Calm to Crazy in 1 Second
A few weeks ago we got a dog. She's lovely. She has such a calm personality. She's loving and sweet and exactly what I wanted. When I was talking to the previous owner, she described Gracie (the new dog) as totally calm. She wasn't lying! Nothing really seems to phase Gracie. Unless you knock on the window.
So we'd had Gracie for just a few days, on this particular evening. Doug was late coming home. Andrew, Alexa, and I were already sitting down to eat dinner. Gracie was laying near Andrew's chair. It was a lovely dinner, very calm. No one was fighting, or complaining that they didn't like dinner- yet. That calm was not going to last long. Suddenly there's a knock on the window right near where we sit and eat.
Gracie did exactly what you want your dog to do, when there is an unexpected knock, when it's dark and you're a woman alone in the house. She used, what to this day, is her most intimidating bark. Andrew started screaming like the Boogey Man was trying to come in our house. The fear on his face, to this day, makes me laugh (mostly, because now I realize there was nothing to be afraid of.) Well, with Gracie using her Big Girl Bark and Andrew screaming, Alexa got scared and she started shrieking- and shaking. I look at the window and see that it is Doug. Now I am yelling at him, "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" Andrew stops screaming, Gracie stops barking, and Alexa . . . well she's still crying. It took her a few more minutes to recover. Doug's laughing. I am feeling annoyed that he came home at all, and disrupted our tranquil moment!
I get Alexa calmed down, Doug gets himself a plate, and sits down to joins us. By this time, Andrew realizes that he doesn't like dinner. Although, he used to like this dinner and that's mostly why I fixed it, but whatever. Andrew knows the choice: eat or don't. If you eat, you get dessert, if you don't . . . you don't. Well, he can't just accept his fate. He has to argue about it. Despite the fact that Doug and I aren't responding- other than to say, "We're not discussing this." Finally, Andrew starts to get a little disrespectful and so he has to go to time out and collect himself. He returns and everything seems fine, however he still doesn't want dinner- finally I say, "Andrew- just throw it away!" So he stands up to do just that- he's not freaking out. In a way I think he's relieved to have that yucky, blucky dinner going in the trash. The thing is . . . he forgot Gracie was laying right beside his chair and so when he stood up, he tripped and accidentally poured his dinner on her.
He absolutely freaks. I mean, FREAKS. He's screaming and stomping. Gracie . . . has casually and calmly turned her head and is licking the chicken off her back. Seriously- it was the calmest response. Usually when chicken hits the ground- a dog gets excited. Nope. She didn't turn it down (she did turn down the broccoli though), but she ate the chicken. Andrew is still shrieking. So, I instruct him to put the plate down, and go take a shower. While he leaves the room, Alexa is dictating a play by play for Doug and I. "And-roo mad. And-roo tompin'. And-roo sam da door. And-roo scweaming." Doug and I were laughing so hard we were both crying. Poor Gracie, what crazy house did she get into?! Doug cleaned the broccoli off Gracie, I reassurred Alexa that Andrew was ok, then I checked on Andrew, and I chuckled about it for the rest of the night.
So we'd had Gracie for just a few days, on this particular evening. Doug was late coming home. Andrew, Alexa, and I were already sitting down to eat dinner. Gracie was laying near Andrew's chair. It was a lovely dinner, very calm. No one was fighting, or complaining that they didn't like dinner- yet. That calm was not going to last long. Suddenly there's a knock on the window right near where we sit and eat.
Gracie did exactly what you want your dog to do, when there is an unexpected knock, when it's dark and you're a woman alone in the house. She used, what to this day, is her most intimidating bark. Andrew started screaming like the Boogey Man was trying to come in our house. The fear on his face, to this day, makes me laugh (mostly, because now I realize there was nothing to be afraid of.) Well, with Gracie using her Big Girl Bark and Andrew screaming, Alexa got scared and she started shrieking- and shaking. I look at the window and see that it is Doug. Now I am yelling at him, "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" Andrew stops screaming, Gracie stops barking, and Alexa . . . well she's still crying. It took her a few more minutes to recover. Doug's laughing. I am feeling annoyed that he came home at all, and disrupted our tranquil moment!
I get Alexa calmed down, Doug gets himself a plate, and sits down to joins us. By this time, Andrew realizes that he doesn't like dinner. Although, he used to like this dinner and that's mostly why I fixed it, but whatever. Andrew knows the choice: eat or don't. If you eat, you get dessert, if you don't . . . you don't. Well, he can't just accept his fate. He has to argue about it. Despite the fact that Doug and I aren't responding- other than to say, "We're not discussing this." Finally, Andrew starts to get a little disrespectful and so he has to go to time out and collect himself. He returns and everything seems fine, however he still doesn't want dinner- finally I say, "Andrew- just throw it away!" So he stands up to do just that- he's not freaking out. In a way I think he's relieved to have that yucky, blucky dinner going in the trash. The thing is . . . he forgot Gracie was laying right beside his chair and so when he stood up, he tripped and accidentally poured his dinner on her.
He absolutely freaks. I mean, FREAKS. He's screaming and stomping. Gracie . . . has casually and calmly turned her head and is licking the chicken off her back. Seriously- it was the calmest response. Usually when chicken hits the ground- a dog gets excited. Nope. She didn't turn it down (she did turn down the broccoli though), but she ate the chicken. Andrew is still shrieking. So, I instruct him to put the plate down, and go take a shower. While he leaves the room, Alexa is dictating a play by play for Doug and I. "And-roo mad. And-roo tompin'. And-roo sam da door. And-roo scweaming." Doug and I were laughing so hard we were both crying. Poor Gracie, what crazy house did she get into?! Doug cleaned the broccoli off Gracie, I reassurred Alexa that Andrew was ok, then I checked on Andrew, and I chuckled about it for the rest of the night.
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| Here she is in the middle of Christmas chaos with 3 kids. See how unphased she is. I had other pictures, but I cleared my phone, and I don't want to disrupt her now, cause she's snoozing pretty hard. So sweet. |
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