Dog Tails

Lusso has been here now since August 1, and there is hope for both him and me.  He gains over two pounds a week, and I am beginning to wonder what I have gotten myself in for when it comes to size, but in the civilization area, he is doing great.

Every morning he and TootSweet either go for a long walk/trot with me, or they play in the back yard.  Lusso has learned all the commands by watching what TootSweet does when I say "stop", "heel", or "sit".  The most fun for me is to watch them in the yard: They chase each other, try to head each other off at the pass, steal dog toys from one another, and basically expend energy that may not be surprising for a six-month-old puppy, but an 11 year-old poodle??  They charge at each other full speed, Lusso galumping ahead on his long adolescent legs with their none-too-reliable braking system, TootSweet with a lightning stride he doesn't even try to control when he meets up with Lusso--he just jumps over the puppy, avoiding a collision. 

People are finally beginning to wonder what kind of dog Lusso is when we go for walks.  Everyone initially oohs and ahhs over TootSweet with his elegant prancing gait and nifty haircut, but now that Lusso is getting so big, they notice his marvelous eyes and magnificent pink nose.  There is nothing elegant about Lusso's trot, however.  He kind of swings along, looking like a teenager who isn't in complete command of his feet. 

TootSweet is a unique dog, smarter than many people I know, especially politicians, but he has a certain aloofness too.  He is basically a one or two-man dog, but Lusso never saw a stranger and thinks his owners represent the culmination of human evolution.  He doesn't sit still tolerating being brushed; he collapses into your lap with a groan of pleasure, putting his head on your leg.  If anyone comes to the door, he dashes to pick up a dog toy and hotfoots it to the door, making a sound that can be mistaken for growling but in reality is a kind of excited greeting.  If in a bind there is no dog toy close by, he might grab one of my sandals to present to the arriving guest, or even one of my doormice--woolen mice filled with heavy pebbles and designed to hold the door open on windy days.  The doormice are a big no-no because if he ever gets one open, it will take hours to sweep up its innards.

TootSweet, on the other hand, will dash to check out who is ringing the doorbell, and if it is someone known, he will do a few excited turns and then head off to whatever he was doing earlier.  He will bark, too, and so far Lusso hasn't done that.  Thank God!  They both have huge barks, and if they start off together, it will trigger one of my migraines.

Soon as I figure out how my iPhone works, I'll post a picture or two.