sadie chronicles

she's a dog, a gargoyle, a goat, a newborn calf, a dragon, and undoubtedly one of the most adorable creatures on the planet. when i first spotted her at the marin humane society, she weighed a trembling 9 pounds. it was clear she wanted to go home with me right then and there, but i wanted to make sure i wasn't making TOO much of a hasty, impulsive decision (i'm no stranger to that). so i went home and spoke with the voice of reason--my daughter. her eyes lit up and she smiled in that certain way that made me know precisely where this would take us. but we went through the motions of sane, logical thinking and went to the humane society together this time.

sadie (she was scruffy then) took to the ball immediately. it's as if the two were made for each other. after my daughter saw her frolicking in the autumn leaves--retrieving her beloved tennis ball, she answered my question with, "mom, how can we not?"so there's the story in a nutshell.

she's gained nearly 10 pounds since then. still puppy size and is usually mistaken for one. she's a determined little thing who believes that other dogs are trespassing in her world. they are of course. and it's magnanimous of her to allow them there. she curls herself up on my bed in a little ball--easily mistaken for a black and white pillow. or she'll wedge herself lengthwise along the narrow space between the upholstered seats of my sofa.

the name sadie came to us in a flash the day we brought her home. she was such a slim little thing, and we thought of eminem's 'slim shady' and that turned into 'slim sadie' and then of course later the 'slim' was dropped. but it wasn't long before my daughter gave her the name that really fits--satan.

because in spite of being adorable (and she's a GREAT dog who understands a slew of commands and will kiss you incessantly and put her little face so close to yours as you snuggle on the couch together that it's almost obscene), there is a strong streak in her that is quite demonic. if a new person comes to our front door, for instance, and reaches out to pet the "cute little dog" (particularly if the person is wearing big clunky shoes), she is not beyond giving the hapless individual a very clear warning in the form of angry, loud, and incessant barking as well as the occassional "nip" on the shoe itself or even the back of the ankle. she doesn't like the sound of motorcyles and tries to outdo them with sustained verbal messages of her own. and even if her tail is wagging while a stranger is petting her, her patience (and trust) can wear thin and she'll snap angrily in defense. she used to chase after bicycles, but that has mostly stopped. she's still not fond of skateboards or little kids on tricylcles, but she can "deal."

there are ways around some of this behavior. one of the obvious ones is to tell strangers not to pet the "cute little puppy" who is wagging her tail and looking at this new potential ball thrower with those adorable saucer eyes (she sometimes looks like a baby gorilla). another one, saved mostly for people who come to the house the first or second time, is to throw a ball or one of her fluffy toys to her immediately upon entrance (being careful to avoid eye contact--apparantly, according to an animal behaviorist--this can "incite" her).'

whatever works' indeed.