Pillow Fight!

Whew! We are almost unpacked from the Chicago move. Hopefully it will be years before we have to move anywhere again. It is still cold in Elkhart and we still have snow on the ground but it beats Chicago any day.

Recently we met a very nice couple and decided to have them up for a visit. I spent a solid two hours vacuuming up dog hair which is nothing new to anyone reading this. A can of Pledge and about a gallon of Windex on all of Otto's lookout posts and I felt like we were in pretty good shape, exhausted but tidy. Remember the little valentine's day pillow that Otto took such a liking to? Well, it had been relocated to my nightstand two weeks ago and he seemed to have forgotten it existed.

Just before their arrival, Otto was put in "his room" with his water and his toys, animal planet on the TV and a see ya later biscuit.

The couple arrived and we were having a very nice visit until about 40 minutes into it, she said, "I thought you have dogs, where are they all? All I keep hearing about is your Otto, where are you keeping him?"

Otto must have been listening at the door because as soon as she said his name, he started in with his version of, "Why I right here, behind this door, being such a good dog." Otto has many different barks and sounds that he makes. " Rabbit under the lounge chair RIGHT NOW!" bark is very different then "SOME ONE JUST RANG TO DOOR BELL" bark. The, demure, "I am hungry" is very different then "SNOW PLOW GOING BY" high alert bark.

So, we all ventured downstairs to meet Otto. I asked them to sit at the table rather then greet him standing up just in case Otto decided to do one of his flying tiger leaping dragon moves at warp speed. Sure enough, like a lighting bolt, he pushed by me at the open crack of the door and ran past to investigate the newcomers to his home. A few quick licks (how do complete strangers get licks and I can't get one.) The interest in the new people quieted down quickly....on their part as well.

For some reason, Otto ran as fast as he could up the stairs. It was as if the doorbell rang or something urgent was happening upstairs. The couple said something about how BIG he was then changed the subject to discuss something else. They did not rave or say "That is the most beautiful animal I have ever seen" either. While she was talking, I could hear the pitter patter above my head and some fast movements. I was trying to pay attention to her story but I was wondering what Otto was doing. I had a feeling either he was eating her boot that she so kindly removed when she entered in from the snow...or worse, dragging and shaking her purse around.

Otto had run upstairs very quickly and left us all, something that he wouldn't normally do unless it was to investigate if anyone else in the house. Normally he would have come racing back down the stairs.... right away.

He did.....with my Valentine's day pillow in his mouth. He had helped himself to it, right off of the back my nightstand........and the lady said, "Oh look, Otto brought us one of his toys!"

New friends, world's worst dog, two choices. "No, that isn't one of his toys, it is MY PILLOW!" Otto is now in the rear end up and front legs down, wagging and shaking the pillow in his mouth position. It was like he was saying, "Did you think you could just lock me in my room, exclude me from the party without any consequences? Did you think I had forgotten about YOUR PILLOW? That you HID TWO WEEKS, THREE HOURS AGO??"

Honestly, sometimes he is worse then having a child..I couldn't make a scene, if I got up to chase him it would make the situation worse because then he would have run in and out of the room, leaping by me....so I just sat there and watched him, gnawing away on my little heart shaped pillow.

Ignoring Otto sometimes lessens his excitement, except in this case. He then went up to the new guy and jammed the pillow in his upper leg (crotch) all while making a low growling sounds which I know to be "Play with me" sounds but I am not sure that the guy believed me. Thank heavens my husband got up said the magic words, "Biscuit" and Otto went running after him... back to his room, dropping the slobbery little heart on the floor.

I would imagine that will be the last time they come over to our house!

Naughty, naughty, naughty.....