Prey for Dogs

The gardener is here today putting in some plants. It's quite a production with hoses and mowers and shovels and blowers. Quite a few guys working in the backyard too. Busy and noisy. This is not a good day for the Big Dog or the LWD.  They hate the gardeners with their loud machines.  And, they aren't at all tolerant of strange people walking around and leaving unusual smells in THEIR backyard. They're territorial beasts and they like it that way.


Today the Big Dog is especially keen to have them for lunch, although the LWD would love a chunk of their ankles as an appetizer. When the gardeners arrived I was out in back trying to play ball with the Big Dog.  He'd completely soaked the tennis ball with slobber so I was trying to wipe it off.  The gate started to open and he went into attack mode.  This is actually rather interesting to watch.  He barks loudly and deeply, gets wide and low on his haunches and prepares to launch himself at his prey.  And, he's fast.  One minute I was wiping the ball and the next second he was at the gate in full attack mode. 


This behavior provoked the LWD into a frenzy of barking so both dogs were making a huge racket.  I contributed to the madness yelling, "Duke, Duke, No! Get over here!" Did he pay attention to me? Did either of them pay attention to me? No, they have gone deaf. The sound and smell of prey has activated their primal, reptilian brains and they're killers now. Bloodlust has overcome them.  Until....I grab the Big Dog's shock collar and pull hard while he barks, a shock for him! But we haven't gone too far before he pulls away, 'cause he is 90 pounds of solid muscle. I have to go after him again to drag him slobbering into the house. Ok he's in. Now for the little terrorist. There's no grabbing him he's too small and too fast but he's also a first class coward and finally heads for the slider. I scoot him in and go back to give the O.K. to the gardeners to come into the yard.


I return breathless to the house where the dogs are running around the family room barking and slobbering. The Big Dog goes to his bed after only a few commands and sits alertly waiting for any breach in security. The LWD is not well trained and won't sit down and be still.  All is well until the mower starts up. Up springs the Big Dog, lunging at the glass and barking like Cujo on a really bad day. Of course the LWD follows suit 'cause he just loves a good barkfest. Again, I yell at the Big Dog to go to "bed". Eventually I have to get up and grab his collar and make him go to his bed.  This same insanity happens four or five times before the guys finish. I can't figure out who's getting the best of whom in this situation. Gardeners, I think.


Thank god the guys are gone now. My carpet is spotted with wet slobber and I'm a wreck. The Boy will tell me I should have put the Big Dog in the garage but I couldn't get him in there and the LWD knows when he's being locked in the garage and runs away, hiding in the furthest corner of his kennel. No way am I going  to get down on the concrete and crawl in the kennel to get the little monster out. 


Good news is the yard looks great and it took them 30 minutes to do a job we'd be doing for days. But now I need a glass of wine, a hammock, and a day at the spa. Whew!


P.S. Any errors are mine and I'm sure I'll find them right after I post this.