Thursday, August 19, 2010

Our Gang

These are my neighbors, Una and Jenny. The guy on the end is Jenny's friend Robert.


I love these folks. They've helped keep me sane for the past couple of months, particularly through The Great Flea Wars of 2010 and testing hell.

They've also helped keep The Super Duper Cooper Pooper Puppy sane, which, in turn, helps keep me from killing him.

At least a couple of times a week, we get together in the grassy field out behind our building, unleash the dogs, and let them go crazy. And the dogs are good for each other. Casper, Copper, and Dylan have taught Cooper many things... such as "The Frisbee is your friend," and "The water spigot isn't scary." 

I'm starting to think that I should be worried about him caving in to the peer pressure. First water spigots, then frisbees...what's next? Drinking? Smoking? Staying out past curfew? What if he knocks up the poodle down the street?

Just take a look at the hooligans he's running around with.


This one is Casper, a.k.a. Napoleon. Behind that innocent face is a force to be reckoned with. He's a terrier mix with short-man syndrome. He thinks he's in charge, and isn't afraid to let everyone know it. He's the alert dog; excellent for spotting deer, other dogs, people, bugs, or invisible beings, and letting us all know that they're there.

But we like to keep him around. If we ever send the other dogs to do a bank robbery job, he'll make a great door-watcher.

This one here is Copper. We're always messing up and calling him by the wrong name. Cooper...Copper..Cooper...Copper...HEY DOG! It's not my fault... Cooper was named first. The poor puppy always looks so worried too... of course, he was a street dog before Jenny found him and took him in. To this day, he still has a habit of wandering off, and he is the least playful of the three dogs. Still, he's a love bug. Maybe it has something to do with him being the baby of the bunch. He certainly fits the stereotype though: He's nothin' but an independent rogue youngster with a heart of gold.


Then there's Dylan. When he was a puppy, he was terrified of Cooper. I can't blame him. At the time, Cooper was twice his size, a year old, and insane. Of course, Cooper is still insane, but now, Dylan is bigger. We'll call him "the muscle." He gives Coop a run for his money when it comes to retrieving, which is interesting because he's a bit of a toy hoarder. It isn't unusual for him to be seen carrying all of the toys in his mouth at one time. 

When we do the bank job, he's the one we'll be sending into the vault.


Last but not least, we have... hey, wait! What's HE doing in here? This one's mine. He isn't a hooliga...

Oh, who am I kidding. He's the most hooligan-ish of them all. He's the oldest, so he really ought to know better. And all things considered, he's pretty good most of the time. He'll come when he's called. He'll retrieve. Most of the time, he doesn't even bark too much.

There's just... he has a little issue with... I don't want to say it...

He likes to hump Dylan. Only Dylan. Maybe I don't need to worry about the poodle down the street after all, come to think about it. Yes - he's a pervert, but he's my little pervert.

The boys really do love playing together, even if they are a little crazy.

Most importantly, they wear each other out, which means that they're all less likely to wreak havoc and destruction upon our apartments. When they have each other, they're less likely to chew, scratch, bark, and generally destroy everything they come into contact with.

Except for shoes. And popcorn. Cooper still eats shoes and popcorn. The little monster.

Here, Cooper and Casper fight over the frisbee, as Copper stares at them from a distance. He might look as if he is uninvolved, but really, he's masterminding his sneak attack. At least, that's what we like to believe.


My goodness, I love the look on Cooper's face here. It's a little joy, mixed with a little enthusiasm, mixed with a dash of pure evil.


This is the game that Cooper and Copper like to play - Stalk, Stalk, Pounce. It's the doggie version of Duck, Duck, Goose.


True story - Cooper was TERRIFIED of this frisbee. Completely, totally, 100% terrified. Every time I brought it out, he shook and cowered. And then I took it with me when we went out to play. Casper, Copper, and Dylan did not share Cooper's frisbee fears, and Cooper, not to be outplayed, decided that if they were going to chase it, he would chase it too.

I think he's still a little afraid of it. You can see it in his eyes. They say, "I'm going to carry you, so that the others can't have you, but don't think I trust you for a minute, Frisbee. I'm still onto your evil ways."


When it gets dark, it's really hard to tell these two apart. Until Cooper starts molesting Dylan, anyway. Then it becomes obvious which is which.

I didn't take any pictures of that, though. I couldn't do that to Dylan. The poor boy might develop a complex.

*Bobs

3 comments:

  1. Bobbi. nice, feel good, post. so fun to see their personalities through you. Love the faces you caught.
    Jaime

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  3. Bobbi you got them all soo good!! We'll have to take them to the lake and take some nice shots there. Wonderful shots! Can't believe how well they came out even if the lightening wasn't all that great. :)

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