ONE MORE COMMUNICATION STORY

I have one more story about Rufus and communicating. Then I’ll move on to other more interesting topics. Unless he really surprises me again.

I never knew a dog could pitch a tantrum, but I definitely witnessed one the other day.

The morning routine goes like this: the genius

1) gets Rufus out of bed before setting off for work,
2) takes him out for one or both “jobs,”
3) gives him a Greenie (a green toothbrush-shaped treat that he loves almost as much as he does his IAM bone), which he always eats on the bed with me
4) feeds him dog food and a tiny bit of chicken,
5) gives him an IAM bone which he also eats on the bed and then goes back to sleep until I arise.

The other morning when Rufus threw up during the night, (he has a delicate stomach and does that about once a month) I told the genius to withhold the bone and just give him the Greenie. So that’s what he did. He left his chicken and dog food downstairs and left him eating his Greenie on the bed with me. He then turned off the lights and left (it was still dark).

Well!! …. When Rufus heard him leave, he leapt off the bed and raced downstairs, howling his rage at the top of his lungs. He then proceeded to run around downstairs for 20-30 minutes, barking constantly. Thank goodness for the noise maker – I could doze through it all until he finally quieted down and came back to bed.

This is so reminiscent of the times when our own toddlers would pitch a fit. I laughed at them then (Jim IV still remembers my laughing at him once when he was having a fit of temper) and I still laugh at them.

Some things just don’t change!