He gave me a black eye, brought home a rabbit’s foot, a deer femur, he jumped the fence several times, chased the turkeys into the trees and peed on the indoor wood carving we got from Jamaica on our honeymoon (pictured below in 1 of the photos). He practically bites the hand that feeds in his eagerness for kibble, he runs into our dog Rocket who’s twelve years old, and he has a dander that makes me sneeze. BUT…he’s very lovable, even quite bright and gets along well with people and our grand-dog Zappa. Of course, I’m talking about our new dog, Rio. |
After all the missteps, accidents and learning curve for young Rio, he began to grow on us. He loves to snuggle, to pretend he’s a lightweight 60-pound lap dog. He pines for me when I leave the house and sits for long minutes and hours beside Terry while Terry rubs his back or tummy. He playfully bounces around the yard or house after balls and toys, always paying deference to Rocket by letting him steal them from him. He doesn’t have bad drool or gas, but he scratches A LOT! And I think his dander makes me sneeze more than before we had him. His scratching is a bit annoying at times, but he doesn’t have hot spots. Nonetheless, I have to bathe him every two weeks to try and control that, and I also give him a supplement plus fish oil to try and abate the need to be the “Itchy & Scratchy Show.” (For those who don’t watch the Simpsons, it’s a cartoon that appears in their show.) I sing this little cartoon theme song constantly around him when he scratches; and, I’ve even taken to calling him “Itchy, Pidgy, Puddin’ & Pie, Kissed the Girls and Made them Cry.” Yes, I know it’s a long nickname, but it’s just something I can’t resist. He has other nicknames too: Eejit, Idgy, and Doodle dog. |