Poop on the 4th of July
Go ahead – you know you want to…
“I’m a Yankee Doodle Dandy. A Yankee Doodle do or die. A real live nephew of my Uncle Sam, Poop on the 4th of July…
Let’s call it “The Incident” and here’s the preamble to it. Every year for the 4th of July weekend, our family is invited to A-Dog’s friend’s house (we’ll call it Camp 4th) about an hour away. These friends have a pool, large backyard and a house that can accommodate two other families. This past 4th weekend, besides the seven grown-ups (interpret that term loosely) and the eight kids, there were four full-grown dogs of various breeds.
This is the sixth year we have been hosted at Camp 4th. The adults all get along and look forward to seeing each other, if only for this once a year. The kids and dogs for the most part get along too and it’s usually a fun weekend filled with lots of food, laughter and fireworks.
This is pre-Incident
Keyword=fireworks. As most dog owner’s know, the 4th of July is considered hazardous by your dog. It’s noisy and scary and pointless for most of us canines and we’d really like to be anywhere else but near the boom. And speaking of boom, I think you know what’s coming. For some reason, all of the dogs were roaming free inside the house during the Saturday night fireworks. It’s a backyard show, but it lasts about 20 minutes and is impressive for an individual’s home (and probably slightly illegal.) All the kids are under 10, so as soon as the show was over, the parents were shuttling them off to bed.
Something smells BAD!
OMG, there’s a pile of poop in the kid’s room
And there…
And there…
And there!
All us dogs looked freaked out and guilty, except for Roy. He’s our host’s dog and he was calm as the pool at night. We guest dogs just tried to find a safe place, out of harm’s way. There was much shouting and drama and kids screaming. I must say that two of the lady grown-ups (who else,right?) acted so quickly in clean-up doody (get it?) that there was minimal damage and odor. Blame was up for grabs, but we mostly decided that it didn’t matter. How would we determine which doggie it was anyway?
What does this teach us for next year? Well, if our host invites the people AND us dogs back to Camp 4th, there needs to be solid containment during the fireworks, in more ways than one. We should be walked first to avoid spillage, then put in a room to shield us from the noise. Hopefully by next year, we’ll all be laughing about it. I think it may take our host a bit longer…
Motherhood
You don’t call yourself my mom and I’m not your daughter, but you call me your girl. With each walk we take, each ball you throw for me, each gentle touch and pat, you’re my girl too.
Remember me? This little puppy you took into your house and made me a home. You cared for me like a child, doggy-style. And yes, I peed on the carpet. You thought I’d never get potty-trained, but we did it. And you don’t call yourself my mom.
You taught me how to behave properly and be polite and I know that took some doing. Remember our off-leash walks in the wooded dog park, where I would eat anything and everything? Even poop? You made it clear that was not acceptable. But we would return there, sometimes twice a day, because we both loved it and you knew I could learn. And you don’t call yourself my mom.
You took me to puppy class and socialized my fuzzy self with the other clueless pups. The best part was after the business end of the lessons, we’d have free play. You’d laugh the loudest at all the playful fur flying and say my name with a grin. You were proud – I could feel it. And you don’t call yourself my mom.
Now, puppyhood is over and I’m older than you are (if you use the doggie math.) We still walk in the wooded dog park (no more poop picnics), still socialize with other dogs and you still laugh the loudest at my antics and say my name with a grin. All I can woof is “Thanks Mom!”
“Motherhood cherishes all kinds!” Quote from PawPrintsPet
Poop Run
Woo-hoo!
One of my favorite things, just like Oprah.
When I get to do the number 2, I run fast and proud after it’s done. For dogs, dropping the dookie is an accomplishment. We’ve usually waited very patiently for you to get us where we need to go!
I don’t know about my colleagues that are usually on a leash – they can’t really make the hard and fast poop run afterward. Do me a favor, if you get the chance to let them safely off leash, see if I’m not telling it like it is…
Hey! That’s my head right there.
You can make your dog into a photo card.
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