Thursday, November 19, 2009

Our Dog’s Most Destructive Behavior (Writer’s Workshop)

My parents let me choose a puppy one day with the goal to get me over my fear of dogs. It worked. I chose a cute brown one with four white feet and a white tip on his tail and named him Brownie. I quickly bonded with Brownie and when my mom yelled at him, I’d put up my sign on my bedroom door that read “PEOPLE WHO ARE MEAN TO DOGS, STAY OUT!” My parents thought it was funny but I was VERY serious.

I did not like the fact that my parents insisted Brownie stay in the basement when we moved into our new house. He was no longer a puppy by this time and I was in the fourth grade. Harry put a baby gate at the top of the stairs so he couldn’t come up. My mom didn’t want the dog on the furniture and I don’t think she ever really liked dogs all that much anyway. Sometimes we would get to let him up though but if he barked, mom would flick water at him which he did not like!

I knew Brownie was a smart dog and since I felt sorry for him that he had to be in the basement most of the time, I decided to teach him how to open the baby gate. I showed him how to push up the pin with his snout. I never actually saw him do it, but one day when we came home I was so elated to find that Brownie actually did it! My parents were very upset because while we were gone he chewed up all four pairs of the new boots my parents just bought for us kids!

Does any kid like wearing boots? Maybe some do, but not us. We thought it was so funny and were so pleased that Brownie did this for us. However, my parents were not pleased at all and my dad couldn’t figure out how Brownie got out. I proudly told him that I taught him how to open the gate! We still got more new boots, ugh! Brownie died when I was in high school shortly after we moved.

Here are links to the other Writer's Workshop posts I did this week: A Thanksgiving To Remember and Did I Really Want To Change My Life Forever?
See more Writer’s Workshop posts or choose a prompt and participate yourself at Mama Kat’s Writer’s Workshop.

If you liked this post you would like “My Funny Dad, Harry. To find out more about my book and why I wrote it, read the Foreword here.
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19 comments:

Anonymous said...

That kind of made me sad.

MsTypo said...

Dogs do love eating expensive shoes! My parent's dog figured out how to open the latch on his crate all by himself. I couldn't close the darned thing but he could open it. LOL

Sounds like Brownie was a great dog! :)

Unknown said...

I liked your story : ) I am glad you got over your fear of dogs! I am glad your parents bought you new boots too : ) At least you didn't catch a cold!

Okie Rednecks said...

Thank you so much for sharing that story! Brownie sounds like he was very smart! Thanks for choosing my prompt!

Anonymous said...

I love that! How smart to teach him to open the gate!!

Kimmy said...

Awww...Good job!!! I'm such an animal lover so I can see why you would be upset that your beloved Brownie would be stuck in the basement. Our pets are our family, I tell ya!!! lol

Thanks for visiting my blog :O)

Anonymous said...

aw poor puppy! it's awesome that you taught him to escape :-)

jude8753 said...

Your parents must have been furious over that one. I felt sorry for poor Brownie though, he just wanted to be a part of the family. What ever happened to him?

Anonymous said...

It was very interesting for me to read the blog. Thanx for it. I like such topics and anything that is connected to them. I definitely want to read a bit more on that blog soon.

love lives in the kitchen said...

hi! nice to meet you ;) your blog is cute and you are a grat story teller!
hope to hear from you soon and wish you a great wednesday!
justyna

jude8753 said...

Karen thanks so much for letting me know you had Brownie up until high school. I thought your readers might also like to know that.

Anonymous said...

What a good pup:) I'd never really had a dog growing up, only cats. But I have one now and can't imagine life without one. My kids did get to have a dog, though, and I know that they have great memories of him:)
His most destructive behavior was chewing. On the door jambs....every time we'd leave the house. This was after he'd outgrown the crate.
Separation anxiety the doc said....LOL.

mommakin said...

You taught him to open the gate! Awesome!

The Blonde Duck said...

I'm glad you helped rescue Brownie from a life of basement boredom!

Karen, author of "My Funny Dad, Harry" said...

Lifeissweet16 & Kimmy & Blond Duck: Yes, it was sad Brownie was a basement dog but my dad spent a lot of time working in the basement so the dog wasn't alone down there all the time.

Cairo TypO: Smart dog! Brownie was a very nice dog--he really deserved better owners.

Life with Kaishon: Glad you liked the story, thanks for stopping by and taking time to comment.

Matt & Alisha: Brownie was smart!

The Girl Next Door Grows up & Marfmom and Tammy Howard: I was pleased with myself. Maybe I should have become a dog trainer!

Jude: My parents were very mad but they got over it. My dad didn't like that I taught Brownie how to escape, but he understood. We had Brownie up until he died when I was in high school after we moved into a new house. He just never adjusted to his new surroundings. At least that's what I thought since I really didn't want to move there.

Anonymous: If you like this blog, I'm sure you'd like my book! Thanks! Hope you take some time to look at my archived posts.

Love Lives In The Kitchen: Thanks for stopping by and your nice comment.

Christine: Nice your kids had a dog and you have one now! Separation anxiety can cause some big problems. Glad my dog now doesn't chew on anything.

ipod headphones said...

I've recently adopted a bull terrier/basset hound mix. She's about a year old and shes a great dog except for her... getting plenty of it. Usually destructive behavior stems from lack of exercise, but...

ipod headphones said...

I have a Lab mix and everytime i put something in the backyard she tears it up. My girlfriend just put a chair in the backyard... your dog in the act of being destructive. Punishing your dog on your return..

Anonymous said...

It is certainly interesting for me to read the post. Thank author for it. I like such themes and everything connected to this matter. I definitely want to read a bit more soon.

mep said...

Brownie was a smart dog, sounds like! I agree about the boots. No one likes wearing boots.

"My Funny Dad, Harry" Book Giveaway

Congratulations to all the winners of the giveaway for "My Funny Dad, Harry" at Red Pine Mountain. I am so happy that four of my regular commenters won! Read what Tim thought of it at Everyday Living.