Sunday, March 15, 2015

Spring Has Sprung...And Mud Has Been Flung

It is starting to feel - dare I say it? - like spring outside in Iowa!  (But shh, don't acknowledge it or we might scare it away.)  The snow has finally melted, leaving only a few slushy patches in our backyard.  And poop...there's always more poop than I expect there to be buried under all that snow.  It's like the moisture causes it to multiply or something.

I'm thankful for the warmer temperatures, but I've gotta say, guys...I don't understand how spring could be anyone's favorite season.  I'm not sure what spring is like outside of the Midwest, but here, everything is dirty, moist, and brown.  (Rereading that last phrase made me gag a little bit, but I'm leaving it.)  Mud is everywhere.  And, like many mischievous dogs, Riley is loving it.

We do our best to keep him from going near muddy patches in the backyard, but here is Riley's regular routine when he goes outside:

1.  Sniff
2.  Pee on one very specific leaf
3.  Sniff the urine-soaked leaf
4.  Perk his ears at a passing car/person/bicycle/squirrel
5.  Snuffle and sniff some more
6.  Circle
7.  Circle...
8.  Circle again 
9.  Poop
10.  If he considers the passing cars/people/bicycles/squirrels to be worthy, he might try to intimidate them by scuffing dirt over his turds.  Lately he's been doing it with just pee as well.  He stares directly at whatever his target may be, then, with a smug look on his face (can a dog look smug?), digs his back legs into the ground and flings grass absolutely everywhere.  It's super awkward when his target is our next-door neighbors.  I don't think they're all that impressed with his poop-covering skills.


Riley may not succeed in intimidating anyone, but he sure does succeed in making a mess.  The ground has been disgusting and mucky, so he regularly comes inside half-covered in mud.  The pristine-looking little raincoat in the photo above has been through the wash 3 times just this past weekend!  At least it's not poop he's flinging...I don't think.  Spring makes it so hard for me to tell what's poop and what's mud!

11 comments:

  1. Never mess wiv a dogs routine!
    But, don't knock spring, I am sooo pleased it has sprung at last!
    Loves and licky kisses
    Princess Leah xxx

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    1. Unfortunately, I jinxed it - snow is on the forecast for this week in Iowa :(

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  2. We are still waiting for our snow to melt so we can get down and dirty in the mud! BOL!

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    1. I spoke too soon...our mud will soon be covered by a fresh layer of the white stuff! :( Hope you get to have fun in the mud soon!

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  3. We get more rain than snow melt, so we're muddy here, too. As much as we need the rain, I'm hating the mud in the yard. Especially when I go out to feed the chickens. Ugh.

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    1. Oh, I bet - hope you have some muckin' boots! ;) I can't wait to get some rain here instead of snow - the grass is all yellow and dead.

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  4. lol
    Cole does similar excrement rituals. Now that he's older tho he aims at a leaf, but misses, then steps in it on his way. LeeAnna at not afraid of color

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  5. Yikes, mud certainly is the downside of spring. I do like hearing the birds chirp again though, and enjoy sitting outside on our patio ~ as I am now, typing this, my pups lying next to me :-)

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    1. That sounds amazing! I can't wait for it to warm up a bit more so we can do the same :)

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