I like dogs as much as the next guy, but I've always preferred cats. My family has had two pet cats for several years, and they are great members of our family. So, when my younger sister adopts a puppy from my aunt's farm, I'm not that happy.
At first, Desmond (my sister named him after her favorite character on "Lost") is harmless, partly due to the fact that he was tiny. A few days after we brought him home, it took him 10 minutes to climb a flight of stairs. The occasional "accident" was common, but he was adorable enough. Then, I went up to school for a year. And what do I find when I return? The dog is no longer a minuscule puppy, oh no. He's a boisterous oaf who loves nothing more than to bark, run and get in your way.
Our dog Desmond
And of course, it's my duty, and my duty alone, to take care of him. Taking him outside I can handle. But when the dog gets at his most obnoxious, there are times when I lose it.
Take this weekend for example, when my family goes out of town, and I'm charged with watching the dog for four days. First of all, Desmond has an ear infection from getting sheet grass in his ear while frolicking. As a result, he must take two pills every day and have drops put in his ear each day as well. My mother assured me that this would be easy. "Just put the pills on the floor, and he'll gobble them up!" is what she said. Well, I put them on the floor, and he spit them right out. Meaning that for the next four days, I have to physically put the pills in his mouth so he can swallow them, which is like fighting a great white shark. Plus, he has, by now, recognized the ear drop bottle and runs from it. Again, this is a battle man was not meant to win.
But once that's done, it's a full-time job to keep him busy. Taking him outside is one way to keep him sane, but this dog loves to beat around the bush when it comes to using the facilities. He'll pee first and then spend minutes on end sniffing the entire lawn looking for the "perfect" spot to defecate. At one point, this screening process took 30 minutes, and he still didn't find a spot. So, of course, after I go to bed, I hear barking and wailing because he wants to go outside. I take him out and sure enough, he does his business in two minutes.
Playing with the dog
Desmond is also hyper as hell. He spent a good 10 minutes one night running around in a circle for no good reason. He also has a squeaky toy that makes noise (of course) that he loves to play with.
Needless to say, this weekend was a test in sanity and patience. Every dog is a unique beast, and Desmond is one unique beast.
