Six years ago I was looking through the internet and found the cutest little puppy that was surely a doggie “glamour shot”. When the children were growing up, we had several dogs, but were definitely not good dog caregivers, and the kids did nothing to take care of the dogs. So we got rid of dogs and for 30 years, never thought about having a dog – until the glamour shot of that adorable Cavapoo.
Cavapoos are a mixed breed of Cavalier King Spaniel and poodle. The spaniel part makes them very sweet and the poodle mix makes them smart.
So, after 30 years without a dog, I decided to take the leap and order this darling little creature. My husband told me sternly that he didn’t want the dog, didn’t want to have anything to do with it, and would not help me in any way. After 50+ years being married to this guy, I figured he couldn’t resist loving him.
I was right about Bob loving the dog and after a week, Alfi was Bob’s dog – and definitely, his best friend. Six years later, I find the dog has taken on some characteristics of my husband, both good and bad.
Alfi is somewhat obsessive compulsive – like my husband. He is also very kind and gentle, like Bob. However, he is bit grumpy like Bob sometimes, and not very sociable – again like Bob. He is also, very much, an only child since he is here with just the two of us.
This past week, my daughter has had her dog here – Orville. Orville is a Shihtzu, weighing in at 8 pounds – about half the size of Alfi. My granddaughter’s dog has also visited . Nash, is a golden doodle who is 3-4 times bigger than either Alfi or Orville.
Watching these dogs co-exist in our house is hysterical. Orville, being the smallest, has a definite “chip on his shoulder’ about being the small dude, so he shows no fear in taunting Nash by standing on his back legs for such a long time right in Nash’s face. Strangely, this actually causes Nash to go into a panic mode and jump out of the way. All the time this is going on, Alfi is staying away from them both and “talking” to me about how miserable he is sharing his space.
You may not believe it, but my dog “speaks” to me. He looks at me like a child trying to get their point across and literally makes word sounds that I assume say “Get these other dogs out of my house please”. I seem to be the only one he speaks to for some reason, but others hear it and agree that he is talking.
I really would love to know what these dogs are thinking, because we know that they understand many words and commands, so what are they thinking ? I am so curious to know from a dog’s point of view what they think of this world we live in. Hopefully they look at it through “rose colored glasses” and don’t worry about the future as much as we do.