Buffy is _huge_ dog of the Australian Cattle Dog variety. When I say huge, I mean of the Irish Wolfhound type of animal. She is several months old, very playful, and came into my life about two weeks ago. She is very 'rough around the edges, had not been housebroken when I got her and had obviously been mistreated in her younger days by her previous master. I say that because when I roll up a newspaper in my hands and she sees me doing it, she becomes _very_ submissive and quiet, afraid she is going to get swatted, etc. And, very important, she has not been 'fixed' as of yet. When she came here to live, she had a collar which was far too tight, had caused some skin irritations on her. One of the guys who hangs around here a lot, a kid named Eric brought her over and asked me if I could 'give her a good home'. After finding out the hard way that Buffy had not been housebroken, and watching her cower and become submissive right after she made a mess in my parlor, I saw the problem. She was expecting to get swatted for doing what comes natural for dogs -- for all of us I guess.
By using the word 'potty' and opening the door to my backyard I finally got her to understand to let me know when she wanted to go outside to do 'it', and now she is pretty much housebroken. And that brings me to the gist of this story: About 4 AM this morning, while I was asleep, Buffy started making a ruccus. I stumbled out of bed, went to the back door mumbling 'potty' and pushed the door open. Buffy was all excited and in trying to get out the door with me in it she knocked me down. I fell, banged up my own face pretty well, and chipped a tooth which was about gone anyway. Remember, she _is_ a very big dog, weighing close to a hundred pounds, who likes to jump in the air and race around the room as she communicates with me. She came back inside, saw my face all bloody as I laid on the bed and decided she would lick my face to tell me she was sorry, etc. Needless to say, the two cats totally *hate* Buffy, and run to hide when they see her coming.
Now comes about 8 AM, I had not been able to get back to sleep, my face is all swollen up and I am missing a couple of teeth. Lisa's mother shows up (she had a key to get in and out as does Justin (Lisa's husband) and Eric, mainly in case I wind up croaking sometime in the middle of the night. She gets _very_ anxious seeing me there with swollen face, missing tooth and calls Lisa to come over. Lisa arrives, looks me over and says sarcastically 'well what happened to you, did Justin or Eric come over during the night and decide to beat you up, or punish you?' I told her it was that damn dog that Eric had brought over. Now they want me to call the Animal Control officer for the city and have Buffy taken away to the Animal Shelter and a certain death I imagine. But I am going to continue trying to work with the animal if I can; she loves me and I love her, and even if the two cats still hate her, I am sure they will learn to at least tolerate her. But, I have to go to the doctor myself later today and have him decide what to do about my swollen face, if anything. And as for now, Buffy is curled up under my feet at the computer desk sound asleep.
PAT