Dog balls

Don’t be vulgar! I’m talking about all the toys that belong to our neighbor’s new puppy.

The new family member, a young Weimaraner, has been there for about a month. I occasionally see Dad or Junior playing with her. I only hope, for everyone’s sake, she's a little better adjusted than the one in “Best in Show.”

But mostly I see the toys she’s supposed to play with. She doesn’t, though, because they are all along the edge of their side yard’s wrought-iron fence, apparently inaccessible underneath the shrubs that run along the fence.

Yesterday, I counted eight tennis balls (five lime, three pink), two footballs (one regulation size, one miniature), two small general purpose balls (one red, one red and blue) and a soccer ball. Oh, yeah. And the Frisbee. The one that’s found its way into our back yard twice and our front yard, under a yucca plant, once.

I don’t know why someone doesn’t go get the balls. I can see why the dog might not want to burrow through the shrubs to retrieve them. But they’re fully visible and easily reached from the external side of the fence. A couple of times, I’ve pulled one out and tossed it back into the yard. It soon reappeared at the fence line.

I’m also trying to figure out how they got there in the first place. Did the people toss them that direction, which is on a down slope in our hilly neighborhood? If so, why? Seems that if you do it once, you discover that when they hit the ground, they naturally roll into the shrubbery.

I’m also trying to figure out how the dog is supposed to play with a full-size football.

Basically, though, I’m trying to figure out the whole dog thing. There are around 1,200 homes in our neighborhood and ours is one of eight that doesn’t have at least one dog. And six of the eight, observes the hubby, are vacant!

I’m stunned we didn’t have our own little Year of the Dog parade to celebrate the Chinese New Year that began yesterday.

OK, the community might not be quite that full of canines, but at least in our immediate vicinity (four houses) we have six dog neighbors. And they all bark at the same time.

I admit it. I’m a cat person. I even brought my husband over to the dark side once he realized that you don’t have to walk a cat when it’s cold and damp, a situation perfectly captured in the comic strip Mutts and its “why cats are better than dogs dance” panel.

Basically, this pet gospel sums up my point of view. I guess I like the challenge of a cat’s love, although my very wise husband has taught me that whatever the animal species, you get from it what you give.

So I try to be accepting of people’s pet choices (or pets' people choices), even when those choices bark every time the mail carrier pulls up to the box. Something that’s been happening for years. Six days a week. Fifty-two weeks a year. But apparently it’s an occasion that still warrants yelping.

TODAY’S TAX TIP: If my neighbors aren’t going to retrieve the dog’s toys, they’re eventually going to have to buy more. To do so, they might want to get their taxes done so any refund check is soon on its way.

By the end of this week, most of us will have the tax statements we need to complete our taxes. But if you find your W-2 is slow to arrive, this story offers some tips on how to get the document or get your taxes filed without it.

And the barking will let them know when the check is finally in the mailbox!

Addendum: This post was selected to be part of the 100th Carnival de los Gatos. Check it out for more tales from ailurophilic bloggers.