What do ya know?
Well, it's been quite the (unplanned) hiatus from the blog, eh? I really never intended to let it go -- certainly not for nearly 3 whole months! It just sorta happened and actually I think I'm starting to understand why. Maybe I'll write about it, maybe not.
But I have been feeling the urge again.
And you will never guess what has finally prodded me to end the silence: A squeaky toy. Not the toy actually, itself, but my dog's CRAZY response to it!
Cisco has always been the TOY-DESTRUCTOR. It is his goal in life to first de-squeak any squeaky toy he gets his teeth on, and second to de-stuff them. I don't think he's ever had a toy last more than about 5 minutes. Literally. Then it hangs out around the house for months and we'll stuff the stuffing back in and he'll rip it all out again.
Last night we were all down in the basement cleaning up (WHY -- is another, and actually quite exciting reason I'll probably write about next). Anyways, Ginger came across a squeaky toy and offered it to Cisco. I figured we were throwing out a lot of stuff, so might as well let him have his five minutes of fun first.
But this toy is different - it isn't plush, it's a molded rubber figure. At first he really didn't want to even put his teeth to it. He took it VERY gently from Ginger's hand, then would spit it out, poke it with his foot, pick it up gently again. Literally - for hours he did this. Everytime we took it from him, he would hand it over, but then start licking his chops as if he really didn't like the taste it left in his mouth -- but he always wanted it back. He'd run from one side of the basement to the other, showing it to each of us, squeaking all the way. We were astonished he still hadn't bit into by the time we went to bed. Let me clarify who was this WE who was going to bed -- because that did not include the Cisco. Oh, no, he was in his kennel, squeaking away.
I tried scolding him -- "No Squeak, Cisco" (not exactly a command he knows, but since he figured out what "Stop Licking" was when he lies in his kennel licking his chops, I thought I'd give it a try). However, this didn't sink in. So I took it and set it just outside his kennel telling him to "Leave It" (a command he DOES know). No luck. So I set it further outside his kennel, and turned upside down in the bed so I could watch him and reinforce the "Leave It". Wouldn't you know it? The little sneak was stretching his head as far as he could out of his kennel without moving his feet or getting up from lying down - to try and get it again. That was it -- 'baby', as it has now been dubbed, went on top of the dresser for the night.
Soon as I got up this morning, he was up - staring at the dresser. I gave baby back to him. For the next 30 minutes as I showered and dressed, he just sat in his kennel with his mouth on the toy, absolutely still. Then he'd shift or squeeze, and cause a squeek -- that would seem to honestly startle him -- and then it would get batted around his kennel until he calmed down, lay back down and pin it to the floor again with his mouth. He is obsessed with this toy!
I got home tonight late - 9 pm, and baby greeted me at the door - still entirely intact. And squeaking away. Most of the time you just hear little partial squeeks -- one every 10 seconds or so. But then he gets a big squeak and that will set off a chain of them. I asked Ginger if he did this all day long -- and she said in exasperation that she'd had to take it away from him several times today because he just keeps running around with it nonstop! It is THE strangest and most hilarious thing he has ever done. He really does seem to act like he's protecting it like a baby - but can not leave it alone what so ever. I was cracking up this morning - tonight... possibly not so much.
Edited: Ok, I have to take that back. Ginger just came out into the kitchen. I'm (obviously) sitting at the computer, Cicso is lying at my side quietly squeaking. Until he saw her enter the room that is. Boy -- that elicited quite the squeek! Then she started talking to him and he started squeaking right back, in his own little language. Sorry -- you perhaps had to be there, but it certainly made us burst out laughing.
But I have been feeling the urge again.
And you will never guess what has finally prodded me to end the silence: A squeaky toy. Not the toy actually, itself, but my dog's CRAZY response to it!
Cisco has always been the TOY-DESTRUCTOR. It is his goal in life to first de-squeak any squeaky toy he gets his teeth on, and second to de-stuff them. I don't think he's ever had a toy last more than about 5 minutes. Literally. Then it hangs out around the house for months and we'll stuff the stuffing back in and he'll rip it all out again.
Last night we were all down in the basement cleaning up (WHY -- is another, and actually quite exciting reason I'll probably write about next). Anyways, Ginger came across a squeaky toy and offered it to Cisco. I figured we were throwing out a lot of stuff, so might as well let him have his five minutes of fun first.
But this toy is different - it isn't plush, it's a molded rubber figure. At first he really didn't want to even put his teeth to it. He took it VERY gently from Ginger's hand, then would spit it out, poke it with his foot, pick it up gently again. Literally - for hours he did this. Everytime we took it from him, he would hand it over, but then start licking his chops as if he really didn't like the taste it left in his mouth -- but he always wanted it back. He'd run from one side of the basement to the other, showing it to each of us, squeaking all the way. We were astonished he still hadn't bit into by the time we went to bed. Let me clarify who was this WE who was going to bed -- because that did not include the Cisco. Oh, no, he was in his kennel, squeaking away.
I tried scolding him -- "No Squeak, Cisco" (not exactly a command he knows, but since he figured out what "Stop Licking" was when he lies in his kennel licking his chops, I thought I'd give it a try). However, this didn't sink in. So I took it and set it just outside his kennel telling him to "Leave It" (a command he DOES know). No luck. So I set it further outside his kennel, and turned upside down in the bed so I could watch him and reinforce the "Leave It". Wouldn't you know it? The little sneak was stretching his head as far as he could out of his kennel without moving his feet or getting up from lying down - to try and get it again. That was it -- 'baby', as it has now been dubbed, went on top of the dresser for the night.
Soon as I got up this morning, he was up - staring at the dresser. I gave baby back to him. For the next 30 minutes as I showered and dressed, he just sat in his kennel with his mouth on the toy, absolutely still. Then he'd shift or squeeze, and cause a squeek -- that would seem to honestly startle him -- and then it would get batted around his kennel until he calmed down, lay back down and pin it to the floor again with his mouth. He is obsessed with this toy!
I got home tonight late - 9 pm, and baby greeted me at the door - still entirely intact. And squeaking away. Most of the time you just hear little partial squeeks -- one every 10 seconds or so. But then he gets a big squeak and that will set off a chain of them. I asked Ginger if he did this all day long -- and she said in exasperation that she'd had to take it away from him several times today because he just keeps running around with it nonstop! It is THE strangest and most hilarious thing he has ever done. He really does seem to act like he's protecting it like a baby - but can not leave it alone what so ever. I was cracking up this morning - tonight... possibly not so much.
Edited: Ok, I have to take that back. Ginger just came out into the kitchen. I'm (obviously) sitting at the computer, Cicso is lying at my side quietly squeaking. Until he saw her enter the room that is. Boy -- that elicited quite the squeek! Then she started talking to him and he started squeaking right back, in his own little language. Sorry -- you perhaps had to be there, but it certainly made us burst out laughing.
Labels: Ranch
posted by Monica at Sun Pony |
9:28 PM
1 Comments:
Oh Monica that is so cute! Lydia
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