Sunday, August 1, 2010

Tommy the Lap Dog

Tommy’s not allowed on the furniture in my house. Not because I’m philosophically opposed to sharing my couch with him nor because I have such nice furniture (far from it—the cats have made sure of that as my $500 red leather cat scratcher will attest), but because he’s a dog that needs clear and strict boundaries.

But at Veronica’s house, Tommy is allowed to indulge his inner lap dog.

9 comments:

  1. Daisy is not allowed on the couch, but she is allowed on her chair. Roscoe is small and just is allowed on everything. Sometimes Daisy will sneak up on the couch if I am busy in a nother room, but the minute she sees me she gets off and gets on her chair. LOL! I bought couches and chairs with removable washable covers. Its great.

    ReplyDelete
  2. That's so cute that Daisy knows her special chair. Roscoe is like my cats - allowed on everything. I'm all for the removable washable covers - next time!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ahhh – maybe one day Tommy will have the privilege of being allowed up on your couch and living his dream of being a lap dog! My boys have claimed the couch years ago. They were allowed on the leather couches on the family room but not allowed on the more “formal” furniture in the living room. And they seemed to get it. But recently, we had to replace the furniture because it was worse for the wear after years of being exposed to the dogs. When we took the old couches away and replaced them, Henry was very upset by the change but has now once again made the couch his favorite spot. Cats cannot be trained like this. I am convinced that no matter how many times I tell Mac he is not allowed on the tables or countertops, the minute I leave the house, he jumps right up. I find his little paw prints everywhere. Dogs earn their spot on the couch and maybe one day, Tommy will earn his! 

    ReplyDelete
  4. Darn, I have problems posting comments on your blog. Seems they get eaten. Like my tomatoes. But I know I tried to say: The smile in the photo is beautiful. And my couches aren't couches, they're dog beds. But at least it keeps my bed dog-free.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Aaaw, Tommy- what a face! Miss J's dogs have the same boundaries at home.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Liz, I've given up on trying to train my cats. They own the place. Tommy might get the privilege of the couch if I move to a larger place. Part of the reason I don't let him on it is so the cats feel safe. He terrorizes them.

    Hiker, I'm so sorry you're having problems posting comments. Pasadena Adjacent also is. I'm trying to figure out what the problem is but I haven't had any luck yet. Thanks for your persistence and for the sweet compliment. Your couches/dog beds are like my red leather chair/cat scratcher.

    Miss J, you have pit bull mixes too, don't you? That would explain the need for strict boundaries.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Now that I'm in...

    You and Tommy's story reminds me of my friend Moira and her beloved James r.i.p.

    Moira was driving on Vermont Ave when she passed a shepherd mix running down the center of the four lane street. When she got to the red light she got this feeling, so she opened the passenger side door of her car and James came round and jumped in. That was that. Later she would discover that Jame's time spent on the mean streets of LA had led him to hate the smell of inebriated people. He had his boundaries too.

    ReplyDelete
  8. PA, you made it! Thanks for your persistence and all the tests.

    Amazing the stories I've heard about people finding dogs on freeways and other busy L.A. streets. Poor James must have had some back story. Imagine having his sense of smell living on the mean streets?! Glad he landed in your friend Moira's car and life.

    Yes, R.I.P. James

    ReplyDelete
  9. Boz might like to be on the couch but his back leg isn't so good, so he can't jump. But he has four beds, and he gets to stink them up the way he likes them.

    I can't wait to meet Tommy some day and give him a big kiss.

    ReplyDelete