Ladies and gentlemen of the Internet, meet George.
George is one of the two dachshunds that lives next door, although he is the more vocal of the pair. We know his name because one day, while we were grilling in the back yard, the neighbors let George and his companion out to play, and George, as he is wont to do, came right over the fence to bark up a storm. It’s a friendly bark, complete with bright eyes and wagging tail, but I’ve got to tell you, it’s wicked annoying after the first two to three minutes. And this is coming from someone who loves dogs.
Anyway, just after Steve asked him, in a low voice, if he wanted to join the pork chops on the grill, the matriarch next door opened the screen door and rasped, “George, get in here.”
The neighbor matriarch also rasps, “Shaddup, George,” and “George? Be quiet,” and “George, sshh!” Her voice sounds like cigarettes smell.
I find it bizarre that we have no idea what the other dog’s name is. We only know George. He’s clearly more social, sticking around after the other dog has given up on the barking and returned to the base of the concrete back steps to the neighbors' house.
“I request a post about George because he pisses me off and interferes with my pensive garden moments,” Steve emailed me last week.
The other day, in pursuit of a George photo, I crept to the fence that separated George from our yard. He whined a little between barks, clearly disturbed by the approach of a small, silvery camera. I began to shoot, and, about seven pictures in, the daughter of the matriarch, who bears a similar voice, took a smoke break to come out and collect George.
I feigned like I’d just come over for a visit. “He’s such a cute dog!” I squealed. “He just wanted to be friendly!”
The neighbor’s daughter eyed me suspiciously, a hard smile stretched across her face. “Right,” she said. “C’mon, George.”
She picked him up and disappeared back in their house. I wandered back over to the grill.
“I’m so busted,” I whispered.
“What, because you were standing at their fence taking pictures of George barking at you?” Steve said. “I can’t imagine how that could possibly look suspicious.”
on Jun 23rd, 2006 at 2:14 pm
I can’t believe someone else has had the same experience(s) that we have had! Every dachshund I’ve seen does this very same thing. Is there just one of them and he just gets around a lot??? I have almost come to blows with the owners of two different ones in our neighborhood. One day after I couldn’t stand it any more I approached the owner and forgot I still had my large clippers in my hand. She beat a hasty retreat inside… I wonder why??? Sure does ruin a nice peaceful morning of gardening, huh?
on Jun 23rd, 2006 at 7:43 pm
My neighbors have a dachshund that is fairly old so it’s a bit more mellow, but it still barks all day. Why do people keep dogs that are working breeds and then coop them up and not provide them with enough stimulation to keep them happy?
on Jun 24th, 2006 at 8:10 pm
I am the cranky old lady on the corner, the one with the two annoying dogs (a chihuahua and a chi/rat terrier mix.)
They bark. Takes about two years to convince one of these monsters that they don’t HAVE to raise the alarm for EVERYTHING.
Once I got the one trained, finally, we adopted the other. Back to square one.
The guys across the street cringe when they see me come out to yell at and wrangle the dogs. They think I’m a meanie.
The head of that household actually came over one day to tell me it was okay for the dogs to bark, it didn’t bother them. (Bunch of guys that are retired from the car assembly lines… no hearing left to speak of, least of all in the high, yappy range.)
But after much convincing, even Bailey is starting to get the idea. I can actually leave him out there for a while on his own, and he’ll be quiet. Until, of course, he sees the next car. Oy!
on Jun 26th, 2006 at 9:53 pm
Y’all crack me up! Jenn, I totally know they bark, and like I said, I’m a dog lover, so on some level, I just accept it as it is. But I tend to agree with Steven — in this case, what’s going on is that these folks are not offering this dog any stimulation or attention, so it’s just looking for love (in all the wrong places?).
Bev, if I’d been over there with our gardening shears, the neighbors might have taken a weapon to me…we overheard them one day yelling at each other, and I wouldn’t put it past them to get nasty…
on Jul 1st, 2006 at 5:49 am
Love the dawg post, Genie. There is a dachshund in this neighborhood named Harley. He’s cool. But then again, his owner is a cool guy. Dogs grow to be a reflection of their owners.
In Iowa, it’s dachshunds. In VA, it’s Pomeranians. Two of those rascals used to live down the street from these environs, and they were the most annoying pieces of protoplasm on the planet. Most afternoons The Pomeranian Follies paraded past the house, yipping and yapping non-stop. They reminded me of a child’s duck toy…the one that quack-quack-quacks as you pull it along. You coulda hear ‘em in Toledo.
Then one day, a moving van whisked those devils away…off to Pomerania, I guess. Only to be replaced by two miniature poodles who wear coats and matching tam-o’-shanters. When these newcomers promenade past the house, my two Black Labs Margaret and Walter don’t even bark. They just sit by the fence, cock their heads and look confused. As if to say, “Have you no shame?”
on Jul 1st, 2006 at 8:12 pm
Mary, you’re so right about dogs and how they reflect their owners. Good people, good dogs. That’s truly how it is.
I loved your Virginia Pom and Poodle stories — that’s hilarious! If I ever put a dog in a tam-o’-shanter, you’ll know there’s something wrong with me. That or it’s Halloween and we’re off to a party…
:-) Genie
on Nov 4th, 2006 at 4:20 pm
[...] Late last Saturday afternoon, as the sun set over our back yard and I began phase two of the garden cleanup, George ran out the back door of the house next to ours and yelped toward the fence, flinging himself into the metal as if he were trying to escape. [...]
on Jan 1st, 2007 at 5:48 pm
We have a dachshund named George and he barks quite a bit. Maybe it’s the name.
on Jan 1st, 2007 at 8:10 pm
Doxie, that’s a funny theory…who knows! Regardless, I bet he’s as cute as our next-door George.
Thanks for stopping by!
:-) Genie