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| He's a little derp, but we love him. |
Pugs are weird, lovable little creatures. Just look at that smushed in face and the big buggy eyes, weird looking right? Not only do they look funny but they're peculiar animals. I've never known a dog that would just pick up any old thing off the floor and eat it. Seriously, they're like goats or two year olds, they will put anything in their mouths.
And I mean it, ANYTHING. I'm not talking just little bits of food either, I'm talking legos, string, paper, dust bunnies, you name it and if it's small enough they're ready to hork it down. Heaven help you if they find a stray dryer sheet, that's their crack cocaine, and you gotta be quick to snatch it out of their little maws. Sure, the dryer sheet will give them fresh breath and all, but take it from me, in the end it does not come out well.
I could go on about their depraved proclivities toward dryer sheets and the gastric disturbances that stem from such a vice, but I'm going to tell you a story about our littlest pug, Short Round. On a crisp predawn morning while I was in the kitchen manufacturing coffee, breakfast and lunches, I heard Shorty growling in the solarium. Oh, man, he's got a small animal trapped.
We live at the end of a cul-de-sac that butts up against a small wooded creek and culvert. When the weather gets cold, small animals will find their way toward homes looking for warmth. We've had our share of mice and rats in the past looking for a dry, warm spot to bed down. I was thankful I left the light off in the solarium, and with some reluctance made my way to the door.
What I saw was not the scene I had imagined. There was Shorty with his hackles up, growling and staring down his own reflection in the glass door. Weirdo. I opened the door and watched as he bolted past me to the entrance of our living room. The hair on his back stood on end and he walked slowly into the room, all the while growling. There was no one in the room, mind you.
As I stood in the doorway looking around the room for the reason of Shorty's aggression, I started to remember that scene in Poltergeist, you know when the dog stops, sits and barks at no one in the room. And then I flashed back to all those A Haunting shows on Destination America that I sometimes watch (okay, fine, I always watch) when I'm home sick, where the dog growls, snarls and barks when there's no one in the room. Okaaaaay.
I'm not going to lie, I was a little bit creeped out. Shorty's never done this before, but then again, he's not the brightest animal ever. He's kind of a derp, you could say that he's a few fries short of a Happy Meal, but he's adorable and we love him. Anyway, the growling, snarling and barking continue for a few more minutes then he just turns and runs into the kitchen.
With a look of bemusement on my face, I follow Shorty into the kitchen where he's intently sniffing the floor. He turns around and it's like he's seeing me for the first time. With his little ears flapping in the wind, he runs to me and sits down to receive his morning pet. It was as if nothing had happened.
There are times that I do wonder if my dog sees dead people, then I remember what a derp Shorty is and just think ... Weirdo.
