6.04.2012

Porcine Prejudices

Greyhounds are inherently breedist. They are raised with other greyhounds. They race with other greyhounds. They live in the kennels with other greyhounds. They rarely see other breeds of dogs until they retire to their forever homes. So they prefer the company of other greyhounds. If you don’t believe me, get a greyhound and walk him or her into a room where one or more other greyhounds are already congregated. A small hint, keep a good tight hold on the leash.

Bettina greyhound and pig watering can
Bettina and Blue are no different in this regard. Bettina shows some mild interest in other dogs and Blue shows almost none. But when they see or even hear another greyhound, it’s like finding a long lost brother or sister. Bettina also takes an unhealthy interest in other species. Mostly those that are categorized in the “good to chase and eat” category. But I was astonished the other day to discover that she has a hatred of pigs.

I was planting seedlings and seeds in the garden. It had been a dry week and the rain forecast was iffy. So I dug out my watering can from the garage to give the newly planted items a good soaking. My watering can is a cute little pig made from metal, and the water pours out of his snout. I thought it quite whimsical and charming when I bought it years ago. Bettina, not so much.

After I watered the garden, I put Mr. Piggy on my front steps. When he’s not functional, he’s art! I went inside and settled down with a good book. Bettina wandered over to the front door which, this time of year, remains open. The kids can look out the storm door to see what is going on in the neighborhood. Next thing I know, Bettina is whining and crying. She is on alert with her tail out straight behind her. Soon she has worked herself into a barking fit and she’s clawing at the door.

We have 3 cows across the street from us. While they are of mild interest to Blue and Bettina and provide a few minutes of interesting viewing daily, Bettina has never given them more than a passing thought before. Her strong reaction is usually reserved for things edible… cats, ferrets, rodents and cheddar cheese. So I jumped off the couch and ran to the front door expecting to see something in one of those categories in our front yard. But the scene was calm and peaceful. There was no one, human or animal in sight. Even the cows were on the far side of their field. I told her she was being silly and shooed her away from the door. I sat back on the couch to read. Moments later, she began her wind up and soon was barking furiously at the door. I checked again and still, nothing amiss outside. I moved her back away from the door and set up the safety gate.

Bettina greyhound at front door
Bettina stood leaning into the gate, peering out the front door whining and barking. What on earth? I checked once again as she was quite upset but everything was as it had been. Except, it occurred to me, that the piggy watering can was new to the scene. She couldn’t be barking at an inanimate piece of metal, could she? What a silly question. I let her at the door again and stood behind her while she worked herself into another frenzy. I followed her gaze and sure enough she was highly offended by poor Mr. Piggy.

Bettina is many things. She is fussy. She is stubborn. She is very funny. She is vocal. She is competitive. But I guess one thing she is not is smart. I opened the door and pulled Mr. Piggy inside. She inspected every inch of that watering can including stuffing her schnozz as far into the can as possible. I don’t speak her language fluently, but it certainly appeared she had worked out that this was a thing and not a creature. So I placed Mr. Piggy back out on the steps.

No sooner had I closed the door than Bettina was back on alert and soon barking, clawing and jumping at the door in an ill conceived effort to drive Mr. Piggy the watering can away. So when you can’t beat them, ignore them and go back to reading on the couch. Bettina barked her ridiculous little head off until even she finally got bored and wandered away. I admit to being a bit taken aback by her disdain for things of a pork nature. I knew she was, by her nature, a breedist, but I never knew she was an anti-swineite.

5 comments:

  1. Never a dull moment. This is so funny. Poor Bettina!

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  2. At least Bettina appears to have made a full recovery from her injury:) They are funny sometimes. I wonder what she would think of the real thing?

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  3. Being of a tall and sleek nature, maybe she was offended by the pigs squatty portliness :)

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  4. put a stuffed animal on the porch and let's see what happens. I suspect it was territorial ...let me know.

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  5. Mom, did you not get the memo - no pigs (of any kind) allowed on the steps. Seka pretty much refuses to acknowledge any other dogs other than greyhounds.

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