<p>A dog we had used to climb up on the kitchen table, when no one else was home, to eat anything left there. He always feigned complete innocence, even when confronted even with very clear circumstantial evidence. </p>
<p>One day he did this but was unable to get back down. For some reason he couldn’t reach the chair he had used to climb up, and the table itself was seemed to be too high for a little dog to jump down from. When we came home and caught him red-pawed, standing in the middle of the table, his entire body language was expressing major Guilty Dog. He couldn’t bear to make eye contact with us for hours afterward.</p>
<p>We always know when our fur child has stolen something–the doggie door sounds very different when hit by a guilty dog running full speed as opposed to one just sauntering out to pee!</p>
<p>Last night we did not crate our 11 month old westie puppy when we went out to supper for about 1 1/2 hours. He had been doing so well leaving him uncrated for short periods of time that we thought we were safe. I came home to a 2 inch hole in the middle of my bedroom carpet! I cannot swear that it was he who ate it or my 13 yr old female (who has recently taken to chowing down on her own poo…so she may have pica)!</p>
<p>I am bummed and disappointed. I will call the carpet guys on Monday and see if the hole can be patched or the section replaced (since we have some remnants of this carpet saved from the original installation 5 years ago). Guess he goes back in the crate when we cannot watch him.</p>
<p>For the record, we have three dogs. In addition to the 11 month old and the 13 year old we have a third 14 year old westie. But I doubt that he was the culprit.</p>
<p>I really love this thread. I think we love our dogs so much because they are so human? Somehow that’s all i come up with. They give out unequivocal love (parents, anyone??) and they really like to eat good food and party. Now, what is not reassuring about those basic human instincts?</p>
<p>My 15-year-old Jack Russell who finally came around and embraced her new house after leaving her house of 15 years and living in a little apartment for six months is now under the weather. Shivering, giving us baleful looks. I am beside myself.</p>
<p>I once read of an interesting creation myth of some tribe or civilization somewhere that sought to explain the special relationship between humans and dogs:</p>
<p>Shortly after the earth was created the First Man, the Adam figure, found himself separated from all the other animals by a deep crack in the ground. Human stuck on one side of the crevasse; animals on the other. All the animals took a look at this situation and shrugged and began to wander away. All, that is, except the dog.</p>
<p>The dog was very concerned by this separation. He paced back and forth along the edge of the crevasse, looking and sniffing at it and whining in anxiety. Gathering his courage the dog leaped across the crack to join the man on the other side. But he didn’t quite make it. He hung by is front paws on the edge and scrabbled with his hind feet in an unsuccessful attempt to climb up. He was slipping and was going to fall in.</p>
<p>Seeing this situation the man reached down and put a leather loop around the dog’s neck and pulled him up. So the dog has worn the man’s leather collar and the two have been companions ever since.</p>
<p>I’m the one feeling the guilt today. Hubby and I had to have our 9 year old dog put to sleep today. Cancer, and although I know intellectually that it was the best thing to do for her, the guilt remains…</p>
<p>So, thank you for all your stories. They bring smiles to my face. Enjoy these special family members - both their sweet moments as well as the exasperating ones! :)</p>
<p>doschicos, we went through that with a 19-year-old cat. In retrospect, we feel as if we probably should have followed the vet’s advice sooner and not kept her struggling and in pain for so long. It’s really sad for an animal to suffer and not know why they are sick. </p>
<p>Our dog seems herself again. I guess dog’s can get the temporary yucks just like us. We had take-out Indian food last night – one of her fav’s – and she disgraced herself over the chicken curry. It was very reassuring!</p>
<p>Apparently, there is some revisionist thinking going on about the history of man’s relationship with dogs, some think it is much older than once thought:</p>
<p>Sewhappy, that article is fascinating. My mother always said that dogs were like two-year-olds. Maybe that’s why we love them so, and are forgiving of their foibles–it’s like having our toddlers back, minus the diapers.</p>
<p>I remembered a Thanksgiving related “bad” dog story experienced by a coworker several years ago. He was cooking his first deep fried turkey. When getting everything set up, he realized he overfilled the deep fryer with oil and remove a gallon or so to another pot to allow enough room to submerge the turkey in the fryer. He fried the turkey and brought it in the house to start Thanksgiving dinner with his guests. The wife let their Great Dane outside when everyone was sitting down to dinner. Later, when cleaning up, he noticed that gallon of extra oil was totally gone from the pot. The dog had eaten the whole thing! That poor dog spent the next few days outside with a bad case of the runs. Yikes!</p>
<p>Another obedience instructor got a call from a couple in his class. These were people that bought brown rice in bulk and also stacked up newspapers for recycling. They came home to a mess consisting of brown rice, shredded chewed newspaper, broken glass and blood everywhere. The dog had shredded the newspaper stack and broke the big glass bottles holding the rice and cut himself dancing around. My friend’s advice was to drop the dog off at a groomer’s (assume minor cuts, folks) to get cleaned up and to call a cleaning service to come restore order to the kitchen. “Otherwise I’d shoot the dog.”</p>
<p>Didn’t say if the dog looked guilty or not.</p>
Hubby and I had to have our 9 year old dog put to sleep today. Cancer, and although I know intellectually that it was the best thing to do for her, the guilt remains…</p>