The thing in my back yard

Have you ever had to brush your dogs teeth? Well if you have you know the first time is not all that fun, they are at first very excited you are down in there face and it looks like you have food, but you don't. Things get very unpleasant very quickly. As it turns out dogs, at least my dog, does not like the taste of dog tooth paste. Even though the package assures you they will. What are the differences between people tooth past and dog toothpaste? Dogs can not spit so there is a lack of fluoride and it is supposed to taste like chicken. I told my dog that but he did not really seem to care. It is not that I have some unreasonable hygiene issues with my dog, it is that I saw him with an opossum in his mouth in my back yard, as proud as anyone has ever been of anything. Just in case you are city folk like me, they do actually play opossum. He laid there breathing very shallow for a long time before hauling it over the fence. This is of course after about half an hour of telling my dog to "DROP IT!" The neighbors loved that at 11:00 at night.

What you should know is that upon first meeting my dog you would think he is a little stupid, sweet, but stupid. If you are a man you would think my dog is rather mean as he has a habit of giving a high five, to anyone who comes in house, in the crotch area. I find this funny other do not. I have seen this dog run up stairs, and just forget to pick up his feet and crack his sternum on the next step. I have seen him run head first, at full speed into a sliding glass door. I have also seen him keep my 18 month old niece away from the top of the stairs, and double back on my brother to meet him as they were playing chase around the couch. So I am not sure if the stupid thing is an act, or he has moments of clarity. If the stupid is an act it is a role that he is highly commit ed to.

About three weeks ago I had to bribe him with food to come in at night, he would sit at the foot of a large Arizona ash in our back yard and look up at the limbs, very calm, very quiet, just waiting. I was starting to think his mind was beginning to go. Then about a week ago, I was making a late dinner and stepped outside to get the food off of the grill and saw that beady eyed little booger on the fence. The dog went nuts trying to get him, but he ran off. A few nights later he caught him. I had just opened the door to walk outside to get him, when I saw him come around the corner, it was dark so I was not sure what he had, then I saw how he was shaking and pawing at it, and I knew. I do not suppose we will see the possum any time soon, hopefully never. He had to learn the hard way, that you never know what day you will catch the dog on, and he got a little too close on a good day.