At home, I have two little poodles: Rosie is the original, standing at almost 14 years old with the attitude of Oscar the Grouch and the senses of Hellen Keller. Our second, Pearl, is going through her terrible 2’s and has been peeving off Rosie every day since the day of her arrival. They both have their own little personalities, and it’s so entertaining to watch them live. Rosie, with 14 years of wisdom, and Pearl, a puppy learning and growing in this vast world, here’s what I know about little pups and why they’re so cute and innocent.
1. Sitting still and looking pretty.
It’s so funny how one minute Pearl is running circles around Rosie, and the next minute, she’s sitting right down on her bottom as soon as the treat bag comes out. She knows to sit all nice and pretty because that’s when I give her a treat. She’s also been learning how to share: when Rosie gets a treat, she isn’t allowed to jump up and snatch it. Or, when Rosie’s old lady teeth take 25 minutes to chew on a piece of jerky, Pearl isn’t allowed to run off with it when Rosie isn’t looking. Instead, she lays there like a sphinx… just watching Rosie enjoy what she can’t have.
2. Playtime is worktime.
Pearl has a laundry basket full of toys that we keep behind the recliner in our living room, and she knows that’s her basket. She loves dragging it out by the pieces of blanket sticking out from the spokes, and dumping all of her toys on the floor. She usually keeps 2-3 rawhide bones on standby as she gnaws on another, but always has them spread across the floor, as if she needs to keep track of where each of them are. When she first got them at Christmas, she brought all 5 up to my mom’s lap for safekeeping because she couldn’t hardly handle all of them at once. But when it’s time to chew, she’s in for an hour putting in hard work on that bone. She chews like her rent in this house depends on it.
3. A routine is a ritual, and you can’t break procedure.
Recently we’ve had to put Rosie on soft dog food in addition to her hard kibbles, because it’s getting tougher for her to chew, and we want to make sure she’s getting enough nutrients. Now that this has been added to her diet, it’s routine to get up in the morning, go outside, then have a plate of beef stew flavored mush. But it’s not just a routine, it’s her life. Rosie doesn’t move quick for anything, but when it comes to her breakfast, she’s booking it to the grass to quickly do the essentials, then high-tailing it to the kitchen to spin and whine until the plate is at her paws. If we don’t get her food in a timely manner, she freaks out because she knows what should be coming.
4. Their loyalty is so sincere.
In the mornings after my mom lets her out to potty, Pearl runs straight down to my room and hops into my bed. She gives me two or three good licks on the nose, as if to say, “mornin’ mom!” and then nuzzles her way into a pit of blankets at the foot of my bed.
I hate leaving for school, because she’s used to this routine. So, when she comes to see me in the morning, and my door is shut, she’s gotta be wondering where I am. It’s heartbreaking to me, because as a dog with no sense of time or placement, she doesn’t know when I’ll be home again, if I’ve abandoned her, if I’m just inside my room ignoring her, or if I’m just gone for the day.
Sometimes I’ll get home from a trip to Walmart, and she’ll spazz out in my arms the same way she does when I’ve not been home for a month. Her heart is just always in the right place.
5. Their need for attention.
When I’m laying around on the couch checking Facebook and whatnot, I usually keep two hands on my phone as I’m scrolling around. Pearl will meander her way to my lap and stick her wet, black nose right underneath my phone, pushing it away, so that my hands conveniently end up on spot just behind her ears. When I’m not giving her enough attention, she will let me know about it.
6. Curiosity could probably kill the dog too.
We blew up a couple balloons and tossed them on the floor for Pearl to push around, and at first she was very cautious. It wasn’t something she’d ever seen before, and when she nosed it, it kinda seemed to fight back. Soon she had it cornered and was swatting at it with her paws, and her nail must’ve caught it just right, and, “POP!” After this, she was done with balloons and darted off at the sight of one.
7. Such little beings can be so riddled with guilt.
Dogs are intelligent creatures: they know what’s right and wrong after a few instances of conditioning, and they will remember the consequences too. The look on their face says that they knew they weren’t supposed to pee on the floor… but it kinda just happened anyways. That’s why Pearl comes and sits at my feet with her ears slicked back in submission until I realize that something has happened. Then we both take a walk to the scene of the crime, and we exchange glances of shame. Sometimes she will go ahead and put herself in timeout in her cage because she can’t stand being riddled with the guilt.
One time Pearl’s cage door was shut and she couldn’t get in, so she wedged herself between her and Rosie’s kennels, and sat staring at a brick wall until I found her.
8. They’ll do what they think will get praises.
On other occasions, Pearl finds opportunities to “make me happy.” On a sunny afternoon in my backyard, I was laying out catching some rays and let Pearl run around to enjoy some outside time too. I heard her rustle around and eventually settle by my feet real quietly. Too much quiet is concerning to any real mother or pet-mother, so I sat up to see what she was up to. Little Pearl was just waiting for me to see what she brought: a dead, decaying mouse. The look on her face said, “Look mama! I got it just for you! Aren’t you proud?” I wasn’t. I’m also not entirely proud of the baby bird or the frog she’s found, too. But she believes she’s come across something special, and she can’t wait to give it to me. [See photo below for Pearl's happy face and prized dead mouse.]
Dogs always mean well. They just want to please you and get pats and treats in return! How could you not love those puppy eyes?
Photo by Lydia Lierz.
