Tuesday, June 8, 2010

The Bear Next Door

As the title indicates, I live next door to a bear!!!!

Well...not really. But for what it is worth, the creature of which I speak might as well be a real one.

My neighbors have christened their small dog Osito, which is Spanish for "Teddy bear." Literally, it means "little bear."

I have known Osito ever since he was a three-week old puppy, and I admit that he was an adorable ball of fluff that fit in my hand. He was docile and even kind to the much older dog my neighbors own.

He no longer has those traits.

Today, this little bear spends his days hidden away in a cave of gloom. He sits atop a cliff of tacky floral print throw pillows and sends a ricochet of staccato barks to whoever passes in front of his house. If the doorbell rings, he leaps off his perch and menaces the person outside. People think that doors are used to protect people in houses and to keep out strangers; I believe that it is the barricade that keeps Osito from escaping and severing someone's ankles.

The other dog is a constant victim of torment. She has long floppy ears which Osito mercilessly clamps and tears with his teeth. I often hear my neighbors furiously reprimand him for his actions, but it is no use...

Osito preys upon unsuspecting visitors and he succeeds with the fact that he is just so darned cute. I have been a hapless victim of this trick and therefore have the urgency to warn others about him:

Once you are swept by the wave of his "awwwwwwww, how cute" aura, there is no escape. Should you ever come in contact with this little beast, restrain yourself from the temptation of caressing his cuddly head. I assure you, his vicious demeanor is callous. If it ever has the opportunity of luring you into this false sense of security, you will utterly be finished.

Threatened by the way I encroach his habitat of throw pillows, Osito lunges fiercely in a rage of growls and shrieks. If he could talk, he would probably say "I'm gonna nip your toes until they turn blue." He damages countless pairs of stocking with his knife-nails! He slobbers all over my legs and shoes. He purposefully tries to trip me by running under, around and across my trembling legs! He commands me to play with his half-mangled squeaky toys!



Is this not a most fearsome predator?

After some time, however, Osito has gotten more comfortable with my presence. He doesn't growl as much and he even approaches me to graciously allow me to stroke him without fearing a "playful" nip. Why the change of heart? Perhaps he has noticed that I am a good person who likes dogs. Perhaps he has realized that I mean no harm to him. Perhaps he knows that he can trust me when I only want to pet him behind the ears.

At least that is what I would like to believe.

I credit his sudden urge for camaraderie because my personal bodyguard, Maddie the Demon Chihuahua, intimidates him.



There are indeed some beings superior to him...

Sensing this, Osito glumly resorts to barking incessantly. Day in, day out. If there were a medal for pestering me out of my mind, he would win it. Heck, he wins.

He always does...

Barb the French Bean

2 comments:

  1. Hm...do you know what kind of dog he is? And did your neighbors get him when he was three weeks old?

    Oh, and the furious nipping and growling? Associated with being spoiled rotten because he is little and cute. No discipline or training needed because he's oh so cute. Were he the size of a St. Bernard, he would not be able to get away with those things and those habits would have been nipped in the bud early. The double standards that dogs have to endure...

    ReplyDelete
  2. I know that he is a mix between two small breeds (don't know which ones).

    And, yes, I agree with the size difference. My family used to have a much larger dog named Blackie who has since passed away and she was never allowed to do half of the things my Demon Chihuahua gets away with.

    -French Bean

    ReplyDelete

Apparently, leaving comments on this blog is a hit-or-miss game of Russian roulette: you are either lucky and can comment away, or you are required to log in when the settings are CLEARLY set to allow trouble-free commenting (sorry 'bout that, folks). If anything, the Facebook page is always a viable option. :) -Barb