Digging For Attention

It is a sad fact of life, but sometimes my family does not pay me the attention I so rightfully deserve.  I mean, I give them ample alone time when they are at work or running errands, but after that I believe their waking and sleeping hours should be completely devoted to me and my needs.  Is that so much to ask for?  I think not!  Anyway, as I was saying, sometimes my family gets a bit distracted.  When that happens I am forced to act out so as to remind them of their duty to me.  Yesterday was just such a day.

Sister had taken a few of days off from work to start her Christmas shopping.  Knowing this, I understood and accepted the fact that she would be a bit more distracted than usual and I was willing to give her a pass because Santa is watching and if I want a new plush toy to rip the squeaker out of I need to be on my best behavior.  Therefore, I looked away when she left the house first thing in the morning and didn't come back until lunch time after which she sometimes went back out again.  But our agreement didn't end there nor was it so one sided.  For allowing Sister ample time to go Christmas shopping I demanded, in return, that, when she was home, she was required to spend the entire time scratching my ears, rubbing my belly, and giving me treats.

Well, Sister didn't hold up her end of the bargain.

Once Sister got home from the mall she let me out into the back yard.  First, I sniffed around and checked the perimeters.  Next, I chased a squirrel down the fence and up a tree (A quick side story:  The people in the yard behind me have created a security breach by leaving a cut up pumpkin in their backyard for the squirrels to eat.  Now I'm spending a considerable amount of my day chasing those interloping squirrels out of my yard).  After that I bunked noses with the Honey, the Yellow Lab next door.  It was then that I realized that I had lost complete track of Sister's whereabouts. 

I scanned the backyard.  Nothing.  I ran down the driveway.  She wasn't there.  There was only one thing left to do:  Bark as long and as loud as I could to alert the neighborhood that my Sister had gone somewhere without me and that I was quite displeased.  After the first few barks (one of which was my trademark, ear piercing, high pitched yip), I heard the following shout come from within the house: "I'm coming!  I'm coming!"  Now, I wasn't particularly happy with Sister's tone, but I was glad to hear that she hadn't gone somewhere exciting without me and quickly ran to the door with my tail wagging.  My joy, however, was short lived.

From the basement Sister emerged with a giant vacuum cleaner which she brought outside and placed next to her car (a car, I might add, that I'm not allowed to ride in because it is too new...not that I'm bitter or anything).  Then, rather than chase me into the backyard and play my favorite game in the whole world "Rip A Branch Off The Forsythia Bush And Keep It Away From Sister," Sister proceeded to vacuum then wash her car.  What nerve!

As I'm sure you will all agree, I really had no choice; I had to regain Sister's attention.  I decided to start small:  I laid down and started chewing on a stick.  Stick chewing usually brings Sister running because she's afraid that I might get a piece stuck in my throat, but she didn't even notice.  Spitting out the shredded wood, I made the quick decision to move right on to Plan B:  Barking at imaginary things on the other side of my fence.  Apparently, I underestimated how deafening the vacuum cleaner was.  "Plan C it is," I thought.  I casually meandered over to the flower bed located right alongside Sister's car, found a nice soft patch of dirt with the dried up stem of a plant sticking up, and started to dig with abandon.  I threw dirt so high up in the air that it looked as though it was snowing and, for good measure, I even pinged a few small rocks off Sister' bumper.  But it was all for naught; she was still too distracted.  Figuring that perhaps she didn't notice me digging because her car obstructed her view, I moved on to another more visible spot and dug some more.  Nothing!  Totally defeated, I found a grassy spot, laid down, and took a nap.



...and what a fine hole it was

Needless to say, Sister eventually found my holes and asked out loud who was responsible for them.  I wagged my tail proudly.  Maybe next time she won't ignore me.