Ticket 2 Ride

A sixty-eight year man old up against a two-year old mixed breed dog. Who’s in control? Guess.

Charlie is very independent, until he wants something, then he uses a variety of methods to achieve his goal. His dog-mom says I am wrapped around his paw. I don’t dispute that, but I don’t agree that I always give in. She just smiles and lets me believe that.

Charlie uses the obvious methods of getting his way include laying on my chest and licking my face, laying on the floor in front of me staring with those sad eyes, resting his snout on the arm of the sofa next to me acting like he’s not there, grabbing his ball and dropping it into my lap, staring at me from across the room with his laser-beam eyes. He’s not a whiner, although that is a new method he’s using, mostly he is quiet but he places himself in obvious locations and positions, while giving me the saddest eyes possible.

He loves going out in the fenced-in backyard. He enjoys the backyard more than going on walks. Although he can entertain himself outside by himself, he usually wants one of us outside too. That doesn’t mean he will pay attention to us or respond to a command, only if he wants to. He acts oblivious to us, unless he wants us to throw him the ball, or he notices we have food, or begin doing something interesting to him. Charlie has good hearing, is smart, but has a stubborn and independent streak that he’s uses whenever it serves him.

Charlie used to love chewing on sticks, but he ate the wood and it made him sick. He’s mainly stopped doing that, although he grazes other things in the backyard. Instead of sticks, he drags firewood out into the yard and chews on them. The only time he does that is when my wife or I are out there. He will go back and drag another log to his favorite lounging place. Despite taking the logs back, he will get another one. This ornery streak is only when he has an audience.

Charlie is very affectionate, yet sometimes you have to work for it. He understands far more than he lets on. Certain words or phrases he’s quick to learn, other times he gives you a blank look or ignores you. Charlie acts like many a teenager I’ve known, and once was.

Just because I buy Charlie his favorite cookie, know his favorite kind of cheese and buy the sliced turkey for my sandwiches, that he also loves – that doesn’t mean that he’s spoiled or that he gets his way. To say that Charlie is motivated by food is like Ebenezer Scrooge being motivated by money.

Charlie worked with a dog trainer after he turned a year old to learn some basic commands and as we did. I’ll admit it was difficult to administer some of those techniques, that seemed as times cruel and robotic. The trainer did better with Charlie than his parents.

Charlie is very obsessed with a dog behind the fence in a corner yard. His view into that yard is very restricted, yet he pays a great deal of attention to that yard, even when the dog is that there. He will run the fence line when he hears a sound from the other side of the fence. If I tell him to stop, usually he won’t, but if I stand in his path he generally will. Usually I say “okay” and go into the house. He knows that I’m not happy with him, and more often than not, he will stop running, watch me go into the house, and within a few minutes, will appear at the back door.

My wife says I try to use human logic to get Charlie to understand what he’s doing that annoys me. Of course I am! Charlie is a talented actor, he understands more than he lets on. We often remark that we’d like to know what Charlie is thinking, particularly when he is staring off in space while wagging his tail. He’s full of quirky behavior, same as people, my wife remarks, while looking at me. Me, quirky? I resemble that remark.