I wonder what Sparky thinks when he looks up at us.
Does he look at us and think.. “Hmmm… Feed Me. NOW!” Or does he just think, “Bone! i need a bone!” Or “Ball!!!! Play with me. Please play with me???” *puppy face*
He doesn’t make a sound, barks only if a stranger rings the bell, or if he smells a vile dog and wants to pick a fight, and is most happy when his humans are in the house so that he can curl up at their feet and bite their toes while they’re busy typing. The only time he’s ‘cried’ was on New year’s eve when he wanted to go to make Wee, and we didn’t understand him, and left him home alone. What follows is a detailed description of a few things that make Sparky a unique pup (and I of course, modestly make no reference to his impeccable Champion pedigree on both sides of the family tree ;P).
Waking up. When Sparky wakes up, or is half asleep, he has a peculiar look on his face. His head is droopy, his gait is slow and unsteady, and he almost always comes and puts his paws on my thighs and S-T-R-E-T-C-H-E-S by arching his back into a ‘C’. A giant jaw-unhinging yawn follows, where I’m treated to a view of his Mandibles of Death. That done, I know he’s decided to wake up, and he hops back to the floor and proceeds to shake the sleep off him… It’s wonderful to watch him shake – it starts with a minor vibration at the tip of his nose, gradually increasing in intensity towards his torso, legs, vibrating down to the tip of his little stumpy tail. I love watching him shake!
His eyes are now all bright and alert, his pink tongue sticks out and he’s all ready to chase the toy mouse with a triangular head or go on one of his many missions to rid our house of stinky socks.
Sparky’s “Jobs”. You see, Sparky is not just a pet. He earns his keep by performing various household chores like -
Fetching Things That Don’t Need to be Fetched. Under this category, I can add socks – both fresh and dirty, slippers that aren’t locked up, shoes with laces, shoes that have pretty metal buttons or buckles, bathroom mats, my sleep-toy (which is as big as he is, but he persists by gripping it by the neck and dragging it to his sleep cushion), toppling over my wash basket and dashing off with my lacy underthings… I’m sure he has a secret location somewhere where he stashes our socks and other small things that we just can’t seem to locate.
Chewing to force things to submit to his will. Sparky will chew anything that can be chewed. As of this morning, the iron’s plug has duly been bitten, and every morning, I’m woken up not with wet doggie kisses, but with nibbles on the digits that peek from under my blanket. In addition to chewing everything he fetches and stashes in his secret corner, he managed to grab a pack of cigarettes from the table, and while R was in the bath, he chewed the packet, ciggies and all! He was caught red-handed with cigarette butts sticking out of his mouth, and an hour later, he threw up. His pretty red leash has been partially shredded and is now tassel-like. He finds this most entertaining.
Sparky is a Cat. I’m serious. I’ve been told that Mini Schnauzers are the cats among dogs, and I don’t know if it applies to all, but Sparky has leftover traits from being a cat in his past life, and that shines through at the strangest moments. For instance, tassles, dangling strings and balloons! I’ve never seen a dog leap and jump and behave like a circus animal when you dangle tassles or a bit of string in front of him! He even chews my knitting and makes off with my wool!
Mini Schnauzers have “beards,” so when they eat, the beard gets all messy too. Sparky can’t stand this and after each meal, if we forget to wipe his mouth and beard, he proceeds to do it himself by rubbing his face on the cushions, towels, floor mats, bedroom slippers, curtains, aprons, and any other stray tee-shirt or clothing that’s accidentally lying around.
Then there are the cats downstairs who he desperately wants to befriend, or used to before he got his nose swiped at. LOL.
Also, he has the tendency to walk at my heels, and then weave between my feet and trip me. How can you NOT call his creature a cat, I say!
When I used to let him sleep with me, he’d find the warm spot in the curve of my tummy and position himself right there, and curl into a ball and lie there blissfully unaware of the pain he’s causing me. And did I mention the cat-like purring? Sparky’s equivalent of purring in his throat is this “grrrr” sound he makes that is almost like a growl, but it isn’t, coz he makes it only when he’s being stroked sometimes. LOL.
I wont be surprised if tomorrow he starts to think that sleeping on his owner’s head is a good idea!
Curiosity and motivation to keep his owners occupied will kill this cat. But he should totally get full marks for wanting to be involved in everything we do. It doesn’t matter if we’re running around in the morning, throwing clothes on, rushing, coz we’re late to work, Sparky will do everything in his power to help and hinder us. You must understand that according to him, there’s no greater joy in the world than to make your owner play ‘fetch’ with socks – only here, the owner has to do the fetching, not the other way around. Poor puppy. I think all he wants to do is make us realise that he is up and willing to play all day, if only we don’t leave him home alone. *Sigh*
The other things that Sparky HAS investigated (or stuck in his mouth) are – whisky (he lapped from a guest’s glass when we were not looking), Iron (It was hissing steam, and he wanted to see what it was. He is now afraid of it.), woven jute mats (he’s systematically ripped them apart, colour by sectional colour), and crap from the waste-paper basket – this could be plastic bags, paper, cardboard pieces, empty medicine packets… I’m still adding to this list.
Oh, I almost forgot – he chews his tail on occassion too!
I could go on and on and bore you for hours with Sparky talk, but the most endearing thing about him is the way he hops up and asks to be carried; and when I do carry him, he nibbles my ear and makes cute puppy noises.
And when I come home, there’s nothing like being welcomed back by this crazy pup – he jumps around me, licks my toes, hops about on his hind legs, makes little puppy noises, nips my fingers and wont stop till my bags are dropped and he’s either nestled in my arms or on my lap. My Little Tribal Dancer.
Watching him fall asleep would fill up another paragraph, but listening to him when he’s having puppy dreams, making puppy sounds with puppy barks, his paws in the air, chasing imaginary cars, is a whole different experience 
I wonder what he thinks, and I wonder why he trusts and loves us so.
I finally gave in, and I love him completely, despite being allergic to his fur. I don’t know what i’m going to do without him 
Puppyface
