Each day begins with me hearing a four legged friend next to
me making noises in the morning. It
looked like a puppy that popped in the cage at night to get her milk bone but
When I realize, after about 15 minutes into the rattling
each morning, Tessie is into her stretchy phase of the morning festivities, I
prepare myself to get up. She looks no different than her sleeping state in her
cage now really, except her face is more into the contortions she does with her
legs; she seemly meekly looks over and quickly it becomes a much more intense
stare.. What is it about a dog staring at you that burns through you as if
someone is continually poking you until you respond? The power of a stare, wow, even pets have it
innately! And we apparently are trained by them to respond.
Tess has grown over the last 18 months of her life into a
slim but nice size labradoodle for me. After having a 125 lb. lab, a 55 lb. dog
is sure a treat! However, the pull on
the lead can feel as strong as the smaller the dog, she seems to be able to get
more traction at times. This is especially true when her two favorite things to
go after are in sight, bunnies or geckos.
My husband and I try everything to get her distracted and if that won’t
work, the commands start coming right and left before the dreaded “No Tessie”
has to be stated, repeatedly. To date, no deaths!
It seems the minute I step out the door with her, someone is
coming by in a golf cart. She is well-trained to sit when cars and carts go by.
However, if someone wants to stop to see her, or as she feels, admire her, all
bets are off. Then it begins a match between her wants and mine. She wants to
levy out kisses and jump which is not allowed. We paid too much for training to
have a disobedient dog. Too bad Tess doesn’t always subscribe to that line of
thinking. She will push the limits when new people are near her, so eager to
give out love. She desperately wants everyone to like her also. Perhaps she has
self-esteem issues because she is kinda ugly. Oh shoot, her vet says the poodle
part of her is very sensitive to comments about her looks and that I must tell
her she is very pretty, regularly. I must say I am lax in that department. Who
wants a dog with a big head?
I kind of get Tessie, in a strange way. Her appearance is
confusing making her probably a very confused individual who needs a lot of
reassurance. She is a labradoodle but her DNA got crisscrossed and she is just
plain unusual looking like God couldn’t make up which color to make her. Thus,
she is like no other I’ve or many have seen.
Tessie’s mother was a chocolate brown and her father was a black
poodle, Tessie is neither of these colors. What I see looking up at me is a
continual changing mish-mash of white,
Speaking of different, when Tessie boards with her trainer,
she is so good they can use her as a demonstration dog. Yep, the same dog I am
talking about issues on the lead with jumping (and in the house with company,
sometimes, as in totally unpredictable) they have a well-oiled machine!) They
hand her back to us saying, if you have a problem, you are the problem.
Actually, in most all ways, we are good with her too. And she
is a good dog. Issues many other pet owners have we don’t and we thank Tessie
regularly when we hear of them. No accidents,
no destroying things in our house, no horrible separation anxiety or not
obeying
Tessie can be your best friend when you just want someone to
snuggle with and other times, she prefers her space and prefers being left
alone. Then, I have to entice her with a treat to even come up and sit with me
on the bed. There is one chair in the
living room she has been trained she can sit on laps. She will literally fly
through the air across the room to jump on the lap to plop on! No warming just flying mass of a blur of
silver, gray, off white and there is Tess in your lap. In a split decision,
she’ll decide if your face or ears are dirty, and it will be hell to pay to get
her to stop!
