Have you ever heard someone say, “There’s a toy box full of toys, but the baby is always playing in the (Tupperware, pots and pan, etc.) cabinet.”?
Ever since he was a small puppy Sampson’s chewing preference has been wood.
He liked toys too, but when left to his own devices, he chose wood products.
At our old house we didn’t have a lot of trees, so Sampson found things to chew on IN THE HOUSE.
The first thing he chewed was a old-fashioned coat rack that I had bought in New York on a Thanksgiving visit to my mother-in-law. I wasn’t horribly upset, but I did put some bitter apple on it and it seemed to stop.
The next wood item he chewed was the foot rest to my breakfast bar. I was panicked about that one. Not because I cared about the foot rest, but more that I was concerned that HUBBY would care about the foot rest. (We’d just remodeled the kitchen!)
He didn’t. After anxiously running scenarios over in my mind, when I told him what Sampson had done, he simply laughed and said, “I never liked it anyway.”
Eventually Sampson grew out of that puppy phase and we moved to a new house. With a lot of trees.
This meant that Sampson had access to lots of sticks. The dumb ass silly dog would go outside, eat a stick and then come inside and throw it up. We had to constantly monitor him and attempt to divert him from eating the stick.
Yes, it’s true. I like sticks.
Every time we caught him with a stick we’d do our best goofy dog voice and say, “I like sticks.”
He’s gotten a lot better. Of course, he doesn’t have the freedom outside now that he once had, and he still on occasion will come in with something in his mouth, which we immediately remove.
In the present he is almost always outside on leash, with the exception being when he simply goes out to potty. But even then, either my husband or I am out with him, making sure he doesn’t run or do anything else that might be perceived as stupid.
Of course, on his walks (as long as the Mama is walking him) he is on leash.
Since he’s had his partial CCL tear, he’s put on about five pounds, which is super hard to help him lose, considering his limitations with exercise. He gets tired easily on our walks and it’s not unusual for him to stop and sit or even lie down for a minute or so, until I urge him up again.
Sometimes a dog just needs a rest.
Which is why on Saturday when he stopped at a certain neighbor’s house, I didn’t turn around. This particular house has a cat and the woman who owns the cat lets the cat outside on a leash. Both my dogs make it part of their morning walk to stop and stare at the cat.
I’m pretty sure Sampson just wants to play, Delilah on the other hand, she’s drooling, so DOG only knows that she’s thinking, although I bet I could hazard a good guess.
So Sampson was stopped and after a few seconds I realized he wasn’t just staring at the cat, but that I was getting gentle tugs on the leash, sort of like he was snarfing for something. This is something I have to be aware of with Delilah, but not Sampson.
Until Saturday.
Here’s where the little jerk stopped off.
Looks normal, no?
Here’s what the little asshole came up with!
A chunk of wood!
Naturally I took it out of his mouth and threw if far under the bush, and would you believe, yesterday morning he stopped to look for it again?
How about your pets, do they have a preference when it comes to chewing? Or playing?
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