Cute Right?
This is how Riku looks now.
Still cute (well I think so anyway) right?
Just wait...
I wanted to write a little post about my dog Riku, not because he's my baby and certainly NOT because I think he's the most incredible dog ever; trust me I have no blind love when it comes to Riku. I have a sort of love/hate relationship with him. I love him and consider him part of the family, but most of the time I would very much like to strangle him!
We got Riku as a puppy four years ago, and he has been a tripp ever since. He was one of the last two puppies left and was the tallest. He was a skinny little thing with giant paws and was hilarious to watch run, it was a bit like watching a colt learn to walk, all legs that were disproportionate to his body. I remember going to visit him a few times before taking him home- he was the most vocal, and certainly the most interesting, of the entire litter. He captured our hearts immediately. He had such personality and was so clever! We soon discovered, however, that he had a lot more personality than we bargained for. I guess you could say he's our Marley (though not as destructive).
Riku is a hunting dog, so he's bread for water and the outdoors, which is ironic when I tell you what I'm about to tell you. One day, we discovered, while walking our 10 week-old puppy, his aversion to water. Yes, that's right...water! Walking him along the sidewalk shortly after it rained, you know when it leaves patches of dry and wet cement that run together, Riku stopped every time, REFUSING to budge whenever he got to a spot of wet cement. Seriously! He would not move an inch, even with all the tugging and pulling on him...all 10 pounds of him! This made my husband a bit concerned, as it was the intention that Riku would some day retrieve birds from the water. It took Riku TWO years to learn to enjoy swimming, but he still, even today, REFUSES to walk on wet pavement. After it has rained and I go to let him out the back door, as soon as he sees the wet step he halts. I actually have to push him out the door.
But wait! There's more...
There are the many times when he rolls on his back submitting to, not only all people he meets, but dogs as well, even the five pounders. Now mind you, Riku is over 70 pounds and is considered tall for his breed. Then there are the times when you go to pet him and he's not exactly sure what to do so begins to spin and then nibble you until you say "NO" and then begins to nibble himself. Or how 'bout when he jumps our baby gate (that we keep him in until his feet are dry when he comes in from outside) every time toast pops up out of the toaster. And then there are always the moments when he greets you at the door running circles on your feet before he plops over (on your feet) onto his back as if he is doing some break dance move writhing about until you scratch his belly. Also, it might be worth mentioning, that he only likes the bite-size toys. I got him a baby toy once (which he still has) that is a tiny plush animal that plays twinkle little star. He carries it everywhere! And then when the toy begins to play twinkle little star, he sings along. He howls every time a siren goes by or a tornado drill goes off. And although he is an immaculate hunter, he's still not sure what to think about having birds in his mouth, he sort of turns them over as if he's disgusted of all things! I mean...he is a bird dog. He barks at tree stumps and squats to pee. He knows when we're leaving before we even get our coats on or grab our keys and actually puts himself in the basement. He plays with centipedes in the bath tub, and after the legs are scattered all over the bathtub, he picks it up in his mouth and savors it. Seriously!
These are just a few of Riku's many oddities. The most recent, however, which has actually provoked this post, is that I have discovered Riku is an escape artist! It all began when he started jumping the baby gate we put up at the back door to keep him kenneled while we were gone. We then discovered we could keep him gated if we put another gate over the top...well...at least until he discovered how to knock it down. We then decided we would start putting the dogs (yes, we have two) down in the basement while we were at work. Every once in awhile we would come home and he would greet us at the front door. We discovered that if we did NOT make sure the door was latched he could push his way out. We were very conscientious of this here on out. Then...two weeks ago we went on vacation and my cousin Keely stayed with the dogs. When we got home they were both at the door to greet us. We just assumed Keely forgot to make sure the basement door was latched...well you know what they say about assuming (ass-u-me). We shortly discovered that Riku had learned to actually TURN the door knob at let himself out. I know right! So on Sunday we decided we were going to nip this in the bud. We bought a baby door knob to prevent him from turning the knob and a chain lock. Nick installed both and when I got home from work the next day there was no baby knob, and although Riku was still in the basement, the door was open as far as the chain would allow it. There were scratch marks all over the door frame with paw prints going up it about four feet high. Paint chips scattered the floor. Now, I was a bit angry, but more so in awe. He likes the basement! He goes down there on his own. His blankets and toys are down there. WHY THEN DOES HE KEEP ESCAPING? Because he can. That's why.
This post got a little longer than I hoped, but I wanted to give you a little insight about my very strange dog. Our other dog has no weird nuances, and is of the same breed. What gives?
If you have any interesting stories about your dog - do share.
No comments:
Post a Comment