My dog is rude.
Don’t get me wrong. I love my dog. Now that the kids have grown and flown, Louie is our baby. He’s well trained, so we can take him anywhere dogs are allowed. While I worked from home, he was the furry co-worker who sat beneath my desk as I sat at the computer, researching, writing articles, interviewing people, and joining Teams calls with the humans.
But I learned in an unexpected way that he can be judgmental. Let me explain.
My vision isn’t great. I need glasses or contacts from the moment I get up in the morning until I go to bed because I don’t see well close up or far away. I wear contacts during the day, but I take them out and wear glasses in the evenings. I also love the versatility of glasses! I have several frames with different colors and shapes. Okay, I have too many. I admit it!
The other night, I pulled out an older pair of glasses. I like to change things up, so I rotate through my collection. These particular glasses have a matte black acetate frame and larger lenses than most of my other pairs. They’re fun to wear, but not on my favorites list. I probably shouldn’t have ordered them because they don’t come out of the case often. I think I only wear them to convince myself they weren’t a waste of money. Shhhh.
I had also showered and washed my hair. I only dried my hair, though. No need to style it because I just had a date on the couch with a book and a blanket. Read that to mean my hair was kind of unruly. I didn’t care. I was home and relaxing for the evening. Those big glasses, my frizzy hair, and a comfy pair of sweats were the perfect combination for a cozy night. I loved it.
My dog, however, felt otherwise.
Louie is an Australian Shepherd. If you’ve ever been around an Aussie, you know that they have strong personalities. The stares. The herding behaviors. The nudges with the snout. Louie also tells you what he’s thinking. If you ask him a question, he answers. He barks, yelps, growls, and makes other noises to express himself. He’s not quiet is what I’m saying!
So, when I leaned over to pet his belly with my large, dark-rimmed glasses and fluffy hair, he started a low growl. It wasn’t a scary sound. It was more like a warning. Then, he rolled over and moved away from me! He was telling me that he wasn’t impressed.
Rude!
I sat down in a nearby chair, combed my hair back with my fingers, and took off the glasses. When I motioned for him to come, he skulked over and put his paw on my knee. His eyes told me that he was sorry, but he just wasn’t a fan of my current look. I’m sure I still smelled like Mom, but there was something about those big frames and fluffy hair that he didn’t like.
Maybe purchasing that pair of glasses was a mistake, after all. When your personal stylist has four legs, a sharp eye, and zero filter, you learn to take the feedback. Message received, Louie. The matte black glasses with the big frames are going back in the drawer. My ego? It’s currently in recovery.
sharing the stairs 