Holy Crap

Speaking of Da Vinci, our "sugar coated" dog, he is big. No, he is huge and weighs about 110 pounds. Me oh my, is he ever strong. I have been bucked off, knocked over and smashed more times than I could count. If we had purchased him as a full grown dog, I would have been terrified, but he was a puppy and I learned to love this dog and grow with him. I am sure he was just as afraid of others as they are of him. The moment there was a knock at the door, he would race to his kennel. Then, Da Vinci would scoot to the back as far as he could and bark incessantly as if to say, "get away . . .you frighten me. . . don't you dare get near me." Others perceive his bark as, "I am going to eat you up, tear you to shreds, and throw your remains to the birds." Da Vinci is also very protective and if there is even the appearance of someone hurting Noah, Da Vinci is there with a vengence ready to nip and defend .

At our home, we take turns taking Da Vinci out. It is not my favorite of duties, but I would rather do that than clean up his duty inside the home. We are sure to put him on the leash so that he will not go after someone or something . . . or run away for that matter. For the most part, it has not been a problem. I have more trouble getting him back into the kennel. When Rick is away, I cross my fingers that I will be able to find something in which to bribe him. I have been late for work a few times while I waited for Rick to come home and do what I couldn't do . .  put Da Vinci in the kennel. The bribe used to work beautifully, but he was on to me. I would throw the treat into his kennel. Rather than obediently stepping into his kennel, he would put two paws in and leave two paws out. That way, he could still have the treat and I was unable to shut the kennel door. The moment the kennel door begins to shut, he would push his big rumbumpus up against me and pull a reverse.

One particular weekend Rick was out of town. My biggest worry was seeing that Da Vinci made it back into the kennel before Church started. Noah and I were already running late. I was dressed in a skirt, white dress sandals with a heel, and my hair completely finished. I had leashed Da Vinci. All seemed to be running smoothly. He stopped abrubtly. His ears perked up and then without warning took off full speed after a cat he had spotted. I screamed at Da Vinci while holding on to his leash with all my my might. I could not keep up with him in my Sunday shoes and yet I was unwilling to let go. The cat jumped the fence and so Da Vinci made a sharp u-turn. At that moment, I envisioned myself at the end of a long line of people at Classic Skate. The good old " CRACK the WHIP " game.  I flew and I mean my feet left the ground. It all happened so quickly. I landed on the blue wheelbarrow and down into a pile of Da Vinci's poop . . . his crap! I was hurt something awful and I did not even know how to explain what happened to my pride. The next thing I knew, Da Vinci was chasing that cat down the street. I could hear Da Vinci's nails on the concrete. I stood, brushed off my knees and went to retrieve that darn dog. I was still shaking. I looked over the wall and thought, "that cat is toast . What will I tell the cat's owner? Will Da Vinci even come back? "

Da Vinci did come back and fortunately without a cat. I grabbed his leash and immediately took him inside. Noah had been waiting to put Da Vinci in the kennel so we could worship on the Lord's holy day.  I had holy crap that needed to be wiped off. After I had cleaned up and my knees had stopped shaking, Noah and I headed for church. . . Da Vinci of course would be in the dog house with me for months to come.

I Won't Sugar Coat This...

Our great dane, Count Da Vinci d'amboise, has been an incredible challenge for me. I love the dog dearly and accept that he is a part of the family, but doggone it, if he has not done a number on the home, the carpet, our shoes, our yard...you get the idea. I call him the garbage dog. He waits until he thinks no one is looking his way. In a slow and sneaky manner, he finds his way to the garbage. His face practically fills the garbage can. He muzzles around licking off all the wrappers until he has found the perfect treasure.

Upon hearing, "Da Vinci, what are you doing?" He scuttles about and makes a mad dash for his kennel. Sometimes, we are in the other room and he will still sneak food into his kennel. He has eaten loaves of bread in one setting. He ate Rick's steak off his plate when our heads were turned. Don't even think about putting your hand in the kennel to retrieve the item. His growl is fierce and he shows his teeth. It can be frightening even though I know he is a gentle giant. He is just protecting his goods.

I do not know how many times Noah has had food nipped right our of his hand. Whenever there is food, we must take precautions. The other day, I had made french toast topped with a heaping pile of powdered sugar for Noah. "Don't let Da Vinci get your food. Keep an eye on him, he will get it." All was well. Noah finished his breakfast and was on his way to school. I had put away the food and wiped of the table.

Busy me, went to begin my day. After checking my emails, I walked into the kitchen. I noticed a strange dusty spots on the carpet. I couldn't make sense of it and so I looked harder. It appeared to be a paw print. I thought to myself, "I wonder what Da Vinci has stepped in now." Ding! The moment of reckoning...please tell me it is not the powdered sugar. I glanced to the table where the sugar had been left. Sure enough, the sugar wsa no where to be found.

I peered into Da Vinci's kennel. There was Da Vinci, sitting so innocently inside his kennel. He was covered in white powder. There below this big mass was a layer of powdered sugar and an empty plastic bag. This was only going to be the second time in the morning that Da Vinci's kennel had to be carefully cleaned.

From here on out, Da Vinci better be a super "SWEET" dog.