This week’s post was written by a special guest blogger.
We went to my uncles’ house over the weekend to meet my cousins for the very first time. My mom warned me that I was to be a good houseguest. I was not exactly sure what she meant. I was just happy to see that when she was packing a suitcase, she packed a small bag for me too. I was excited to get in the car and head to the airport.
We boarded a small prop plane and sat in a tiny seat in the first row. I sat on my mom’s lap and she had our two carry-ons stuffed under her feet. When the engines came to life they roared like loud thunder and it hurt my ears. I started to shake, but my mom held me tightly. The noise did not stop and the ride was very bumpy as we made our way from Maui to the Big Island of Hawaii. My heart was racing the entire time. Eventually, the plane landed with a big thud, but I was happy when those noisy engines finally stopped.
When we got off the plane, the runway felt hot under my feet. The air was sticky. I was feeling both very nervous and excited all at the same time. I was really thirsty too. One of my uncles was there to greet us. We put our bags in his car, and I got to sit in the front seat on my mom’s lap. The cool breeze of the air-conditioning felt good on my face. The ride back to my uncles’ house looked unfamiliar. Although I was born on the Big Island, I don’t remember anything about it.
When we got to their house, I was greeted by my three cousins. They were bigger than me and we were excited to all meet each other at first. But all of a sudden, one of my cousins growled, then they all jumped up and started to attack me. Like lightning, my mom picked me up by my leash and collar, and lifted me to the safety of a nearby sofa. I wanted to go home right then and there.
Things calmed down after that. My cousins Rollie (Pollie) is a Boston /Jack Russell Terrier mix. He is five years old, which is two years younger than me, but he is also three times bigger than me. He is the only male in their house, so he acts like he’s in charge. He was the one who growled at me first. I think he is also the most spoiled of my cousins.
My other cousins are all girls. There is Ginger (Snaps), who like all her siblings, is a rescue dog. She is a Whippet/Bull Terrier mix. Her sister Koa is Shepherd/Rottweiler/Lab mix. They are both 12 years old and about four times the size of me. I think they are too old to really care about my visiting, but their size and loud bark made me keep my distance. I do have a fourth cousin named Niki. She is a greyhound mix, but she hides in the bathroom all day and night except when it’s time to eat or take walks. So we never really saw each other. That probably worked out best for both of us.
Rollie was my biggest challenge. Mom says that we are both spoiled male dogs with a lot of energy, but since I was the guest, I needed to be on my best behavior. Admittedly, I struggled a bit. There were a lot of smells on my uncles’ farm. They have chickens, pigs, cats, and the four dogs. It made things very confusing for me.
First, I made the mistake of gobbling down a bowl of dry cat food at the front door thinking they were dog treats. I ate them so fast that I threw up on my uncle’s favorite reading chair an hour later. Mom had to clean it up with a mixture of stinky white vinegar and water. She was mad and I was a little embarrassed. Of course, I couldn’t wait to try more of that cat food when they refilled the bowl later, but Mom put an end to that.
When my mom and uncles went out, I got to go in the car with them. They said they were concerned if I was left at home with my cousins unsupervised, they might confuse me for a chew toy… and really bad things could have happened.
Then there was a little mix-up about where to go to the bathroom. I wasn’t exactly sure. They had a lot of area rugs and dog blankets in their house, and the closest grass area was down a big set of stairs outside. It seemed awfully far away. So I might have made a tinkle on one of the dog blankets mistaking it for a wee-wee pad. Later that evening when it was pouring rain outside, I might have used one of the area rugs to make a (tiny little) poopie because it seemed more convenient than going out in the pouring rain.
Mom came flying over with the stinky white vinegar and water solution again. She told me that, “I was not a good boy.” She might have told me that, “I was a bad dog.” My uncles, on the other hand, were more understanding about my “accidents.” They reminded her that I was just a dog.
I really like my uncles a lot.
My biggest problem was that I could not stop licking my backside and scooting my tushy across the cool floor. It was kind of itchy. My uncle thinks I might have something called a blocked anal gland. I don’t know what that even means, but Mom says that we might have to go visit the vet tomorrow. There is nothing that scares me more than the vet… except for being forced to take this family photo.
It’s hard being a little white fluffy dog.
Rollie (top left). Me (top right). Ginger (bottom left). Koa (bottom right). Niki was hiding in the bathroom.