Little Moments of Beauty

 

Smurf Herder, Gus-Cerberus, and
the Crumb Whore.

We have a total of four dogs in our house. Three belong to the husfiend and me. The fourth belongs to my mom and is dubbed "demon dog". He's a neurotic little bastard that snarls at everything unless he's trying to dominate it. If you ask my mother, he's a precious angel. 

Dante AKA Demon Dog

Demon dog keys on my emotions, especially my mother's. If she's frustrated, he's overly protective. If she's ticked off, he attacks shit regardless of what it's doing. 

He also barks. He wants a toy, or there's a leaf blowing around the back yard, or we're walking upstairs. Doorbells, thunder, and fireworks wind him up. My mom's answer for this bad behavior is to scream his name and tell him "no".

Then there's his desire to dominate my dogs by humping them. It drives me nuts. He slinks along, licking his lips as he approaches their backsides. 

I don't put up with it. I'll stand just out of my mother's line of sight and glare at him while he's approaching them. I growl if he goes to paw them.

Still, he does his best to challenge everyone else, including my mother. It often backfires or, worse, becomes as comical as The Exorcist if performed by bunnies.

The power of Christ doesn't compel that dog.

All of this aside - Demon Dog becomes "Good Dante" when negative stimulus isn't around. He's relaxed; he doesn't bark much. He's happy to lie down in my lap to watch the news, or to offer me a toy. His wag stick goes a thousand miles per hour if I say his name. It's like a whole new personality emerges. He's...happy and spending time with him is fun.

Back to the little moments of beauty.

Today was the monthly toe clipping day. I can't physically do it anymore. So into the car we all go. The Crumb Whore, Smurf Herder, and Gus-Cerberus rode in the back with their daddy. Demon Dog had to ride on my mother's lap.

I'll skip the entire drive. Rather, I can tell you that Gus wouldn't stop howling, Dante wouldn't sit still. I began to hum Amazing Grace to calm Gus, and then mom started to hum it, too. Together, we sung the lyrics for the first verse, with her harmonizing with me. We flubbed the second, and I remembered the words to the last. It was one of those magical moments when frustrations and stress slide off the shoulders. It's one of the best feelings ever. Good Dante curled up and put his head on her arm.

And then Angus started his antics again.

 

Googled "Cerberus" and this image turned up. I don't know what it has to do with three-headed dogs, hell, or mythology. It's cute though.

This peeved-looking dog isn't ours.