The Comedic Rivalry Begins

We do a bit of research when we get a new breed of dog here. What is it's personality like? Will it fit in with a loud and busy home? What are the grooming requirements? How much exercise will it need? Is it good with kids? These are things we need to  know, of course. And before we made the jump to the french bulldog, we decided they would be a good fit for us. We especially liked the fact that every informational piece we consulted, it said that the dogs were a bit of a clown. Personality plus. Bonus! We have a dog now that could be wallpaper for all the personality she has, and mostly for that reason, she's not my favorite.

When we picked up Jack from the breeder, we learned that "clown" was definitely fitting. She said that the breed is also downright mischievous. Her dogs would take things out of her purse just to be bad, because they never chewed things up, simply "misplaced" them. Or they'd take her cup when they were having a barbecue in the back yard. She said her kids got blamed for a lot that they didn't do before she realized what the dogs were up to.

Jack's shenanigans started innocently enough. He picked up Woody and carried him off, because Micah lets his toys lay on the floor. We rescued Woody and told Jack "no." Jack has a dozen different toys of his own, and plays with them regularly, so clearly he thought that anything on the floor was fair game. But then Jack started seeking out Woody, when Micah would have him on the sofa or the coffee table. And I've noticed a trend with the pup. Jack will smell something very carefully before he picks it up. My guess is that if it has a lot of people smell on it, it's valuable to us, and he'll walk off with it. I've come to this conclusion because he only takes the things we love most. Well, those, and plastic things. Jack likes plastic. Mostly Happy Meal toys, which is alright, but don't tell him.

It was today that I realized that Jack really does take things just to be a stinker. These glasses? He paraded in front of me no less than three times just to be sure I saw him with them. He didn't lay down and teethe on them, simply showed off his catch.

I find it incredibly ironic that Jack was chosen as a pet for Micah. The boy loves a dog that will play fetch with him, and run and jump, and have a good time. We're training Jack to be the dog that Micah will love someday, when he's done stealing Woody. (Which we now know will be NEVER.) Micah is also a comedic thief. When Becky is trying to get school done, and gets up to fix herself some lunch, Micah will take her computer chair and put it on the front porch. He'll then stand and laugh with a little too much glee that she had to go fetch it. At church camp, he threw the pastor's swim trunks in the trash, but not before he knew the pastor saw the trunks in Micah's hand. (Cue the gleeful giggles.) The boy is a trip. And clearly his dog is going to give him a run for his money. It'll be interesting to see who comes out in the lead at the end of each day.