It’s a Dog’s World

I talked about the cats in my life. I also have dogs. Both of my daughters have 2 dogs each. All 4 dogs are rescue dogs.

My youngest daughter has a male Border Collie mix named Remy and a female Rhodesian Ridgeback mix named Roxie. They got Remy in 2009 and Roxie in 2017. They are medium to large dogs. Even as big as they are they love to jump into laps and lick. I have a rule against being licked so sometimes I have to get the water spray bottle because they never seem to remember that rule. Remy has stopped chewing everything in sight which is a relief. When he was younger, he chewed up remote controls, water cups, anything within reach. Now Roxie has taken over the chewing, and she is sneaky. My grandson will be playing in the living room with his toys. Roxie can sneak a toy and chew it up before you even notice. My daughter still puts her Christmas tree inside a child’s play yard to preserve it. Remy was a middle-aged dog when they got Roxie as a puppy. He acted out at first when they got Roxie. The move to a new house and a new dog a few months later must have really upset poor Remy. He tore up quite a bit in the new house. I’m not sure, but I think my daughter is the pack leader.

Roxie gets more upset at the chickens and goats than Remy. She also doesn’t have as much patience with my 4 year old grandson. Remy has always been my grandson’s big brother. He would sleep outside his door and pretty much let my grandson do anything to him. Remy would also share my grandson’s food when he was smaller.

My older daughter has 2 female dogs. One is a 20 pound Cavalier King Charles Spaniel/terrier mix named Annie, and the other is a 30 pound Basenji mix named Stella. They are picture above in their safe spots. These dogs make quite a pair. Stella was rescued from being euthanized and must have had a difficult start in life. She still has nightmares during which she twitches and whines. They had tried fostering Stella out with families without other dogs but she was too nervous when the owners would be away during the day at work. She has done well with Annie and loves her forever family.

I spend more time with Annie and Stella, because I care for the grandkids when the parents are out of town for work or medical treatment. Annie is very protective of “her space.” If the mowers come into the backyard or if she just hears anyone around the house (even if they are next door), she goes berserk with her barking. Thankfully, Stella is much calmer. One morning while I was trying to nap, Annie kept up her barking and running back and forth for at least 45 minutes. Stella played with a squeaky toy. The combination of the two made me laugh.

When let outside, Annie will run circles around the back yard and sniff for rabbits. I’m sure there are times she has run a half marathon in the back yard. She has caught several rabbits. I was staying with the kids and Annie (this was before Stella) for a week while the parents went on a cruise. Annie caught 2 rabbits that week. I was running around the backyard trying to catch that crazy dog. That dog is FAST! The kids heard my hollering and checked to see if I needed any help. We finally caught Annie and got her in the house, and put that poor rabbit outside of the fence. If the neighbors had been watching, they would have had quite a show.

The poor neighbors also can’t be in their back yards without Annie running and jumping up and down the fence barking at them. It’s a good thing the fence is 6 feet tall and Annie is pretty short. I’m sure the neighbors are relieved when Annie goes inside. She may still bark but at least it’s muted.

One day I was at the house and we were getting ready to leave. Stella went right on in, but Annie was barking at the neighbor mowing his yard. I was trying to catch her and get her in. No way was I going to grab that dog. My daughter came to the back door and yelled at Annie to get in the house. NOW! Annie went immediately to the door. We know who the alpha dog is at their house.

The dogs are getting used to me. Annie will come snuggle some, and Stella will eventually also want to be petted. The welcoming committee is hilarious when my daughter and her husband get home.

I enjoy the dogs, but I’m glad they don’t belong to me and live with me. The furniture can smell quite doggish at times. There’s also fur on the floors, furniture, and clothes.

It’s a dog’s world.