Howly Holidays

At some point you have to realize it's you; not them.  So the husband is out of town, and two single women were trying to work, care for a baby, three dogs, and a cat who is a little too full of herself.  And with the weather sunny and in the mid-50's, we let our guard down and let the dogs out to play unescorted on the unseasonably balmy weekday afternoon this past Wednesday.

The next evening just as I was trying to shut work down to run my Penguins ticket over to a friend because I couldn't use it, an urgent knocking - almost a pounding really - started at the front door.   My heart thumping a little wondering who could be so angrily demanding our attention, I opened the door to a fully uniformed member of Shaler's finest.  Again.  Different house, different neighbors.  But same complaint.

This time my dogs' tête-à-tête with the pointer who lives behind us had called some unwanted attention to us.  Someone complained, and specifically about that interaction - which does explode into a cacophony of barking on both sides of the fence whenever my dogs and the neighbor's dog happen to be out at the same time - only I have three to their one.  This officer, who was a former Pittsburgh officer and probably happy not to be arriving at the kinds of scenes he was probably used to in the inner city, was perfectly patient, conciliatory and kind, despite that rather ominous knock he possesses.  But the bottom line was the same:  my chatty brood had caused someone to lodge an anonymous complaint.  So here I am again with that whole uncomfortable situation hanging over my head.  And here the dogs go again, stuck inside more than they should be while I figure out a solution.  And I have to take it all with a bit more humility this time.  I mean, what can I say after being nailed twice now?

I hope we've found everyone's salvation in a little plastic "bird house" that is an ultrasonic anti-bark device with mostly good reviews that is currently hanging at the mid-point of the back fence line (thanks Amazon Prime for delivering our hopeful salvation on a Sunday) where it will definitely also impact the pointer whether his owner's like it or not.  I think it might be working because, despite the beautiful weather, the dogs have no interest whatsoever in being outside and are curled up around me watching a Steeler-less slate of football.  However, it's only good up to 50', so we're probably looking at a yard peppered with little plastic houses if it ends up being the solution.

But for everyone - the officer included - who has asked me in the last few days why I just didn't buy bark collars, let me just say: I'm not buying something that sends a shock into my dogs.   Not happening, forget it.  I recognize they make different kinds that aren't shock collars these days.  I read several articles recommending citronella collars as an alternative.  But in addition to being pretty pricey, I already make them stink like cedar to try and keep ticks off of them.  How much smell can I subject them to?  And would it work?  They don't equate icky smells with anti-barking - I'm not sure what they do in fact think it means, but probably just that I'm sadistic.

For now we'll try the ultrasonic bird house device, try not to give all my neighbors a stink eye (because, in this case I truly have no idea who made the call), try to stop wishing I lived anywhere but here, or, finally, worry someone will now complain about a bunch of ugly black and white bird houses hanging in my yard.   In the meantime, I'm about to go spike some eggnog and just try and enjoy the season and realize that whatever the dogs and I have to do to have Peace on Earth, or at least in Shaler, we'll do because we had been pretty happy in our home before now.