Leader of the Pack?

Today I took Guinness to vacation at Holly’s Pride. He LOVES going there! If no one is in the parking lot, I let him run out of the car without holding the leash, because he goes straight to the front door. Well, 3 employees, each exercising a big dog, came walking around the corner. Of course, he ran off to see his friends and meet the new dogs. They grabbed his leash and told me the dogs are not friendly. I said, “If they go after Guinness, he will just back down.” But nothing happened. Then we entered the building. A man holding a large cat was just inside the door. Guinness barged in the door and jumped on his back. The cat did not seem upset, but strained around his master’s side to watch this wild beast. I was holding the overly happy dog as he strained to get away from me to jump on the desk and inspect the toys for sale while I attempted to apologize to the man. He with his cat were ushered into the cattery, so I released Guinness to run the room. He pushed on the door to the kennel which was not latched and he went right through. The door from there to the cattery was open, so he ran into the cattery. Oh, my… The manager brought him back and immediately took him back to his villa. An employee now came to the front desk to check in the cat and then Guinness. She commented that Guinness has more energy than any of their dogs. I told her about a dog trainer I had run into this week. I talked to the trainer about Guinness’s problems – that he is fine at home but is crazy when he sees other people or dogs. The trainer said that that indicates he is the leader of the pack. I confessed that we are getting older and probably baby him more than we have our other dogs. She was very professional and was sure she could help us to improve our relationship with him to be more like Hershey. But I’m not sure I have the energy to be leader of the pack.

Annual Exam

Guinness wins the prize for being the most enthusiastic patient at his vet’s office. He enters pulling with all his might on his leash with the pinch collar pinching him. Today, there were four or five small dogs, most with an elderly master, in the waiting room. None of the dogs or masters was delighted with Guinness’s behavior. The expressions on their faces were incredulous watching my crazed dog trying to reach them while barking at the top of his voice. All I can do is say, “Can you tell he LOVES coming here?” or “He is so excited to see all of you here today.” Then I noted that Alice, from doggie park, was standing at the pay window purchasing some special treats for Holly. I was shocked that she never turned her head to see what all the ruckus was. When Guinness saw her, he was delirious with joy. Fortunately, Holly was not with her. Just imagine what would have happened if Holly had been there too! Two dogs tearing at high speed around a small waiting room! Slowly, everyone in the waiting room had their turn in an exam room, and we were alone. He jumped up on the bench seat where I was seated, demanding my total attention.

When we entered the exam room, one of the assistants tried to weigh him. I told her that I needed to do it alone as he would never settle for her. With her in the room, she thought he was 69, but I knew he was still being too crazy for an accurate reading. After she left, he stood peacefully and registered 67.4 pounds. He is picking up weight – .4 pounds in 2 weeks! The doctor called him a clown and pronounced that he is going to be a “perpetual puppy.” He said, “I love you too,” after receiving a sloppy kiss on the face. Guinness accepted his shots without a flinch. I enjoyed telling the doctor the erroneous story of Guinness’s supposed bladder problem, but was sorry that the vet who had dealt with that issue was not present to hear it from me. He declared Guinness healthy and slim but not too skinny. He said that Guinness, like most males, doesn’t want to grow up. Apparently, his wife complains that he still acts like a little boy after 32 years of marriage.

Back in the waiting room, a couple more dogs entered as we were trying to pay our bill. He skidded his paws on the floor as if he were on a treadmill, while I held his leash firmly. Then he did his melting chocolate trick to get tummy rubs. On our way out of the building, another medium size dog was approaching. Guinness was on a rampage to have playtime, frightening yet another owner who picked up her dog lest he be attacked by the maniacal dog. Oh, my….