Thursday, December 15, 2011

The Young Prince Will Have His Way


Have you ever met a dog who could hear you stretch in bed from another room?  No, you say?

Well, allow me to introduce you to Bouie -- Mr. Perky-ears McPest Pup.

One morning last week, Pepper and I were both down with the crud (or "black damocus," as Pepper says) and had plans to sleep in until we awoke naturally.  Bouie had other ideas.

He has this uncanny ability to know when it's the weekend and Pepper won't have to go to the office, so he wants to go on his off-leash romp and/or swim with Pepper before the break of dawn.  Pepper usually accommodates him because he pretty much trained Bouie to expect said romp.  If Pepper doesn't get up at a time Bouie deems appropriate, Pepper can expect a big ol' paw or two to land on the mattress beside him, if not smack in the middle of his chest.

Bouie tried that trick last Saturday, but Pepper told him, "Not yet.  Wait a little bit until I wake up," and Bouie slunk out of the bedroom to pout in the tv room.  Typically, when he does that he won't bother Pepper again until he hears sounds of people stirring and walking.  But, seriously, last Saturday, while Pepper was still asleep, I simply stretched before shifting position, and Bouie interpreted that miniscule sound as "stirring."  Here came the toenails clicking across the floor, followed by 2 big paws flumping on the mattress, followed by a tail wagging so ferociously that the mattress swayed along with it, accompanied by soft whining coming from a face with wrinkled brow and ears that looked so perky you imagined that they hurt from the strain.

We both giggled.

And Pepper got up.  [I turned over and went back to sleep.  ;) ]

After they had their together-time romp at City Park where Bouie got to run and swim and chase some geese, they shared breakfast, and Bouie promptly curled up for an extended nap which lasted most of the rest of the day. 


Pepper couldn't get back to sleep.  Sort of.


Do you think we maybe spoil that dog a little too much?

9 comments:

  1. Dunno what dogs have - whether it is ESP or radar or some kind of psychic abilities. But one of ours acts just like your Bouie. Sunshine sneaks in and climbs on the bed with us nightly. Then she gets too greedy (hogging 51% or so of the bed) so we kick her off. But she's always scheming on how to get back up there...

    I'm a light and fitful sleeper. It is common for me to wake up just before the alarm clock goes off. I can wake up and open one to to spy the alarm clock - all without moving the rest of my body at all - and immediately I hear the clickety-click of Sunshine crossing the floor to greet me. Not sure how they know, but they know.

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  2. We have rearranged the furniture so as to afford Monkey the optimum play/ lounge area. She has her own bedroom. She can make me stop doing whatever I'm doing and sit and pet her on her own special blanket.
    I don't think I'm allowed to say anyone else spoils their pet.

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  3. Bouie can hear us blinking our eyes sometimes, too, Inno! Truly amazing. Bouie would like to sleep with us, but 17-year-old Rosie the blind shih tzu still retains that honor.

    I think you're right, Lee Ann!

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  4. Aw...

    I have a cat that washes my face for me (or ears if I try to turn away) until I get up and get him his breakfast. And he's as regular as a clock and completely without any concept of weekend.

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  5. Yeah, he's probably too spoiled, but how can anyone resist with a face like that?

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  6. We have a twenty-five pound rat terrier that sleeps with us. Since he is lazier than us, we don't have the wake-up problem. But if we forget his morning dog treats, he lets us know. I do love my dogs.

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  7. Do you think we maybe spoil that dog a little too much?

    Not at all. The Second Mrs. Pennington and I shared a bed with a Lab/Border Collie cross, a smallish German Shepard, and a mongrel terrier. Each had their specific place and all of them knew when it was time to get up... they were good like that. They were pretty discreet old ladies, too, and I shall not elaborate further except to say I'm glad dogs don't talk.

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  8. Moogie, I became fascinated by dogs as a young child...they REALLY do have some kind of connection to our habits that is unexplainable.

    And, in my lifetime as a dog lover, I've learned that there is only ONE thing bad about a good dog.

    It's that they don't live forever. "If I were the King of the Forest," they would...

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  9. Isn't it amazing how animal lovers tend to find one another, y'all?

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