I first met Indy when Shawn brought him for a visit soon after they got him. We had just finished eating and there was some leftover barbecue sitting in a dish on the counter. Shawn offered Indy some and my how that tiny doggie did eat! He gobbled up the little bit of meat and sniffed around to see if he could get a second helping. As much as Shawn fed him, he chowed down in a hurry and begged for more. That is my first memory of the little guy, happily eating all the barbecue that Shawn offered him.
I have to be perfectly honest and explain that I am not a natural dog-lover like my dad and some others in the family. However, I did think dogs could be cute and fun as long as they stayed outside and I didn't have to pay too much attention to them. I had absolutely no problem with anyone else that had an indoor dog, and was happy for Shawn and Melissa who were thrilled with their new addition. After all, it wasn't going to affect me that they had a dog. I didn't mind that he came along whenever they were at our house. He came right in and we fed him scraps at the table and it was no big deal. They always took care of him and he preferred them (especially Melissa) over any of us so everything was great. It wasn't like he was going to come and spend the night or anything. Wrong.
Shawn and Melissa were going away for the weekend and they couldn't take Indy. Would I keep Indy for them? I said "Sure!" but inwardly I was thinking, "Oh no." On Friday afternoon, they arrived with Indy and doghouse in tow. We put the doghouse in the corner of our basement and Melissa fixed his blankets just right and left him with plenty of food and a few of his favorite toys. He ran after them as they left him at the door and when he realized they weren't taking him along, he glanced at me and then headed for the basement and his doghouse to sulk. Eventually, he came out of his house and sat on the sofa, but when I came down to the basement to keep him company and watch TV, he wouldn't even make eye contact with me. He just sat there forlornly with his chin on his paws. I sat on the recliner and talked to him and tried to coax him out of his misery. After a while I gave up and just watched TV. All of a sudden I felt movement and a little body hurled itself across my lap and snuggled down between me and the side of the recliner. We looked at each other warily and slowly and tentatively, I reached out my hand and gently patted him on his head. We held each other's gaze for a long moment and gradually both of us came to the same conclusion--"maybe you aren't so bad after all."
The rest of the weekend went really well. We enjoyed Indy and I think Indy enjoyed us. We played with him and I spoiled him by giving him a doggie treat every time he came in from "piddling" outside. Whenever we sat down on the sofa or recliner he would jump up and sit on our laps or right beside us. Even Steve got in for keeping him company when Indy chose him to sleep with for their Sunday afternoon naps. They made quite the picture--both contentedly dozing.
The only one who suffered was Chip. We keep Chip's food in a dish on the porch and the first time I left Indy out to do his business, he found it and starting eating as fast as he could. Chip didn't like this and approached Indy cautiously to try and reclaim what was his, but stopped in his tracks when Indy growled ferociously at him. The next thing we knew, Chip was backing up with his tail between his legs as Indy continued to growl and glare at him and munch away on Chip's food. It was hard not to laugh at our poor big dog being humiliated and afraid of this miniature dog who definitely was not intimidated by Chip's size. We rescued Chip's food and put it in a safe place where Indy couldn't get to it. Chip contented himself thereafter by simply following Indy around and peeing on everything that Indy peed on. Whenever he did risk an occasional sniff at him, Indy promptly flattened his ears and barred his teeth causing Chip to cower away again. Fortunately we kept Indy inside most of the time so it wasn't much of a problem.
The weekend passed quickly and late Sunday afternoon Shawn & Melissa returned. As the basement door creaked open, Indy's ears perked up and he ran to the steps to investigate. Upon seeing Melissa he hurled himself into her arms and jumped and wiggled excitedly. He was more than happy to see them pick up his dog house and take it and him with them as they left for home. And you know what? Although I was happy to see him go home too, I actually missed him a little bit.
Over the years, we have kept Indy a lot when Shawn & Melissa have gone on vacation, even keeping him for a week at a time on occasion. By now, we all know the routine and he seems quite content to spend several days with us and I am always happy to see him. Even though Chip and he will never be best buds they have learned to tolerate each other. Now, when Shawn or Melissa ask if I can keep Indy while they go away, I say "absolutely" and inwardly I am thinking "yay!" I think both Indy and I learned a lot from each other. If you are willing to give something or somebody a chance, you may be pleasantly surprised at the outcome.
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