A Dogs Life

I have a little beagle named Finny. Our Amish neighbors gave her to us for "free" about 7 years ago. She was free until the vet visit, then came the shots, de-worming, and chemical baths to rid her of mange, and VOILA! A million-dollar dog was born.

Having never had a dog before, we really got lucky with Finny. She is a wonderful family pet; gentle and affectionate. What I didn't know, is that beagles will eat anything that isn't nailed down and that their culinary delights aren't limited to dog food- nope! In fact, our neighbors cats tend to use our swing-set area as a litter box and the cat feces is apparently a delicacy to Finny, so that area has become "the buffet". So, as far as manners go, she is slightly disgusting, and because of her eating habits she is now a chubby middle-aged beagle.

Finny and I have a very special relationship. Not only am I her "alpha", but we are also the only females in the house. I fancy sometimes when I catch her eye that we are thinking EXACTLY the same things, and that we see the understanding and sympathy the other feels. For example: remember in a previous blog when I described how Jared wanted to take her for "police-dog" training? Well, probably about 2-3 times per week she is subjected to Jared's "training" techniques. So, dog-lovers among you are wondering: "why does she let him torture the dog?" Well, you are probably the same people wondering where I find my patience.... sometimes Finny just has to "take one for the team"! The important thing to remember here is that Jared DOES suffer from ADHD, so his attention span is not terribly long and therefore the torture sessions are brief.

His "training" techniques ARE interesting to watch. He once saw the people from animal control come to our house to pick up an apparently sick stray that decided to lay down on our porch and bark and growl at us any time we came near. The animal control person had one of those "hook" things (I don't know what they're called) that they use to loop around the dog's neck. Remembering that tool, he took the nebulizer tubing (hopefully no one has an asthma attack any time soon) and one of the vacuum cleaner attachments to develop his own loop system. Using this system he catches Finny and then tries to teach her to be his police dog. What that means to Jared I am not quite clear- but one of the main objectives seems to be teaching her to pull the 25 lb dolley around the driveway with harnesses that he has developed just for her. Important note: do NOT call the SPCA, for no animal is hurt or injured during these training sessions. I confess that I do sacrifice her to a certain extent, but I usually draw the line when she appears to have crossed over from police helper to prisoner. I know this line has been crossed when the play handcuffs have been used to shackle her little paws while pulling the dolley; turning her into some sort of canine chain-gang of one. Then I sacrifice myself, free Finny from bondage and offer her love and affection, and then allow her to escape to her hiding place behind the couch.

In the aftermath, I look into her little doggy eyes and thank her for her patience. She looks back at me in resigned acceptance. We understand each other. A parents love is like a dogs' love... pure and unconditional. We suffer torture, bad behavior, and other insults that you can't imagine until you see it... but at the end of the day the adoration and affection are never any less and you can only see what's beautiful and good; now, if only I could keep them out of the trash can...