One year ago, Dennis the Menace invaded our home. That’s pretty much the only way I can put
it. He was a stunning hound I just wasn’t
ready for. Without a doubt, Dennis has
been the most challenging greyhound in my adopting experience. I’m glad he wasn’t my first greyhound but
came to me at a time when I was better equipped to handle him and knowledgeable
enough to know what I needed to do.
He can sit! But he refuses to do so on command. |
This isn’t to say that Dennis is a bad dog. Nothing further from the truth. I’m totally in love with him and have made my
commitment to be his Mumma until the day I help him cross to the bridge. They say you don’t get the dog you want, you
get the one you need and I think that has been true with Dennis. Sometimes you don’t realize the lessons your
greyhound has taught you until you look back over years spent with him or
her. And sometimes your greyhound comes barreling
in and hands you your lessons with trumpets blaring.
Dennis is such a loving boy.
And he wants to please and be a part of everything. But Dennis has a hard time trusting. Our first year has been spent with Mumma
learning how best to introduce Dennis to his new life and Dennis learning to
trust that Mumma has his best interests at heart. We have made so much progress and I see a
bright future for us as we head into year two.
Bettina and Dennis have mutually agreed to be part of the
same pack. That took some negotiation
and I laugh now to think of it because it was a similar process when Bettina
came barreling in (with the name Crazy Mo) and threw poor Blue for a loop. Dennis came in from his kennel with the
nickname Dennis the Menace if that tells you anything about him. I sometimes call him Freak Show. But our friends insist that his name is
Dennis Galahad.
Dennis has proven himself to actually be somewhat of a guard
dog. He patrols his fence line like a
He plays fetch and LOVES balls of all kinds. |
Dennis has a fascination with the shower which is odd for a
hound who doesn’t want to get water dripped on him outside. He’s had one bath in there so far but that
hasn’t remotely put him off the bathroom.
It only took one bath for Bettina to steer clear of that room like it
was the plague. Dennis loves to come in
while I’m showering and throw the curtain open (letting all my nice warm steamy
air out). He investigates for awhile and
then he comes back when the shower is over so he can help me dry off by licking
the water off my legs and then helping to clean the shower by licking the water
off the shower walls and curtain. He
finishes that off by nibbling for a bit on the washcloth that is hanging to dry
out.
Bettina and Dennis hog the cool spot during a Bowdoin Gang play date. |
Dennis’s favorite scent seems to be hairspray. When he knows I’m going to be doing something
with my hair, he sticks to me like glue.
He’s learned to love the hairdryer because it usually heralds the use of
the hairspray. Once I’ve sprayed it on
my head, he spends the rest of his time trying to rub against my hair and then
he lays down and rolls all over the small rug on which the remaining particles
of hairspray have landed.
All my other greyhounds have had impeccable car
manners. But not Dennis. He insisted that any time I vacated the driver’s
seat; he would keep my seat warm. He
also sometimes felt it was a good idea to climb into the passenger seat while I
was driving. I had to get a barrier to
put up between the two front seats. Now
Dennis rides with his head just over that barrier, or he rests his head on the
back of the seat so his nose is right in my ear. On his trip to Maine with the ladies from his
kennel, he spent his time in the backseat chewing his way through one of the
seatbelts in the car. There is now The
Dennis Rule at his rescue which says muzzles on at all times while in the car.
Dennis is not a rooer.
But he is an enthusiastic barker.
He loves Petco and will spend as much time as I will let him chasing the
ferrets around and around their enclosure.
Thankfully there is glass
So many milestones yet to come. |
Dennis is a big goofy love bug. He’s even taller than Blue was and weighs
more as well. I got exactly what I was
hoping for, only it came in different packaging with a different
presentation. It just took me a little
while to realize that while he isn’t goofy and loving in the same way Blue was,
in his own way, Dennis is marvelous.
Happy First Gotcha Day D-Menace. I can’t wait to see where you take me in our
second year together!
No comments:
Post a Comment
Bark Back and Let Us Know Whats on Your Mind!