The Furry House Guest

© shoutingforha

We are fortunate to have some dear friends that faithfully watch the beast every time we leave town. They are truly wonderful. Just the mention of their names is enough to send Brick into a wiggling fur ball of excitement.

I think our friends would agree that Brick is a pretty easy house guest. He lays around all day, allows their children to use him as a jungle gym, and gets along splendidly with their dog, Lucy.

As the years have gone by, Brick has become more and more at ease in our friend's home. Last summer, when we were on vacation in Colorado, they would wake each morning to find Brick asleep on the sofa instead of his dog bed. I have also noticed that when I show up at the house to pick up the beast, it is he, not Lucy, that barks when I ring the doorbell.

Clearly the dog has made himself right at home.

There has only been one issue when we leave Brick. For some reason, he refuses to eat. During one of our ten-day trips, the crazy animal only ate two days worth of food. He was noticeably thinner as a result.

Well, I am happy to tell you that a miracle has happened. During our recent trip to DC, Brick ate every day, just like a normal dog. Apparently he decided to abandon his hunger strike in favor of some tasty lamb and rice kibble.

In other dog news, Brick has allowed me to grind his nails without a single protest, and has quit barking when the boy's drum teacher arrives each week. He has been so mellow and well behaved, that I'm not sure what to think.

If I could only come up with a way to convince him to quit shedding...