Boogie’s Sat afternoon with Butch & Emma

January 26, 2008 at 5:27 pm Leave a comment

Posted Date: : Jan 26, 2008 5:27 PM

It all started with the artichoke that Wes had brought home from Catts and Doggs. This was no ordinary artichoke. It cost FIFTEEN BUCKS. (Me to Wes: “Oh well, it will last a long time. It feels indestructible”)

This afternoon, while Alicia (who is taking care of Butch) was out, I decided to have all three dogs at my place – Butch, Emma and Boogie – one big happy ‘ahem’ family. Butch was thrilled to be reunited with Emma Dietz rather than left alone, but as soon as he saw the artichoke, he made a beeline for it and started attacking it with gusto. Boogie, who had been playing with the artichoke before Butch arrived, stared at him, then at me, then at him again…

Boogie: Why is that dog here? What is he doing with my artichoke?

When Boogie had the artichoke, Butch was upset and barking. When Butch had the artichoke, Boogie would stare at me with big sad eyes, like his entire world had fallen apart and he was in unbearable pain. He is very good at giving you that look. (It is the same look he gives you when you grab your jacket and keys to go outside)

Both boys circled each other hoping to claim the artichoke for himself. Both boys looked to me to throw the artichoke for them. I could see trouble brewing so I removed the artichoke. Placed it on my table next to the computer. NOBODY GETS THE ARTICHOKE. It’s MINE. All Mine.

Boogie sat at my feet shifting his eyes from me to the artichoke and back to me. He jumped up onto my lap and stared at the artichoke. From behind me, Butch was trying to jump up onto Eddie’s table to steal the yellow squeaky toy that he had acquainted himself with yesterday. He couldn’t reach the toy so he started barking for it. So imagine… there I was with two desperately unhappy dogs. I took both the artichoke and the yellow squeaky toy and put them in the bathroom, closed the door. I mean, you can’t want what you CAN’T SEE, right?

Next… Boogie brought me his tennis ball.

Butch brought me the big blue geodesic ball (the one toy that Boogie isn’t interested in… I don’t know why)

I spent about 10-20 minutes playing fetch with both dogs and both balls. Throw tennis ball, throw blue ball, repeat… These guys know that I am such a sucker.

[Boogie & tennis ball; Butch & blue ball, which had fallen to the floor in this pic]

Then Butch lost interest in the blue ball. He was more interested in Boogie’s tennis ball….

Butch started barking and crying. He wasn’t interested in the kong, nor the wubba, nor anything else I gave him. He wanted the tennis ball. I kept encouraging Butch to go for the blue ball but with no success.

Boogie continued to drop the tennis ball in my lap and eventually put his whole body in my lap with the tennis ball between his paws. Butch was crying for attention so I called him up onto my lap too, and he received a nice long butt scratch. They both still wanted to play fetch but nobody wanted to share the ball.

Miss Emma, on the other hand, couldn’t care less. She was comfortably lying down on the couch next to me. Yaaaawwwwnnn…

So there I was, with three dogs on the couch… I had to stop playing because there was work to be done.

Boogie followed me to my desk, upset. He sat at my feet staring up at me again with that look. Then he looked at his chair (where he usually sleeps when I work) and was confounded that there was a dog in it.

I don’t know how Emma does it. A minute ago I swear she was on the couch. Now she was in the round chair. She’s a fast one. Meanwhile, Butch was pacing the apartment whimpering for attention. Next thing you know, Butch had joined Emma in the round chair getting his weenie licked. (Example: photo taken last night)

Boogie came back to my feet and gave me the look again. He wanted up on my lap.

Somehow, I finally managed to ignore ALL OF THEM. I don’t know how it happened, but eventually I turned around and saw Boogie on his round chair, Emma on the couch, and Butch on the cushion.

Peace at last. I was getting some work done…

Until the mailman showed up. RUFF RUFF RUFF!!!!
Barking and mayhem with three little dogs running around and jumping at the door.

When the mailman departed, Butch and Emma took over the round chair curled up like two little snorey bundles, and Boogie was back at my feet wanting up on my lap. And as I am such a sucker (I am so due to watch more Dog Whisperer), I carried the lunkhead up onto my lap where he slept peacefully and emitted stinky gases while I worked.