Back home my parents have two dogs, Hamlet, a mutt, and Duchess, a pit bull. I love them, they are my best friends, but they can be pretty high maintenance.
Hamlet is a super laid-back dog who sleeps most of the day but he can be quite the diva. Over break I had attempted to give him a bath. Whenever he realizes that it’s bath day he hides somewhere in the house and does everything he can to avoid getting a bath; he thinks it’s a punishment.
About a half-hour into the process I finally got him into the bathtub; this really took so long because he’s 95 pounds and you actually have to talk him into getting a bath, and treats do not help. After I finally finished washing him I released him, and he did what he usually does: lie on his couch, look out the window and sigh every few minutes.
He does this until he dries off, which takes hours because his fur is so thick. He does this pretty much every time he gets upset over something.
Overall, Hamlet is the lesser of two evils. Duchess is a 3- year- old child. She craves attention and is overflowing with energy. Normally this is a wonderful thing; I come home for breaks where I get greeted with a dog sprinting toward me, jumping all over me and giving me tons of kisses.
At night, most of the time, when she finally settles down and decides to go to bed she sleeps like a rock. But then there are nights when she is restless. My parents had recently allowed her to sleep in their bed. She usually sleeps between them with her back to my dad and her paws pushing against my mom. A few weeks ago this setup had ended with Duchess pushing my mom off the bed and onto the floor.
Over break my parents were relieved when I made Duchess sleep in my bed. The first night of break I lured Duchess upstairs with a treat and we sat in my bed for a bit before she ran across the hall to my younger sister’s room. I had assumed that she had decided to spend the night there and had decided that I was mad at her for choosing my sister over me.
I was finishing up my nightly routine when I saw Duchess sitting in the dark room just watching me. I went over to her and tried to lead her to my room, but she didn’t want to go so I got her in my sister’s bed instead. I walked back to my room and turned the light off. About five minutes later I heard her whine one time; I ignored it because it was only once. Then five minutes after that she started whining louder, so I walked back over to see what was wrong.
When I got to her she was wiggling and excited and got out of my sister’s bed and happily went back to my room with me.
Remembering things about Hamlet and Duchess really makes me miss them. I cannot wait until I can go back home and see them again.
SARAH BARTKOWIAK
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