A Tail of a Chow Chow Named Teddy

Teddy is about to celebrate her 6th birthday. For almost every single day of her life she has gone to her favorite park for a couple hours each morning. Teddy is steadfast when it comes to her routine. If I am off by a few minutes for anything, she lets me know it. This is why I was very alarmed recently when she refused to go to the park. For a day or two I was not too concerned but I still found it curious. By the end of the first week, I was fearing the worst. I tried bribing her with treats, but even that failed.


If you've followed my blog for sometime, you know that Teddy is extremely quirky when it comes to water. On one hand, she has never seen a lake she doesn't love.


Yet she hates walking on snow.


And she blames the snow on me.


A lot of her winter was spent doing this.


And doing the blame look.


But occasionally she braved it and wore it too.


She has never met a beach she hasn't loved.


But she gets out of the way quickly if that moving water comes too close.


She has no trouble sticking those big paws in our ponds to get drinks.


Yet she walks on the melted spots to avoid the snow.


She will stand and stare at the pool but has never tried to go in.


But show her a new lake and she charges in.


As far as the leash lets her go.


And leaves very reluctantly.


Very reluctantly.


During this park standoff, Teddy would stand at the bottom of the steps which lead to the driveway and bark at me on and off all day. I knew she was trying to tell me something but I just couldn't figure out what she was saying.

So, after racking my brain for almost 2 weeks, I finally figured it out. We have a suburban and the entire back part of the car is Teddy's mobile kennel. She is very protective of her area. My husband is the one that takes her to the park each morning. Let me just say this, he is not the most observant person I know. I hardly ever drive that car and rarely ever look in the back of it. When we first got Teddy, we bought a cooling mat for her to keep her cool when she is in the car. It works like a thin waterbed. Recently, my husband has been hauling a dozens of bags of very heavy mulch in the back of the car. Two days ago I awoke to an AH HA moment. I ran downstairs and out to the driveway and opened the back of the car. Sure enough, the cooling mat had leaked from the weight of the mulch and Teddy's entire area was saturated like a wet sponge. The first ting I did was kill my husband. Then I soaked up all of the water. I put down clean dry towels and a clean blanket and bingo! Teddy got right in the car and went to the park. My husband said when she saw the park she cried a little bit. She is once again a happy pup!

Just one more bit of insight into this little story. The day before she stopped getting in the car, my husband had driven her to the vet which is a 3 hour round trip. That poor puppy sat in all of that water for the entire trip. End of story......you must excuse me now while I go and kill my husband a second time.

Comments

brokenteepee said…
Does your hubby have 9 lives like a cat?
heh

Poor Teddy. I'm glad all is right with her world again.
what a story.... and i am glad to hear Teddy's problem is solved...nothing worse in this world than when one of the Teddy's has something going wrong...

she is just so adorable...

kary and teddy
Candace said…
Awwww...if Teddy could talk she would have so much to say! I'm here for the first time from Sew'n Wild Oaks Quilting blog! I love your blog -- as I also do Halloween and October! And my husband says anyone that posts a picture of Babka on their sidebar is OK in his book - lol!
Cheers!
Poor Teddy, good you figured it out! Did she get an extra treat for having braved her water bed?
amy said…
Aww that poor puppy . Men are so...
Joane said…
Poor Teddy!Glad all is right in her world now. What smart dog!
Anonymous said…
Happy Day Teddy ! I think Teddy is just a natural gal she just perfers the real thing (the lake ) over the pretend thing humans try and make up for the real thing ( a pool ) or maybe she is allergic to the cholrine .She is so very wise I'm sure there is a good reasoning Teddy is a very responsible gal ☺
our jojo dog will be six this june . she is a grumpy gal and she likes to jump up at bite the 2 fun muttskies we have on the nose if they get to close to her ;-)
I haven't clue what to say about the dh aside from yes it is a good thing they appear to have 9 lives .
Lots of love to You & Teddy & Family on her Happy Day
Teddy is one smart pup. And it's a good thing your husband can keep popping back for more retribution, just like Wile E. Coyote.
HappyCrone said…
just goes to prove Chows are smarter than people...
Anonymous said…
Poor Teddy :-) But she´s just wonderful with all the contradictions when it comes to water :-) :-)

I can imagine how happy she was when she finally came to the park again!

