly teenager. His hound body has gotten longer and longer and those legs, those long gangly legs, enable him to actually keep up with fast-as-lightning Katie. He's still got more growing to do. But his face is fully grown. An adult dog face on a gangly teenager's body. Long nose, long soft ears, and those "love me, love me, love me" brown eyes gazing at you.
He still wants to nap with his head on my feet if I'm sitting in a chair (working/laptop/reading). And he's still loves getting into stuff. But....at least he's stopped chewing papers on my dining rooom table/desk. That was scary. The dish towel also isn't as fascinating as it was before. Since I provide big bones for the dogs to chew, that helps.
However, Max has discovered something absolutely irresistible now that it's flower season. Plastic flower pots. In my earlier posts I've talked about the orgy of planting spring flowers, bright happy annuals all over my front yard and planters and several hanging pots to hang from my bishop's crooks around my back patio. I love being on the patio in the shade and working or relaxing-----and enjoying the beautiful flowers.
Well----no more. Apparently those hanging plastic pots were too tempting for Max. I came home the first night and found all three knocked off their hooks and on the ground. All the plants were lying---unmolested---but devoid of pots. The pots---what was left of them---were visible only in small and medium sized pieces of plastic strewn about the yard. The hangers with the hook were eaten.
Okaaaay, I said, I'll get some more and tell Max in no uncertain terms to "stay away from plants!" Ahem. You can guess how that turned out. Max stared at me and looked somewhat contrite, but when I left the next night I returned to find those plants on the ground and out of their pots. Pots were once again in pieces. Man, what a digestive system this dog has. Reminds me of those scenes in "Marley & Me."
So------I surrendered. I replanted the plants in regular pots. Didn't have any empty hanging pots left. And moved them all to the front yard. Now, if I want flowers when I relax on the patio----I take them with me. Yep. I have to take a pot of flowers out with me, put it on the glass table, and then relax in the chaise lounge. And----take the pot back inside with me afterwards. Now that I realized Max has a lot of "Marley" in him, I have no choice.
What's your dog's favorite forbidden "chew toy?" And don't forget to enter our Pet Naming contest. Your pet may appear in a future Cozy Chicks novel. Check out the "Announcement" below my post.
12 comments:
Oh, too funny. Yes, I thought Max sounded a lot like Marley which I was reading your post.
Chloe will occasionally go trash can diving...if there's something especially tasty in there or if no one's around! She hasn't chewed on things for a while...thankfully.
Cute post.
Elizabeth
Mystery Writing is Murder
I had an Alaskan Malamute, Sheba - wonderful dog. Best dog I ever had. But she would dig up my flowers every time I planted anything - didn't chew on the flowers at all - just dug them up. They would be in perfect little plant piles next to their holes. After about the third time, I gave up. One of my current doggies, Cocoa (a crazy Australian Shepherd mix) would eat the decorative rocks we had decided to put down around our now fenced in plant area in lieu of mulch. Since she was able to jump our decorative 2 foot fence, we had to find decorative 3 foot fencing to get her to stop going in the area to eat the rocks. All of the dogs we have had have been crazy in one way or another. Gotta love em!
Elizabeth---I'm glad you got a kick out of it. Max is completely oblivious to my annoyance at not having my flowers all over the patio. sigh.
Ann---Oh, wow! Eating rocks! That Cocoa sounds like Marley's sister. Cast iron digestive system. I worry about eating plastic pots, though, bec those sharp little pieces go into their digestive system. Oh, well. I guess "Marley dogs" have extra strong stomachs.
Ohhhh, and I can relate to the flower digging. That's why I have hanging pots. Years ago, before Max even, I learned that my doggies--no matter what kind---were fascinated whenever I planted something. So fascinated, they had to dig it up and check it out. Big sigh.
hmmm...my sharpei/lab cross - Hoagy - really isn't a chewer. Oh when he was a pup and I went away he ate my sewing basket. 700 bucks later he was OK. But - I dug a new vegetable garden this year in his area in the back and fenced it in because of him and the chooks and he has kept his side dug since then. So there is a big hole just before my make-shift gate. grrrr...
You Cozy Chicks might be more interested in what my chooks do - they de-plant my annuals out of pots. I planted lots of nice heavy duty pots with geraniums and annuals and came home to find they'd gone in - butts up in the air and carefully left little flower bits around the now empty pots. I tried it twice and now I have it - chopsticks - yes a little less Martha Stewart looking than I wanted but the plants are now allowed to stay. Chickens!!!!
My Lab has some favorite forbidden chew items.
Fuzzy socks- you know the kind that come in bright bright colors and are made of eyelash yarn? She thinks their delicious.
Vinyl flooring- found that one out the hard way when I discovered half my kitchen floor missing.
Dry wall- I choose to think it was from her teething and not because she's a doofus.
Army desert combat boots- I'm just glad it was an old pair that my husband didn't wear anymore.
LaBanan---Boy, that's a new one. I've never heard of dogs replanting flowers they've dug up. That's something.
Whoa, Marissa----Your Lab definitely sounds like Marley. I can't believe he ate vinyl flooring and drywall. And desert combat boots. Yikes!
Both of my boxers love my toddler's wooden toys. They leave all of his other baby toys alone - including the soft, plush ones that look like their dog toys. But any wooden toys for some reason are fair game.
And want a REALLY gross one? When I brought said toddler home from the hospital as a premature newborn, I came home with what is called a "nipple shield." It is this silicone shield thingy that goes over your nipple and assists preemie with nursing (sometimes the preemies haven't developed the latching on quite as well). My female boxer decided she liked the taste of them and ate two of them. Right off the coffee table and right in front of me after I had removed them after nursing. And she was much faster than the post c-section woman on the couch holding a two-week old baby. They are made of 100% silicone, but the vet said she would just pass them. I was left wondering, did she like the silicone or was it the breastmilk? Ewwww.....TMI? sorry. but that is the weirdest thing my dogs have ever eaten and I grew up with so many dogs that at one time we had 5 in the house.
I love the pet posts!
Aryn---I'll bet you anything it was the breast milk your dog was going for. It's yummy stuff. I nursed all four of my babies, and I always noticed the cats and dogs were always very, very interested in being around and sniffing.
Glad you're enjoying the pet posts. And wooden blocks. . .ohhhh, yeah.
These are funny posts, loved 'em all.
Years ago, before the book & movie, we actually did have a dog named Marley, a black & tan (whom my dh called Bobby & I called Marley, for the reggae singer Bob Marley, of course)He ate, among other things, the hardtop of my car!
Previously, our dog Rufus, who was part Malamute/Great Dane, ate an entire stick of butter before a dinner party (as a puppy appetizer) & one pair of my new leather sandals! He was also tall enough to get into the kitchen garbage and fish out old (forbidden) bones and food for himself and the cat when they were left alone! They liked to par-tay!
Our border collie Shorty just had the bad habit of chasing cars down our long country road, and my Welsh Corgi, Max, was too short to get into much trouble in the kitchen! He just encouraged the cats! And they shared in the bootie!
Dogs & cats--gotta love em all!
Oh, I forgot to say our current (11 yr old.) Siberian Husky, Lefty, is a total garbage dog, and even does it right in front of us!
He can't stand our cat Queenie, but she loves on him to death whenever she gets the chance! They're the weirdest match we've ever had, but somehow, get along!
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