Disdogbedience

I've always known that we spoil Donovan horribly - all of us, even the children. Don may be the absolute worst. He's like the 4th child, especially over the last two weeks while he's been on antibiotics for colitis.

It's just that he's so lovable. He greets me with such enthusiasm whenever I return to the house, even if I've only been gone 10 minutes, taking the kids to school. He sleeps pressed up against me and is my constant companion, even laying at my feet when I'm on the computer. He doesn't talk back or argue (although, sometimes he does argue with me - growling at me when he doesn't like what I tell him; in him, it's cute), he doesn't fight with his siblings or leave messes around the house (unless he has a new stuffed chew toy that he pulls the stuffing out, but only a new one - the old ones are all stuffing-less), he's not picky about his food and I don't have to work hard to come up with creative meals so he'll enjoy them. He eats everything, loves everyone, and is quite predictable in all his actions. Besides that, he's just plain cute.

However (we all knew there was a down-side coming), "familiarity breeds contempt" is true even in animals, I've found. He's developed several bad habits over the last month or so. If I'm sitting at the kitchen table, only at the kitchen table does he do this, he'll whine and bark to get in my lap. I don't know why he thinks he should be in my lap. I think it's because it's so rare for me to sit during the day, he wants to take advantage of the time for snuggling. But I refuse to have him that near a table where we eat and I'm not going to start bad habits. Plus, when I sit at the kitchen table, it's to work and I can't get my work done with him in my lap.

Another bad habit is the occasional argument from him. Often, this is associated with wanting to sit in my lap, either on the couch or at the table. If there are things in the way or I'm working in the den (sometimes I'll shell pecans in the evening while I watch t.v.), he'll growl and even bark at me. He gets this funny look - he'll turn his head sideways, glance at me out of the corner of his eyes, then bark or growl. It's as if he is angry but trying hard to not let me know he's the source.

I laid down on the bed last week, just to give myself a 10-minute break. It had been a particularly rough day and I was exhausted and still facing choir practice with up to 10 laughing, rambunctious 4, 5, and 6 year olds. I needed a little rest, just 10 minutes or so, to get my second wind. Donovan jumped up on the bed. He wanted to play.

"Donzie, I'm too tired and I need to rest. Go away," I told him. He growled at me. I raised my head.

"DONOVAN," I said sternly, "DON'T GROWL AT ME. I can't PLAY right now." He jumped down and I heard him run off down the hall. Uh-oh. Running. That's a bad sign. I sat up and looked down the hallway, but couldn't see anything. As I laid bsck down, I noticed one of my slippers that I had just taken off to lay down, was missing. Deanna came into my room just then, laughing.

"Does Donovan have my slipper?" I asked her, less a question and more a statement.

"Yep," she answered with a smile. "I caught him in the dining room with it."

He was punishing me for not playing with him, the stinker.

But, I suppose, in the balance, he's such fun and such a great companion (not to mention the sense of protection that we have when he's around, vigilantly listening for strangers), not to mention the fact that even these bad habits are mild in comparison to the children, it's well worth putting up with his little bad habits. After all, I wouldn't get rid of a child, and he's just a hairier, four-legged mutation.