Quirky Misty is up to her tricks again with the dogsitters that fill-in at TBTB Dog Camp. She knows I have her figured out so she doesn’t get away with much anymore. I have learned what needs to be Misty-proofed around here, including my cabernet glass. However, old habits die-hard especially when a new alpha steps into the picture . . . let the games begin.
Sarah, my summer roommate adored the dogs, especially Misty who would sneak into her room every chance she got. Misty bonded with Sarah almost immediately when she arrived in Homer. So when I decided to fly back east to visit family, Sarah volunteered to care for all the doggies for the few days I would be gone. She was fully aware of Misty’s propensity to jump and grab whatever was available on the edge of the kitchen counter, and to put her nose in just about anything that she found interesting, especially good wine. Sarah was actually the one that put the childproof latches on the kitchen cabinets to keep Misty and her accomplices out of them. However, Sarah was about to learn just how far this girl would go to when guided by her stimulated Nose.
After a few long doggie days Sarah was in town running personal errands and decided to treat herself to some delicious Thai noodles at the Vagabond Café. Not wanting to leave the dogs home alone for long, she got her order to go. When she arrived home she placed her lunch in the center of the kitchen bar (out of jump and grab range) and quickly went upstairs to check the phone messages. She returned in a flash to find her noodles totally consumed by apparently one amazing blonde wiggle butt. To this day Sarah has no idea how Misty could have possibly got on that counter, ate the noodles in a FLASH, and got back off the counter without a sound – it’s a complete mystery to both of us. But the only thing left on the counter that afternoon was an empty noodle box. And, sitting nearby on the floor was a very sated cocker spaniel with a smirk on her face. The good news? Sarah was determined to have noodles that day. She returned to the café and after telling her story to the owner, got a second order on the house. She went straight home and ate them before you-know-who had a chance to even think about scoring again!
Fast-forward another month. . . Sarah is now back in San Francisco so I hired a vet tech to help with the business when I travel. Last week I went to Anchorage for an overnight stay and explained in detail to Alisa the personalities of each dog. She too was aware of Misty’s food fetish – I told her Sarah’s story. So, when I returned home I was surprised to hear yet another tale of the Nose. Seems that nose cannot resist the smell of food, particularly if it’s anywhere close to being accessible - remember she can obviously leap tall buildings in a single bound!
Alisa stopped at McDonald’s to grab an evening meal – McBurger (thank goodness without ketchup or onions) and a large order of fries. When she arrived home the dogs desperately needed to go out for a potty break. She ran upstairs, food in hand (first mistake) and stashed it in her duffle bag throwing a coat over the pile (second mistake), and raced back downstairs to let the dogs out. She was out for only a minute when it dawned on her there was no Misty in the pack. Oh NO!
Back inside and up the stairs only to find???? You guessed it. An empty burger box that was slightly ajar – no trace of food anywhere, a container that once was full of fries, and a cocker spaniel with a “who, me?” look on her face. The food had been consumed in a nana-second. Alisa could not believe it and being a vet tech she also knew she was in for trouble – like diarrhea! What she didn’t expect to see were whole fries coming out the other end. Misty had obviously inhaled the food! After a few bouts of much expected diarrhea the next day, things were pretty much back to normal when I returned that evening. Alisa is still in shock that a dog could eat so much, so fast. That be our blonde quirky girl.
Since Misty is a rescue girl, I have to wonder if her food obsession comes from a history of deprivation, or if it is just her nose that takes over? That’s the thing about rescue animals; we have no clue where they came from or what they’ve been through. There is something about this blonde girl – her tenacity and cleverness endears her to everyone she comes in contact with. One of the volunteers from Camp Cocker Rescue recently visited both BunBun and Misty here in Homer. The girls remembered her and were so glad to see her. After reading my story about Misty getting into the red wine, Kristi brought us a bottle of Merlot to share. Thanks Kristi! Misty actually got to smell it this time, but I drank it before she had the chance!
Misty is so adorable who could get mad at that innocent looking little face? We just deal with all her quirkiness. In fact, it keeps us laughing most of the time. But I have decided to include in my instructions for any dogsitter that covers for me the following disclaimer:
“WARNING: Place All Unattended Food Items in the OVEN - The Nose Knows.”
Life continues to be a HOWL at TBTB Dog Camp. Woof! Woof!
Misty is a riot - she and Hootie would have our cupboards bare in a week.
ReplyDelete