She's always been fascinated when our neighbours water their gardens. She runs alongside the fence, trying to get wet. Some folks will play with her - spray her - and then she's in heaven.
We don't water our lawn (what a waste!), so it took Tala a while to realize that she could actually get sprayed in her own yard. But now that she's discovered it, she loves it. She craves it. She's obsessed with it.
To do this post justice, I would really need to post a video, but a description will have to suffice.
Tala has two favourite modes of spray. If you set the nozzle to mist, she closes her eyes, holds her face up into the spray, and simply basks. If you set it to jet, she runs face-first into the spray with her mouth wide open. We were afraid she would drown, but she must be closing her throat in some way, because she doesn't even cough. The jet is definitely her favourite.
When she's soaking wet and we don't want her to be completely water-logged, we can spray a high arc, which she will gleefully chase for as long as someone is willing to hold it.
Why do I say she's OCD? Because this is all she wants to do. She sits bolt upright in front of the hose, staring, looking from person to hose to person. She has completely lost interest in her Kongs, which I took pains to teach her to fetch, so she could get more exercise and leave Cody alone. If she picks up a Kong at all, it's only to place it in front of the hose. And sit. And stare. If you ask, "Tala, where's your toy?" - which used to cause her to run to the nearest Kong - she goes straight to the hose.
She's desperate to be sprayed, no matter what the weather. Is there a 12-step program for a garden hose?
So, my friend, we meet again.
Please, please, please...
If I stare at it long enough, will it turn on?
That's ok. I can wait.
14 comments:
That series is cute, even for cat people like me. We just got an air conditioner, and one of our cats does a similar thing--observing it when it's off, being shy at first when it goes on, but then ending up just lying there in front of it, in pure heaven as it cools him off. It's his new best friend. The weird thing is, I don't know if I'm imagining this stuff, but I think cats (dogs moreso, I'm sure) slowly start to figure out how to turn things on, open doors and drawers, etc. Like they're imitating the necessary motions, without much success.
I agree. If dogs had hands, we'd be out of luck.
I'll try to get some pics of her being sprayed, but I don't think it will do it any justice.
She becomes Punk Tala. Great spiked do.
Snicker.
We were minding a couple of toddlers for an afternoon, and I took pretty much the same tack - out to the backyard, turn on the hose.
Hours of entertainment!
Now that's a good dog!.... I wish our dogs did the same or similar, instead they chase squirrels, pigeons that had fallen from their nest (if you don't stop them on time, they in fact eat it), rabbits, and they LOVE to eat mulch.
Oh no, you misunderstand me. I don't mean that she's *ony* obsessed with the hose!
Tala is also obsessed with squirrels and birds. She stalks them on the lawn, goes nuts over squirrels, and she's already killed at least one bird in only the 6 months that we've had her. That's just being a dog.
oh! Then I don't feel that bad:-) a question, did she try to eat the bird when she killed it? I wonder if that is there natural instinc?.... our dogs kill it and I believe, they would eat if they could.
Thanks for the laugh. I woke up crabby, but when I got to the first pic I almost spit on myself laughing!
MSEH, so glad I could help! :)
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Gito, I'm not sure if they would eat what they killed, but I wouldn't be surprised.
In NYC, our little terrier Clyde once killed a pigeon - I stepped on the bird to end its suffering. Ewww.
But Clyde was on a leash - believe it or not, she jumped up and killed a pigeon while she was leashed!! - so I could drag her away.
When Tala killed the bird in the backyard, we were yelling at her to leave it alone, so she didn't have a chance.
So I don't really know, but I think they probably would.
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An amazing thing happened after Tala killed that bird. Dozens of birds suddenly appeared, they all gathered around on nearby bushes and branches, squawking and making a lot of noise. They were clearly upset. After half a minute or so, they all flew away. It was eerie.
I always hope the bird Tala killed was nobody's mother... I know it's the way it is, just the course of nature, but it made me sad.
Hillarious.
I have always wondered why some dogs love water while others (like Noah) hates it. Waiting for a video :)
If you set the nozzle to mist, she closes her eyes, holds her face up into the spray, and simply basks.
That, I really want to see. I have never seen a dog do that.
oh my gosh! We had a dozen birds flying in all directions and making noises, I think it was a baby bird in its first attempt to fly:-(
We had birds do that once at my parents', and it turned out that there was a bird trapped in our basement! (We think it fell down the chimney.) Thing is, we didn't realize for the longest time that there was a bird in the basement, we were just looking out the back window going "Huh, lots of birds there today," and getting on with our lives. Then my mother went down to the basement and found this exhausted-looking starling fluttering around frantically and gazing longingly out the window. So we trapped it and released it outside, and all the birds in the backyard left shortly thereafter.
So we trapped it and released it outside, and all the birds in the backyard left shortly thereafter.
Wow. Perhaps I shouldn't be surprised, but I am. I didn't know birds were such social animals, the way most canines or primates are.
Also our interaction with wild animals, the ones who live right beside us, is so fascinating.
Ha, those are great photos - a hose of all things!
I can relate to the obsession/one-track-minded dogs, as Ripper cannot think of anything else in the summer except the ball. He constantly harasses me to throw it. And I must say, he's turned into QUITE the little fetcher.
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