A Fly Called Godzilla

I don’t have two dogs, I have 2 small children.  I didn’t sign up for this.   As a child, I don’t remember our dogs being like this.   JJ and Benny are brothers but nothing alike.

JJ, the alpha dog, barks at everything, it’s his main form of communication.  There’s the “I require attention” bark, the “alert” bark, the grump and the squeak.  If all else fails, you receive the nose nudge and paw.  Especially when he hears a funny noise downstairs you need to investigate.  He stays in bed upstairs while you sneak down the stairs.

Benny the guard dog barks excitedly at squirrels and cats, growls when you’re taking too long to get ready for his walk, snarls at the Jehovah Witnesses’ at the door, and huffs when he wants help.  The runt of the litter, he’s no longer a runt in size, but he’s stuck there mentally.  Benny is afraid of flies or anything which buzzes loudly. Oh, and only in the house, he’s not afraid in the yard.  This year, flies arrive in the house via the dog curtain in the basement.  The dog curtain is a half finished dog door, thanks to Jack.   I hope that’s where the flies get in otherwise a dead rat may be pumping them out somewhere in the basement.  Benny is afraid to go outside through the basement or come in once he’s out there.  I hear his “rescue me” bark now, this plaintive little bark with “help” written all over it.  To quell the racket, I run down two flights of stairs and accompany him through the dog curtain and back up the basement stairs.  Once he gets that far, he splits for the upstairs, hiding under the desk or the bed sheet.