Floor Scrubbing Sunday

Dudley is such a grownup-acting puppy most of the time, it's somewhat surprising when he suddenly reverts to puppy behavior. Dudley hates loud noises and is terrified by the vacuum cleaner. I had to attack the cat hair today and vacuumed and mopped the acres of tile, moving furniture, the whole nine yards, and vacuumed the carpet, and it was quite traumatic for the little guy. Girl had to hold him on her lap in the kitchen while I did the living room, and the living room while I did the kitchen. Murphy, meanwhile, has never been afraid of anything in his life and annoys the hell out of me while I'm cleaning by getting in my way and trying to play with the vacuum, mop, whatever.

I just can't get over Dudley's wonderful personality - I'm going to miss this dog like crazy when Girl moves out again. (I'll miss Girl too, of course, but we talk every day no matter where we are, and Dudley, bright as he is, will have some difficulty with cellphones and IMs.) Dudley is sweet, happy and very, very smart. You rarely have to tell him anything twice, he has that scary-smart terrier intelligence combined with a real desire to please and be part of whatever you are doing. As long as it isn't vacuuming. He wants nothing to do with THAT, thanks. However, he did get to sample Girl's turkey sandwich and taste watermelon while I was cleaning, and he loved both. He has never met a food he didn't like, and so far (knocking wood) everything he likes likes him back.

He's an individual already, with a different but equally delightful temperament from Murphy. They are both intensely intelligent and invent remarkably human games when they play together. Dudley seems "doggier" to me somehow. Murphy, having been an only dog for 5 years, is practically human and has a very human response to this exhausting puppy. He loves the Kid, but still needs to go for a quiet walk with me, without that Kid, a couple of times a day, at least. And when the Kid is in his crate, Murphy sighs with relief and stretches out on the floor. I'm so glad they get along the way they do, and yet remain individual dogs who love their own mommies. It's perfect, may it stay this way.