The weird animal living with us

[Mercbird]

I don't think there is enough pointless topics (c'mon you can only read so much about tech support and mod request!) So here is something about nothing :D Warning: this post is for reading.

 

Some of you may remember that last year we (me, hubbie, brother, biochemist and the dude in the outside room) lived in a house where security was not at the premium.

We were surrounded by building sites, which resulted in nightly traffic across the lawn and various attempts to join our happy band (in the middle of the night with a knife or a gun!?), or at least relieve us of our scant possesions (why do you think we live in a commune?)

 

We added Sasha, a german shepherd (or Alsatian) to warn me in the night. I say me 'cause everyone else sleeps like the dead. She was eight months old and absolutely beautiful, complete with seal pup imitation face, and superdog pose. (No, this is lying on her back, one front paw extended and one curled up) (( She does take flying leaps off the terrace though))

 

She follows me around and herds us when we take her for a walk. And has a disconcerting interest in human loo behaviour, any guest quickly learn that if you leave the door slightly open she will follow you in, politely sit, and stare. Sometimes she looks confused.

 

By december last year I had been sleep deprived for at least four months (you may have noticed, I was very cranky), Sasha survived two attempts to poison her (she now only eats if I feed her) and we moved. Higher walls, more spikes, burglar proofing on even the solid windows, alarms, gate in the hallway ... the works.

We also have a granny flat, in which my mother-in-law resides till her house is finished. She brought two additions to the nightwatch, a Jack Russel (named Leya with a perfect I'm innocent face) and a Staffi (Jesse of the Bushveldt, took a bullet for her boss, buggeroff Jock).

 

I find myself constantly suprised by Sasha's antics and hobbies. These include chasing Leya, the Jack Russel. Chasing Leya's tennisball. When its in Leya's mouth. Chasing all of the above and tripping them up to roll them in the mud. All of the above and rolling in the mud with them. She leaves Jesse of the Bushveldt alone. Also does some gardening by eating grass, digging holes and destroying any plastic pot, hose and sprinkler.

 

To Sasha's great joy the new house sports a sprinkler system, which can be turned on in sections and *bonus* pops up from the grass. She gets to chase the sprinklers as they pop up ( with some well timed opening and closing of taps, I can send her around the house) and for a finale chases the water coming out of the sprinkler. She's always loved running water (maby that explains the loo bit) and now she has grass full of it.

 

Her biggest new toy however is the pool. At first she treated it as a bath, wet and slippery, to be approached with caution and quietly endured when I say so. Then Jesse showed her how much fun it is to run around it, chasing the splashes of the people in it. Leya showed her that its real pupose is to toss you ball in and dive it out. Luckily Leya is very astute in estimating how deep she can dive.

Sasha now 'takes the waters' at least three times a day, and has started swimming towards me if we are alone. She rolls on the top step, paws the water tentatively and then walks in as if she is the pinup of a Bond movie.

I'm now training her to shake on command, and stay outside till she is dry. But on Sunday mornings, when I sleep late, she comes and wakes me up by shaking her wet fluffy tail right next to the bed. :happy: