Saturday, August 28, 2010

The Fantabulous Flying Muppet

Our good friends Kate and Will have a cute little Bichon-Frise named “Chance” Now I am not much of a “dog person” myself, canines really have to go out of their way to endear themselves to me. But I must admit, Chance is pretty cute; he looks a bit like a Muppet and I can’t help but crack a grin when I see his funny furry face and his uber-enthusiasm about everything and nothing in particular.

Our friends have a lovely yard which they thoroughly enjoy planting and pruning and arranging. And when the work is done they enjoy gazing at their yard in the evenings from the warmth and luxury of their spa (hot tub).

And whenever they work in their yard, Chance joins in, running around the big tree the then he makes bee-line for the spa, launching into the air and plopping down on its closed lid where he can watch his owners puttering in the yard.

Only on one particular day, a bit of spa maintenance was being included along with the general yard work, so the lid of the spa was left open. As usual, upon releasing Chance out, he commenced his routine of racing around the yard at full tilt. And, at the expected moment, Chance headed straight for his favorite viewing spot on top of the spa lid… launching himself airborne … except… Ker-plunk! Into the spa went the flying Muppet.

As Kate and Will tell it, they swear that the little guy’s face turned toward them in panic as he hovered ever-so-briefly at that brief point of trajectory where gravity again returns. The look on the face of a little dog about to give himself an impromptu bath – priceless!

Chance still likes to jump up on the spa lid and supervise his owner’s yard maintenance. However, Will tells me he now first gets up on his hind legs and checks if the lid is closed. Good dog.

13 comments:

DJan said...

Chance can learn from his mistakes. It's a lot more than I can say for some people I know. :-) Good story!

CiCi said...

That is a smart dog to learn that lesson so quickly. Cute picture.

Robert the Skeptic said...

DJan and TechnoBabe He is indeed a quick learner, but like any dog, he is like having a "perpetual two-year-old" around, his owners say. He actually likes agility training - jumping through hoops and going through obstacles on command.

Rain Trueax said...

That's so cute. I love animals especially those we live with.

secret agent woman said...

hey are cute, but they look like mop heads to me.

Gorilla Bananas said...

Well, he probably needed a bath. I hope he didn't shake water on anyone after he got out.

Anonymous said...

Sounds like a smart dog as well as cute, if he is jumping through hoops. I don't think ours would figure that out....or maybe he would. But he would probably question why he should jump through a hoop at all.
The personalities of pets are unique and add so much to our human lives. Cats or dogs, doesn't matter. I've even heard that birds have personalities.

Robert the Skeptic said...

Rain We do get attached to them and they to us. I sometimes miss our little kitty, Angelina. Although since she has gone my asthma seems to have cleared up.

SecretAgent They are that! You can't help but crack a smile, they look so cute and comical.

Bananas Chance regularly visits the groomer for a bath and haircut. I am sure they got wet as well after they fished him out of the spa.

BackRow I don't think dogs figure out much more than "behavior=treat" which they figure out really well.

Many birds of the parrot family are quite intelligent and capable of some remarkable behaviors.

Marylinn Kelly said...

Thank you for a smile-producing post. I enjoy being reminded of all the ways ordinary life is a source of happiness. Our home has been without pets for some years but we have neighborhood wild parrots that perch outside our second-floor windows and put on quite a show. They have expressed no interest in being trained.

Nance said...

Humans have finally bred a canine for terminal cuteness. And an apparent total lack of anxiety; poodles are so smart, they know there's something to worry about, but Bichons haven't a care in the world. Even the name of this breed makes us grin!

The Mother said...

Cute dog. Mine could chomp through him in one bite.

Mine, also, runs full tilt around the yard if anyone deigns to sweat with her. But if she barrels into you, you're at least gonna tear an ACL, so it's a lot less cute when she does it.

Robert the Skeptic said...

Marylinn Watch out or those parrots will train YOU to feed them on command. Smart birds, they are.

Nance The friends in question had a poodle as their previous dog. He was yet another sweet, simple and friendly pooch. They can indeed be so lovable so much of the time.

Dr. Mom Now that is the kind of dog that used to have me climbing up telephone poles as a kid. To me dogs are like swimming pools and boats; always better if someone else owns 'me.

Entre Nous said...

Oh gosh that is precious, sort of like Edgar when the toilet seat was left up (ahem, by the SON). Nothing like a cat trying to get out of water to send one off into hysterics. Then walking away soaking wet looking loke he had just emerged from the land of the lost. Priceless...