My little dog Quincy is such a great little companion. He rarely barks, he is housebroken, and he is friendly to most people. When we first got him in 10 years ago, it was to soothe a broken heart and to distract a couple of boys from the drama and trauma happening around them….the divorce.
The first night we had him Andy and I had taken him out several times to use the bathroom. But he simply would not go. We would give up and take him back inside after a few minutes. We were sitting on the porch waiting on him, yet again when my now ex husband drove up to pick up Chris. He got out of the car at Andy’s urging, after first determining that I wasn’t armed (kidding) and said “ you got a puppy?” Yes, Andy said. His name is Quincy. Mike leaned over and picked up the little yorkie who proceeded to pee all down the front of his shirt. I began to laugh hysterically because I was still very angry about the whole divorce mess and it just seemed fitting that the dog finally went…on Mike. Won my heart.
Quincy has been a really good little dog over the years and I hate to think of how I’m going to feel when he’s gone someday. He’s had a few near death experiences like when he fell into the pool and I jumped in to rescue him in my nightgown. He ate a cd once and had some stomach troubles requiring a vet. He ate an M16 firecracker once. I came home and found it on the floor in Andy’s room ½ eaten. I called the vet who said he would probably be ok, that the gun powder would probably make him hyper like a person on speed. Did it ever! That little Yorkie streaked through the house like a comet for hours.
He has his quirks. He’s afraid of flies for one thing. If a fly comes near him he crouches down like he’s being attacked by a big dog and cries until I come shoo it away. He can be a little jumpy, which makes for an interesting night when it’s storming out and every thunder clap produces a high pitched bark.
I bought some of those Glade Air freshener things that automatically spritzes the air with freshness every 9, 18 or 24 minutes depending on your preference. I had opened one and set it up and left it on the counter in the kitchen. I was sitting watching TV and about every 9 minutes Quincy would run to the kitchen and bark. I would get up to see what he wanted. He had water, he had food. I was getting a little annoyed with him actually. Then I got up to get a drink and was standing at the sink when the thing sprayed. I about jumped out of my skin as it makes a hissing sound. Quincy commenced to barking and then I realized what it was. Now along with flies, he is afraid of Glade air fresheners!
Over the last few days I have gotten used to the hissing sound as it sprays every nine minutes. I even bought a few more and now I have synchronized hissing every 9 minutes. Quincy mostly ignores them now but every once in a while he will be caught of guard and bark which catches me off guard and I jump.
Tonight, at around 2 a.m. Quincy wakes me up by jumping up on the bed and barking loudly in my face. Since he normally doesn’t do this, I knew he must really need outside bad. At first I pretended to be “play possum” hoping he would just give up and go away but when he didn’t, I dragged myself out of my nice warm bed and walked to the back door to let him out.
I opened the door and he refused to go out. Since it wasn’t raining or snowing (he hates to get his feet wet) I couldn’t figure out why he wouldn’t go out. I gently nudged him out the door and he took off running for the yard which in itself was odd. Normally, he will investigate Shelby’s food dish to see if there is anything different from his own in it. Shelby was standing a few feet from the door, also unusual because she usually comes up and I pet her while I wait on Quincy.
Since her food bowl was empty I decided to fill it while I was up. I got a packet of dog food and opened the door just enough to lean out and pour into her dish. SSSSSSSSSSSSS. I jumped back. Air freshener , I thought though it was pretty loud. I leaned out again and another SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS, this time louder and Shelby lunged forward. There on the patio, against the back glass stood a possum. Every time Shelby would start forward it would hiss at her and she would back up. Quincy had returned to the edge of the patio and was cowering down like he was going to be attacked.
I couldn’t open the door wide enough to let Quincy in without the possum being at the opening. So I got a broom and started to try and poke it away from the door. My heart is pounding, the dogs are barking, the possum is hissing and I am wishing that I could call out “Honey there’s a possum at the backdoor. Can you take care of it?”I hate that part of being single. I have to kill the spiders, chase off the possums and investigate bumps in the night myself.
When the poking didn’t work, I resorted to beating on the glass patio door. It didn’t budge. I opened the door just enough to get my hand out and started throwing things at it hoping it would run away. Instead it just lay down and played possum. "I know you are faking, I yelled at the possum. I know all about the playing possum thing. Please go away, I begged the possum. Now that was a sight to be seen. A grown woman in her pajamas, standing at the backdoor yelling at a possum.
Then Shelby, thinking the possum dead and no longer a hissing threat lunged. The possum jumped up and leisurely started walking into the yard. Quincy saw the coast was clear and made a run for the safety of the house. Shelby followed along behind the slow moving possum, barking then stepping back as it would turn and hiss, barking, hiss, barking hiss until she had it to about the middle of the yard.
That was good enough for me. I headed back to bed and just as I walked by my office the air freshener in that room hissed. I jumped; Quincy barked and once my heart rate was back to normal, went to bed.
And the lesson I learned tonight ? Don’t ever even think about getting a doggie door. Oh, and buy air fresheners that don’t hiss.
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