With all of the devastation in California, I truly hope this post will provide a brief time out. Enjoy!
The other night in beginning obedience class, Stanley went rogue. One minute he was behaving so well that I wanted to take a bow and the next he was acting like a total goofball. It was as if the music he was hearing in his head switched from easy listening to heavy metal. He tried to engage with the other dogs. He let out occasional random barks and generally became disruptive.
When I asked Michelle, the trainer, what was going on, I was totally unprepared for her answer. She laughed and said, “Oh, he’s just a teenager.” Those four words struck fear in my heart. I knew I was in trouble. Memories of the daughters as teens came flooding back.
They would sometimes pretend not to know me so that I wouldn’t embarrass them in public. Same for when I had to drop them off a block from the movies so that their friends wouldn’t see me.
ELBEE In their defense, I’ve seen photos. Pack Leader was bodybuilding, had a fake tan and wore bright spandex. Enough said.
They’d steal my clothes (not the spandex), my make up and even the car. There was a random assortment of boyfriends. There were mood swings. There were decisions based on emotion rather than rational thinking. I’m also sure there was drinking. At one point a daughter said, “You should be happy that we tell you everything.” I later learned that meant about ten percent.
There was a time when they were 13, 16 and 19 and one or two of them were threatening to run away. I said absolutely not. If anyone is running away, it’s me. How was I going to handle that all over again and with a dog!
The good news is that although he has the same mood swings and questionable judgment, there are more positives with a teenage dog. For one thing, he doesn’t steal the car.
ELBEE He doesn’t even like to get in the car. The poor guy has motion sickness issues.
He doesn’t date or sneak out at night. He doesn’t hang out at the mall. He steals my clothes but fortunately not my makeup. And, although I would never encourage it, he has such amazing eyelashes that mascara would look fabulous.
Instead of threatening to run away or pretending not to know me, he likes me. He really likes me. When we go out for a walk he stays proudly by my side.
ELBEE Hello! It’s called a leash.
The vey best part of all is that Stanley’s teens will only last a few months!
