Marley and Me
Sunday, July 24, 2005
Another Lab Asset
Labrador retrievers are America's most popular breed by a long shot. And I just discovered yet another reason to love them -- their plumbing systems. Yes, folks, we're talking pee and poop here.
Let me explain. I've always taken those essential functions for granted in my dogs....first with Marley, who managed to screw up just about everything he attempted in life but when it came to bodily functions was as predictable as a Swiss watch, and now with Gracie, our young female Lab who just turned one. Marley was, and Gracie is, a breeze on the potty front. My friends' Labs are the same way. They lap up vast amounts of water, yet can seemingly go hours without having to urinate, or apparently even having the urge. (Could it be because so much of the water from their bowls ends up on the floor?) They gulp down vast amounts of dog chow, yet defecate once or twice a day and that's it.
Enter Spice, the Dog with the Thimble-Sized Bladder and Bitty Bowels. She belongs to our friends Dan and Andy and is a lovely mid-sized dog with a happy personality and good manners. They claim she's an exotic purebred native North American canine, but if you ask me she's got the word MUTT stamped across her forehead. Not that there's anything wrong with that. My greatest dog ever was Shaun, the indistinct mongrel of my boyhood.
Anyway, we're dog-sitting Spice as I write this. She's great. We all love her. And Gracie plays with her endlessly, burning up some of that endless adolescent energy. There's just one thing....the dog has to go out to answer nature's call, like, every 40 minutes. At first I thought it was a scam, her tactic for escaping the confines of the house and getting yard time to chase birds and bunnies. But every time we open the front door, as soon as her paws hit the grass, she lays an enormous dump. Then she takes a long, long, long pee. Where is all this stuff coming from? Meanwhile, Gracie just stares at her with the same look of disbelief on her face. (Not again!)About every fourth visit to the Great Outdoors, Gracie actually joins her in relieving herself.
Spice whines softly to go out at midnight (after what I thought had been the final walk of the night at 11) and then is softly whining again at 6 a.m. I don't dare ignore her and jam a pillow over my ears. We tried that the first day she was with us, and she left an odorous gift on the kitchen floor. Any port in a storm.
I had always taken our Labs' intestinal fortitude for granted. No longer. Yet another reason to love a Lab. Thank you, Spice, for helping me remember that sometimes it's the little things that matter. And in fairness to you, if your frequent potty breaks is as bad as it gets, you're a pretty damn good dog, girl. Poop on!
posted by John Grogan at 7:28 AM
 
1 Comments:
<< Home
Previous Posts
Powered by 
|
as a "newie" to the site I've been reading through the archive and found another lab asset. I hadn't previously given this topic much thought but now realise how true this is. Ben could drink gallons of water, and was suspected of topping up from the toilet, but regardless would wait hours until I got home before needing to "go out" and the amount of food he could get through was awe inspiring but again would wait for his walks. Yet a friends toy dog would leave puddles, and other things, around the houseunles he went out about every hour.