Sep 13 2007
The Sign Of the Dog, Part II
So there I was. Stuck.
Comfortably stuck in my sunny garden apartment with a rickety gate, no doorbell, curling linoleum, ancient cigarette burns and seasonal ant infestations.
Where I waged battle with mold and mildew on a regular basis.
I should have moved out.
I could afford a better place: safer, bigger, less…mildewy.
I used every excuse not to deal with finding a new place. Rent was cheap. I was on the road so much, what did it really matter where I lived. I didn’t need more space.
I focused on the good things about my apartment: deep windowsills that filled with eastern light, my large kitchen with an amazing amount of storage space, the included utilities, and the nearby park.
The cheap rent.
I thought about how much money I was saving.
I needed a good swift kick in the rear. Little did I know that The Universe was getting a running start and Ms. Q’s hiney was in its sight.
First I get a new set of neighbors.
Set Number 4. Newlyweds. Twenty-somethings. The woman is the daughter of my landlord – all bouncy brown ponytail and yoga clothes. Her husband looked like an underfed Irish poet who had to paint houses to support his bad poetry. In reality he was an Irish grad student who painted houses.
My landlord and his wife treated me like an unwanted guest. Things did not bode well for how Set 4 would treat me.
Since I was on the road quite a bit, my new neighbors didn’t really affect me.
Until they got a dog.
Doesn’t he look cute?
Imagine seeing that face looking at you through your living room window. Did I mention I had a garden apartment? That dog was in my garden.
What are little dogs famous for? You got it.
Lots of yapping.
Then they got another one. More yapping. Stereophonic yapping.
The Universe was gearing up.
I end up on several remote projects. This means I was working at home.
I learned that during the day, those 2 dogs were kept in the yard and their main function was to yap incessantly, crap all over the place and dig holes. I could no longer open my door to let in air because the air smelled like dog poop. Plus, those little buggers wanted to rush me because they were so bored and lonely.
I was still relatively comfortable.
My apartment was under a house. It took up half the garage but left plenty of space for a car and storage. My bedroom wall separated my apartment from the garage. It was a thin wall. What I thought of as my back door led into the garage where the garbage bin and mailbox were.
One day I hear a bunch of hammering and the voices of Mr. O’Apostrophe and his son-in-law.
Turns out they were building some type of low wooden crate.
A few days later the crate was filled. With puppies. Pedigreed puppies imported from Ireland.
I like dogs. I like big dogs: Rottweilers, retrievers, Labradors, Akitas.
Big dogs.
I am not so into little yappy dogs. Some of you may consider this ironic as I may be thought of as the human equivalent of a little yappy dog.
I felt sorry for the puppies in the basement. They were lonely and cried out all night. I was more sorry myself. The lonely crying and yipping of those puppies pierced through my bedroom wall right into my dreams. I couldn’t sleep.
I talked to Mr. Set 4. He said he would try to check on them at night but it wouldn’t be for much longer – those puppies were for sale and most had new owners lined up.
The puppies were sold and all was quiet.
Until the next batch.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Just this past week I had to dog sit for someone. I can imagine the smell you had to deal with. Coming down the hallway of many places you can smell pets through the door. Having to deal with that each day along with the barking, moaning and what not would be too much.
Looking forward to the next entry.
I can’t wait for the next installment either…
I’m no fan of yapping dogs either. I rather think that it’s horrible when owners allow their pets to affect other people!
UT: Yeah, the smell was not good at all. I hope to wrap up this story in the next installment but who knows.
You dog sat? How was that? I mean, besides the smell.
When I was in South Africa I enjoyed taking my friends’ dogs for a walk along the beach.
Beth: It’ll be interesting, that’s for sure. Ms. Q versus Mr. O’Apostrophe.
Preview: Battle was lost but the war won. Ms. Q channels “The Incredible Hulk” but hides it well.
Derek Wong: I never blame the animal, just the owner when it comes to bad behavior.
I like the bigger dogs too. In fact, I’d like a big dog that someone else takes care of…
I can’t believe you have a picture of the dog! Where do you get all these pictures, anyway? Those aren’t really the puppies, are they?
Jill: The picture of the dog IS the actual dog. In the actual poop-laden yard.
I used my PDA at the time as I didn’t have a digital camera. The quality sucks and everything has a greenish cast but after all these years I actually had a photo. I was a bit surprised I still had it.
No, the puppies aren’t the puppies but they are the same type (King Charles Spaniels). I’m telling ya, I was totally immune to what most people consider their melting spaniel eyes. I’m still recovering from the trauma; I see this type of dog and feel a bit twitchy.
Where do I get my photos? Uh..I google for things and search on images. I’ve begun to take more photos so am trying to use more of my own work.
So, when are you moving out?
HMTKSteve: Stay tuned! Hey, now that you have a new PC, does this mean you have audio?? That was your excuse for not listening to my podcast the first time.
Yes, I now have audio (among other things). If only I could find my photoshop CD-ROM…
I have only met one dog that small that makes NO NOISE at all. I did everything I could to get a response from it. Nothing. Picking her up, throwing things to play fetch…..movement but no sound. Does not even bark when a new person enters the home. It belongs to my friends neighbors. What a dog!
Ricardo: That’s incredible and almost freaky! Especially the part about not barking when a new person enters the home.
Ive never seen a dog like this. She is amazing. Everyone is in awe of her because of it.
Taking care of the dog can be a pain. I say that because the dog is blind and should have been put to sleep a year ago. The dog no longer waits for his walk in order to excrete his excrement. So I find myself picking up droppings and cleaning up puddles.
Other than that I enjoy the flat screen tv’s and the full stock of food.