It can't be me

I keep reading that nothing ever goes away on facebook, but if that's true, why can I only go back a couple of pages?  I decided to start a blog because I want to be able to look back with fond memories at those entertaining moments from my family, job and dogs.

Take today, for instance.  I have 2 dogs - Bear, a 2 year old, 70 lb. boxer/lab/hound/? mix that we rescued from a shelter last August and Aki, my 9 year old, 7 lb. Maltese.  They are like my children, especially in the way they annoy each other like human siblings.

Today Aki spent the entire day teasing Bear.  We give them treats sometimes when we leave the house because we usually crate them while we are gone.  (Aki has a marking problem.)  Bear devours his right away, but Aki prefers to fondle his and then sprint to the office with it when we get home and spend his time guarding it.

I wondered why Bear kept barking at me and crying.  I thought he had to go out.  But no, he wanted Aki's treat which Aki had placed on the floor and then moved about a foot away from it to lay down (or do dogs lie?  I can never remember).  Every time Bear would whine, Aki would wag his tail in what is apparently the canine version of nyah nyah nyah.

I tried giving Bear a treat of his own but he wolfed it down and then stared longingly back at Aki's, causing Aki to again wag his tail in glee.

I moved to the couch and of course the dogs moved with me.  Aki placed the treat reverently on a blanket on the other couch and came to sit by me.  Every time Bear moved a muscle, Aki sprinted back to his treat.  When he saw Bear look at me, he'd sprint back to my lap, effectively blocking Bear from both me and the treat.

I wanted to snatch the stupid thing up and just throw it away, but I didn't want to get in the middle of dog politics.  I have no idea how such an action could tilt the delicate balance of who dominates whom and when. I am mindful of these things since the beginning of Bear's life with us when I'd yell at him for something and give him the stink eye and he'd give me a stupid look for a long time and I'd get bored and go back to my office.  As it turned out he thought I was submitting to him and decided that meant he could eat my shoes.  It took about a month of daily stare-downs for him to realize I was just going to win and I don't want to have to do that again.  The one thing he has an attention span of more than 5 seconds for is staring.  I, on the other hand, find that it gets old quickly.  And it usually happens when there is something really interesting on t.v.

Since the guy doing our gardening pulled out the vine-tree monster earlier this week and got attacked by the family of chipmunks living in it, there hasn't been much wildlife for the dogs to bark at.  The guarding game seems to be their substitute entertainment.