Blind Goldie has a pronounced obsessive-compulsive disorder about soft squeaky toys, as I've reported before on a number of occasions. But the only thing better than having a brand-new squeaky toy to shred is having an envious dog sitting nearby, watching her shredding away. In fact, she will often grab a toy and then march through the house, squeaking it and waving it front of the other dogs. It's very clearly a "Look what I have!" gesture designed to get other dogs interested in -- and lusting after -- her possession, because she loves to shred a squeaky toy in front of an audience.
The other evening we observed her doing this routine, squeaky toy stuck in her mouth, as she worked to find an audience. Blind Austin rose to the bait, so to speak, and followed her as she went around the house, squeaking. Realizing she had reeled in someone, she climbed onto a cot in the living room to begin destroying the toy. The objective, of course, is to extract the squeaker inside. Once she has removed it and punctured it, she has no further use for the toy.
And there was Austin, patiently sitting by the cot, watching ... well, listening to her go to work on the toy. At one point he made a move to grab it, which elicited a low "back off!" growl from Goldie as he inched closer:
Finally, when she was done -- this takes less than two minutes on average! -- she looked over at him with this look that I interpreted as "See how I did that, kid?":
What a good teacher and what a good student. Austin may end up being the quicker squeaker-taker-outer if Goldie doesn't watch out. He seems to be studying her technique very intently. That would teach her to not be such a good teacher. Oh never mind.
Posted by: Ev | January 19, 2009 at 04:12 AM
There are many ways to "see" (reply to Craig from Great Falls).
That is the true reason why what RDR has done is so beautiful.
Posted by: Julien Sharp | January 16, 2009 at 04:52 PM
Every day I stop by to read and feel inspired and encouraged .. and I go home every night to two (mostly) healthy (mostly) sighted cats and give them BIG hugs (tho they'd prefer MORE - a sound/word they 'say' while begging) ... thank you for all you do for the animals and people like me!
Posted by: Daryl | January 16, 2009 at 01:52 PM
Ah yes, the ol' squeakectomy. LOL
Posted by: Lynn | January 16, 2009 at 10:39 AM
I just love this. Blind Goldie is hilarious with her obsession & the look on Blind Austin's face is priceless. Guess the temptation was too much for Blind Austin & he had to try to move in to get the toy! Goldie's motto: "So many squeaky toys to save the world from & so little time"
Posted by: Colleen & Sweet Kitty Erin | January 16, 2009 at 10:37 AM
I love Goldie...she reminds me of my dog who also shredds toys in remarkable speed for the squeaker!
The pictures are priceless...so full of life and love.
Thanks again for all you do!
Posted by: Brenda | January 16, 2009 at 09:27 AM
I read your blog each morning and am amazed at the wonderful work you do for the unwanted animals. God Bless you. I wanted to share with you my experience with squeaker toys.
My toy poodle, Mr. Booie, 4 lbs, loved to get the 'squeaker' out of the toys too. Years ago, he swallowed the squeaker and after a $5k vet bill, he recovered but I almost lost him. Beware that the squeaker lodged in his intestines and nearly killed him. I don't know if there is a danger for larger dogs or maybe Booie is just not very smart! Either way, they can be dangerous.
Posted by: Tonya Handwerker | January 16, 2009 at 09:27 AM
We had a dog like that...Moosie thought it wasn't safe until he "killed" the squeaker...it's amazing how quickly he could accomplish it....
Posted by: Debbie | January 16, 2009 at 07:37 AM
"See" how I did that? Figuratively speaking. LOL More like "hear" how I did that? Pay more attention next time.
Posted by: Craig from Great Falls | January 15, 2009 at 11:26 PM