Have a great day now!
Christer.
Robin Larkspur said…
What a great story! I feel awful about Teddy laying in that water-logged bog in the car. Glad you figured it out! And I am sure your husband must feel bad, as well. But at least you killed him twice, in case he thought it wasnt such a big deal!!
Happy Birthday sweet Teddy. I hope she is getting a new cooling mat for her birthday. Don't be upset with hubby. We all how how guys are.
Sugar said…
aww poor teddy! I'm glad it wasn't anything serious! I adore Teddykins
Anonymous said…
that is so funny,,, I needed a smile today and can always count on you to bring me one,,,
These pictures were so adorable... I love her facial expressions! And she looks so ecstatic in the water! What a doll :)
Ohhhhhhh, poor Teddy!!!!!

Men! -sigh- Sometimes they can be so dense. -sigh-

♥ Gentle hugs ♥
Poor Teddy! I do love the looks she gives you when its snowing outside! Glad you figured it out!
Jennifer Rose said…
awww teddy is one smart pup :)
Anonymous said…
At least little Teddy is okay! We just love Teddy and those pics are just to cute!
Don't you just love it when your pet tries to communicate with you! Happy Birthday Teddy! I'd go easy on hubby, they are the weaker sex!
J.E. Bolton said…
Too precious! Happy Birthday, Teddy.
Anonymous said…
I forgot to ask , what does Teddy eat on her special day ?
We made jack & lizzie a meatloaf cake for thier b-day one yr. and placed the birthday candle rig around it .I let them sit on chairs at the table .
Okay that may have been a mistake because ever since they think they can stand at the table and snitch food off where they never used to but the picture of the two dogs sitting in front of thier b-day cake with the lights dim was priceless ;-)
Mel Mel said…
Dogs are amazing! Every day I spend with Lucy, I learn something new! And husbands ... well. We won't go there! LoL! Hope Teddy has a wonderful birthday! She's so beautiful!
I hope Teddy is getting a new cooling mat for her birthday. Hubby?:)
Unknown said…
She is such a beautiful doggie..Happy Birthday to her..Animals are so smart, aren't they??? Cheers..
Mystica said…
Happy birthday to Teddy and thank goodness you realized what was wrong.
Sharon Day said…
She's a very lucky pup to have a mommy looking out for her with a mommy's observant ways.
Suzie said…
Poor Teddy!! She is such a smart girl!! And how clever you were to figure it out! No wonder Teddy idolizes you!

I can just picture Teddy at her park, making up for lost time, sniffing everything and everything to see what had changed, and who had been there in her absence, and then insuring that every living creature that would know that Teddy Is Back!!

I'm surprised that she got back into the car at the vet if it was wet on the way there. .it probably started on the way home, which only makes it a little better. .poor wet puppy.

But, I'm happy to read that you hubby bounced back from his killing. .at least the first one! He must be made of sturdy stuff!! I was going to suggest that he sleep on the leaky mat one night, but remembering how beautiful your bed is, that isn't such a good idea. .I know who would have to clean up the mess..maybe the doghouse. . .
Suzie said…
P.S. Teddy, you still have the adorable face of a Chow-Chow puppy. I've seen Chows that become rather stern as they get older, but you, darling girl, have kept your youthful looks.
A very smart dog...that Teddy. You are right..husbands are not always so observant. That's why we have dogs. :) They...communicate.
Hugs,
Mona
Judith said…
My cat was doing something like that.. all of a sudden he wouldn't go in the living room. I couldn't figure out why!!! Then a week later I remembered I hung a stain glass suncatcher in the living room window... he wouldn't go in because of the colors it shined on the rugs!!!! Move it to another room, and Merlin is a happy kitty!!!
LisaDay said…
Glad to hear it was only wetness that caused Teddy to avoid the park.

LisaDay
petoskystone said…
poor teddy! has hubby anything to say in his defense?
SharleneT said…
Poor, poor, Teddy! She has to be the most adorable dog in the whole world (other than mine, of course). I, too, hope that she gets a new mat for her birthday and hubby should get the old one. Love all the pix. Thanks for a great story.
abby jenkins said…
sounds like Cheddar, our Border collie/chow mix....too smart for their own good!
Texan said…
Well you can't blame a girl for not wanting to sit in ikky water that leaked out of her cooling mat!

Glad you figured it out!
vi said…
i wonder if you're husband is related to MY husband cause he does dumb ass stuff like that too.
vi