This is a true story that one of my friends recounted last Christmas. In fact, I think the story is so funny that it deserves to be shared with you all again.
My friend (N) and his family adopted a rescue dog from Ireland a while back: an English staffie (Staffordshire bull terrier) with the sunny disposition of a dog without a care in the world, and the energy of a circus troupe of toddlers on a sugar high!
One day last winter, I was walking in the woods when I was knocked over by a compact barrel with legs, a veritable cinnamon bun with the sheer power of a tank!
My friend, N, told me this funny story about how the Staffie had embarrassed him over Christmas. He had to nip up to the shops for some emergency food and decided to take Staffie with him for the exercise.
When he got to the supermarket, he started tying her up as usual on those doggie loops they have outside the shop. Suddenly, without any warning, she jerked the lead off the loop and made a mad dash for the shop, winding N in the process.
He sped after her, only to find her with her front paws inside the first set of automatic doors and her bum firmly outside. (It should be mentioned that there is a kind of airlock system in the shop. The first doors let you come into the lobby where you can pick up the shopping trolleys and baskets. The second set of doors open up to allow you entrance to the shop itself.)
“Gotcha!” he cackled and made a flying leap at her. Just then a large lady laden down with goodies activated the second set of doors – the ones that allow hungry dogs access to paradise!
The dog dashed triumphantly through these doors, violating every known (and unknown) Swedish health regulation (and probably all the EU ones, too!), careering past the fruit and veg as fast as her little legs could carry her and right to the back of the shop. Where she stopped. And stared. And drooled and drooled in front of the delicatessen counter.
Red-faced, N finally caught up with her, grabbed the lead and started pulling her away. Just like the sword in the stone, she refused to budge. By now, both N and Staffie had bulging eyes and pools of saliva were congealing on the floor. In the end, he had to pick her up and walk back to the doors through the whole length of the shop. The whole shop stared and tutt-tutted.
He tied her up and went back inside to buy the single item on his list.
As he waited in the queue, he could hear a weird howling sound every time the doors opened.
WHOOOO! HOOO!
Silence when they shut. Then WHOOOO! HOOO! again. Poor kid bawling its eyes out, he thought. Only to have it dawn on him that it was Staffie, making a noise that she has never made before or since.
His red face turned purple, then puce. He could hear people thinking, “That’s why people like him shouldn’t have dogs like that!”
And that, dear readers, is what the smell of Christmas can do to a dog!
(These pictures are courtesy of Google and not actually photos of the dog in question.)
For more amazing pets, please visit: Pet Pride!
So funny! I still feel sorry for poor N when I read this :-p
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Hahahaha, brilliant!!!
C x
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Lol ! I have heard that story before? Poor pup! ha ha they are strong too. Great looking dogs, and yes very stubborn when their mind is set on something! Can you imagine the shopkeepers face! ahhahhaha
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Ohmygosh … what a cautionary tale! Methinks leaving my fur-kids at home when I go shopping at the holidays is a good idea. Molly sez thanks for the lovely birthday visit and wishes at Happily Retired Gal … she’s one happy pooch all the time but is in her element this weekend especially.
Hugs and blessings,
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Wow, that is some dog! But too funny!
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Well, that got my day off to a great start!! How funny! Wishing you a very Happy New Year!!
Sylvia
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I can picture the tut tutting Swedes. I’d have been laughing and trying to help catch the dog.
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What a great story and a great telling. I could just imagine the looks on the faces of the people in the store. A number of years ago our dog, a red chow named Sasha, got out and was found wandering the aisles of a grocery store about 4 blocks away. Our town was small enough at that time that she ran into someone in the store who knew her and called me.
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Oh my! And I thought life with a (light-weight) Jack Russell Terrier was rough at times. Your friend’s dog is all that plus some poundage. 🙂
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Kind of wish that they had captured this on UTube. What a great rendition of the story, could imagine his face.
Jen
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Oh my, I can only imagine. My Diesel would most certainly do something just like that, I just know it!
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great story, brilliant.
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Great story! As a family who can take Clive into shops – we always feel so sorry for the dogs left tied up outside the shop!
Also, it is sad to read so often of our animal welfare services failures to look after stray dogs here that result in so many dogs being shipped abroad all the time to prevent them being put down here! We’re meant to be a nation of animal lovers but sometimes you wouldn’t know it! It is lovely to read about a dog that found such a good home!
Glad the parcel arrived safely! It was only something very small – we were at the Training Centre last week and we loved the frisbees! Hope Oscar enjoys it!
Happy New Year to all!
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a great story, LadyFi! Reminds me of a similar story when I was growing up. My uncle was a butcher at a local supermarket that my grandfather owned. My mother and father also worked there in the produce section, so we were fairly frequent visitors after school. Once a week, a regal looking, yellow Boxer, who lived in the neighborhood, would visit the store, stand on the automatic door opening, come in, and go directly to the meat counter. He knew Uncle Carl would give him neck bones or some other treat, and then he would promptly return to the front of the store and walk out! It became quite the talk of the town, nobody seemed to mind really. He was well behaved and everybody knew his name!
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Great story!! I could totally see it happening! And I love the line “the energy of a circus troupe of toddlers on a sugar high.”
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Very funny story. Are these dogs the equivalent of pit bulls in America? Staffie’s have been in the news lately in England, because people find them too energetic and strong.
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I love the cinnamon bun analogy. Poor hungry doggie.
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Great story! Thanks for sharing!!
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