Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Rat terrier? More like 'brat' terrier.

Here's a picture of my miniature rat terrier, Cobb.

He's a 13-pound menace.

Why is Cobb a menace? Over the past week, he has twice used a new, pesky way to wake me up -- by sticking his damned nose in my ear at about 5 a.m.

Here's the thing. Cobb knows to wake me up when he needs to get outside in the morning and go to the bathroom. So I can't exactly yell at him when he does as he's supposed to do, can I?

So the dog has learned two things. First of all, there's no quicker way to get me out of bed by sticking a cold, wet nose straight in my ear. Second, he won't get in trouble for waking me up in such a brutal manner.

I figure the little rascal is doing it all out of spite. He's never exactly warmed up to being trained and often figures out a way to obey but do something obnoxious in the process.

Perhaps I should have gotten a nice, lethargic dog who is both dumber and less devious than Cobb. I do adore the little pest in spite of his scheming ways, however. We got that dog back in September 2006 and since then I've chased him through the neighborhood more than once after he's found a way out of our fence and I've had to put up with him figuring out how to unlatch our back gate and escape. I've bailed him out of the pound, he's peed in my car, Cobb behaves on a leash about as well as a squirrel would, he's managed to lose at least four collars and his shrill, yipping bark has caused one neighbor to hate my guts.

Ah, but it's all part of the joy of owning a dog, isn't it?

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

That is hilarious! Our two dogs are in their own room that has a doggie door. We turn on a fan in our room so we can't hear them barking if they get woken up.

Did you see my award on my travel blog? LOL

Lyndon said...

Maybe you need to wear earmuffs :)

Paul Eilers said...

Maybe you need to let your hair grow out a little?

We have a black lab, and thankfully, he waits until we get up in the morning before he decides he needs to go outside and get busy.

Paul

Eat Well. Live Well.
PurpleGreenPops.com

Anonymous said...

awww, i think it's sweet! but then again, my dog's a toy poodle so wet nose in my ear shouldn't be as bad. XD

HawgWyld said...

Karen -- A doggie door isn't an option here due to a storm door -- cutting a hole through two doors just isn't practical.

Saw the award. Congratulations, you pop culture queen, you!

Lyndon -- Good idea! Of course, he'd probably find some other way to annoy me. The dog is persistent.

Paul -- Let my hair grow? Aw, but I'd look like one of those pathetic balding guys who is desperately trying to hold on to his youth.

And, good for your lab! He sounds much more behaved than Cobb...

eMz -- Yes, Cobb's long, thin snout allows him to pester me at maximum effectiveness. The little menace...

Unknown said...

I got 2 yorkies and they drive me crazy...they bark and yelp and demand that I take them outside !!! The nerve of them...

Da Old Man said...

Got to give the dog credit. If I knew it would work, I'd get a dog like that to wake up my wife in the morning.

Patricia Rockwell said...

Get a taller bed! Our dog is too short to leap on our bed, so she just barks until we wake up. Would you rather have that?

Anonymous said...

He's so cute. My Sadie will sometimes stick her cold nose on my arm, but usually she just makes monkey noises till I wake up.

HawgWyld said...

Dani -- Serves you right for getting Yorkies ;)

Da Old Man -- The nose to the ear works. Trust me. You're wife would probably smack you, though.

Patricia -- Well, a taller bed wouldn't work. Cobb can jump like nobody's business. He's all leg.

Jude -- I'd rather have a nose on my arm than in my ear. Cobb will generally sleep until we wake up. There are some mornings, however...

Tina @ The Zoo Crew said...

I have a good friend that has a rat terrier. Based on the information here, I would guess that they are at least cousins. :-)

HawgWyld said...

Tina -- That could be. Almost every rat terrier I've met is hyperactive, devious, too smart for its own good and hell on wheels. If Cobb learns he's not supposed to do something, he's determined to do it. He's got to be in the middle of everything, insists on being the center of attention and he's stubborn.

Sound familiar?

Anonymous said...

Hello there,

I totally agree. That's just one of the happy moments in owning a dog. \

We have recently acquired a puppy and we are loving each day with our new pet.

Have a great day!

HawgWyld said...

Lover Boy -- We've got three dogs tearing around my house. They do keep life interesting, don't they?

Michael Guzzo said...

My rat terriers do the exact same things to wake me up in the morning.
It's annoying sometimes, but lovable.

HawgWyld said...

Guzzo -- I don't know if I'd call it "lovable." I'd just call it annoying.

Still (and here's the worst part), I do believe I'll always own a miniature rat terrier. Great dogs in spite of all their quirks.