Tuesday, November 22, 2005

The Impish Things They Do - Part I

Gotta love 'em. :o)

Here are a few impish things our beloved Labs do (or used to do as pups). Can you relate?




Baxter used to stand on the dishwasher door (some 80 pounds ago!). He gave this up long ago (good thing, or we'd have no dishwasher door by now!).







The Boos also used to stand on the coffee table. He doesn't do this anymore either (another good thing!). :o)








Instead, he gets his table-standing fixes by hanging out on the picnic table--all year 'round. Some things never change. I think he just likes looking in the window. :o)





Ridge still can't resist yummy things left out on the table or kitchen counters. At least he gives us motivation to keep things cleaned up. :o)






Elsie is still a chewer, although she's getting better about what she chews. She's not the shoe thief she used to be.







Although, if she's bored with Kongs and bones and ropes and balls and the countless dental toys we have laying around, she'll steal Ridge's bed to chew on. As a matter of fact, just last week she shredded her own bed. Just for fun. Aaaaaargh.




Oh, and lest I forget, here are a few more impish, but unphotographed, behaviors:
  • drooling (we've got three majorly-Pavlovian canines here)
  • tracking in mud (big paws = big mess)
  • digging (enough said)
  • completely shredding any stuffed toy or any toy that makes noise (no more Nelliphant, Mr. Hedgehog, Mr. Mallard, or Mr. Monkey)
  • resting their noses on the table right next to our dinner plates
  • snitching food off the counter
We have plenty more imp photos; these are just a few to start. To be fair, however, tomorrow I'll post photos documenting the good things Baxter, Elsie, and Ridge do, too.

And then later I'll post more imp shots (can't resist).

Hey, they're Labs. There will always be more than enough photos of them being imps and angels. :o)

It's just the nature of the breed we love.

'Til next time,
Joan

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

My lab had earned the right to be in the living room all day while I was gone to work. But after doing this around 2 years, she figured out how to push on the door enough to get it to open to the trash can. I came home to a MESS. Coffee grounds, bits and pieces were all OVER the living room. She had even gnawed on the steel can her food came in. But NO tears to her mouth. Reckon that is what they mean by "soft mouthed lab"? HA HA

Joan said...

LOL, yup, sounds like a Lab.

But we gotta luv 'em, eh!

Our biggest mess occurred when Elsie decided she wanted to shred all THREE of my straw gardening hats, at the same time, mind you. It looked like somebody had spread a bale of hay all over the family room.

I made the mistake of leaving them on the kitchen table while I was working in the office.

;o) Oh well.

J.

Anonymous said...

You and I have the exact same coffee table .. and my 9 month old lab pup Indy loves standing on it, laying on it, resting his front end on it while he stands on his hind legs, eating on it and of course, chewing on it! It's in pretty sad shape now, I'll have to refinish it once he grows up :)

From Mary's Pen said...

Hi Joan- I was in need of a smile today, and I always know where to go for a little lab therapy... so while I wait for the latest puppy vids to load I'm reading a few older posts... This one made me laugh.

The stuffie-chewing brought to mind Nellie's habit- I used to buy ducks for her that had "quackers" in them. She would promptly open a seam in the duck's... ahem... rear, and remove said quacker.

One day our friend, who owns her half-brother, sent a picture of Dozer holding a retrieved duck.
I responded with a picture of Nellie standing proudly over her decimated foes, with the caption:
"Sure, he retrieves them, but does he gut them for you, too??"

Heh
Rejoicing in the day,
-Mary