Sometimes you can tell a lot about a human by the behavior of his or her dog. My wife and I have been married 39 years. Ours is a mixed marriage. She's a compulsive clean freak. I am NOT. We've compromised on the deal. I'm now a compulsive hand-washer. I keep my street shoes in a rack by the front door and do NOT wear them in the house and I've developed an allergy to chlorine bleach. Once, I was sitting at my desk while she was cleaning the living room. She dusted me! I've also been vacuumed, polished and sent back to rewash my hands. I'm 59 years old.
I'm now noticing signs in our dog that may indicate there's more to the theoretical symbiotic relationship between woman and beast than I first thought. Here are 10 dog behaviors I have noticed in canines who live with people who I suspect might be clinical neat freaks, if there were such a diagnosis in the APA Diagnostic and Statistical Manual. Here are the diagnostic criteria I've come up with. If your dog shows three or more of the following behaviors, YOU might be a neat freak.
YOU MIGHT BE A COMPULSIVE NEAT FREAK IF:
1. When the dog enters your house she throws herself over on her back and sticks her feet up to be washed.
2. When you turn on the vacuum cleaner, the dog comes and sits in front of it until you vacuum her down with the upholstery hose and likes it.
3. When you leave your shoes on the floor, the dog puts them on the shoe rack by the front door.
4. The dog enjoys taking a bath.
5. The dog wears more cologne than you do and has her own fragrance.
6. The dog has a dog bed in every room with washable slipcovers that are washed more often than weekly.
7. The dog's food costs more than yours and/or she's vegan, has her own toothbrush and a favorite brand of special doggie toothpaste.
8. The dog has at some time or other worn underpants around the house.
9. The dog doesn't like for its feet to touch grass or dirt.
10. The dog expects you to wipe her butt after she goes poop (after you pick the poop up with the special plastic gloves and properly dispose of it, of course - and she sits and watches you to make sure you do it).
My dog is beginning to develop a few of these traits, but fortunately, she has me to take her for a walk and show her how the other half lives occasionally. We both know, however, that the rules go back into effect at the front door where our shoes come off and our feet get washed!
© 2013 by Tom King
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| Daisy gets vacuumed! |
