strong willed child
A couple of months ago Jason made a huge improvement to the backyard by adding sod. He worked diligently tearing apart the old dirt yard, digging trenches for sprinklers, and getting the ground ready for sod. He enlisted the help of his dad, Bernie, who also worked diligently trying to get the yard ready for sod. When it was finally in, it was a beautiful site to admire. We could actually sit at our picnic table and have an enjoyable evening under the stars.
Before the addition of the grass, the dogs decided they liked doing their “business” in the furthest back corner of the yard. I would occasionally find some “business” in the side yard, but never near the front of the yard. Jason decided we should leave the back half as dirt for the dogs to continue conducting business in their usual location so as not to kill the grass. When the grass was put in I started noticing more and more business ALL OVER the front part of the yard where the grass is located. There are now large brown spots on the grass where it appears to have been killed by a strong acid like substance (aka urine). I thought my smart dog Micah would never do such a thing, and it had to be the goofy Bruce producing such a catastrophe.
I started watching the dogs secretly, and noticed Bruce would run directly to the back corner of the yard, conduct business, and then run around like a maniac. Micah, however, would saunter to the edge of the concrete, dip her little paw just slightly on the grass, and slowly proceed to walk on the grass on her tiptoes. While standing precociously on her tip toes she would conduct her business right there in the front of the yard!
I’ve tried catching her in the act and making loud noises to get her to stop. I’ve tried taking her to the dirt with treats in hand. I’ve tried everything. She has now caught onto the fact that I want her to go “pody” in a certain spot, so she is flat out refusing to go at all. The other day, Jason took her out on her leash, released her, told her “go pody” and what does she do…she goes!
Today at our usual park outing, Micah decided it was the perfect time to do busines right there on the sidewalk! I had nothing to pick up the nice little present so I ran to the car with my head hung in shame and swore I wouldn’t be back to the park anytime soon.
So if anyone has ever experienced a strong willed “child” such as mine, please, be prepared, and carry a poo bag. My mom suggested I go back to the park and pick up the poo. Oh the humiliation!
