rock, pee-pee, schnoodle

Riley shared his thoughts with us about this subject way back in 2003, shortly after our last move. After the stress of selling the old house, packing up our belongings, driving across the country, and living in “temporary housing”, we finally took possession of our new home. Few realize that the concept of taking possession is very different when viewed from a human versus canine perspective. Humans transfer funds, sign papers, collect keys, paint walls, remove wallpaper, lay flooring, etc… and then begin to unpack their boxes. Our dog, Riley, simply went upstairs to the master bedroom and pooped on the carpet. When I described Riley’s puzzling behavior to my husband he looked thoughtful for a moment and then said “Maybe the old owners’ dog peed in the same spot. Maybe it’s like ‘rock, paper, scissors’…maybe pee says ‘this is mine’ but poop says ‘nuh-uh, ‘cause poop covers pee”? His logic bore consideration. Still, if we examine the classical triad of rock-paper-scissors we soon realize that a third challenge is required in order to maintain the element of chance in this game of dominance and stake-claiming (thus avoiding stalemate or polarization as so often happens in bilateral power struggles such as tic-tac-toe and two-party politics). So what, I wondered, covers poop? Almost three years later I had my answer. Riley was taking me for a walk down our street when a neighbor’s dog, barking fiercely, charged out of a garage and across the yard towards what we hoped was an invisible fence. The dog’s posture and demeanor were extremely aggressive. It scared the poop out of Riley.

~Riley's Mum