We love our gentle, four-legged fiasco

IN all of my 14 years on this Earth, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a dog as witless as our Scruffy. He is, without doubt, the most dysfunctional Jack Russell Terrier on the planet. “Ah,” you must be saying, “surely he isn’t that bad”. Well, allow me to demonstrate…

When I was eight years old, I came home to a brown-and-white puppy perched on the couch. I had been oblivious to my parents’s covert operation to adopt the terrier, and to say I was overjoyed is an understatement! Apparently, my excitement was passed onto this new family member — he expressed this by relieving himself in my arms! Off to a great start.

Unfortunately for Scruffy, his doggy dominance was relatively short-lived in the household, for a feline takeover was imminent. Two years later, the amiable Nidge and the righteous Buttons (aptly nicknamed The King and The Queen) entered the scene. I bet you’re thinking, “Uh oh, those cats are in for trouble with a dog in the house!” That, I’m afraid, is where you are incorrect.

From day one it was clear who was boss… Scruffy didn’t even put up a fight. Since then, he has quite literally had food stolen from under his nose (even a juicy bone!), and many times he has been evicted from his dog house. It’s not uncommon to see him sprinting up the garden, with the two cats hot on his tail! However, his oddities don’t end there.

Many dogs enjoy sticking their furry heads out of the car window when driving, and Scruffy is no different. He enjoys it so much, that one time he decided to jump out the window.

Oh yes, our Scruffy has had his fair share of escapes — mainly out through the front gate, with a graceful little leap over the cattle grid.

If he feels like it, he’ll glance over his shoulder as he makes his getaway, but most of the time, all you see is a rear end scurrying across the road.

Years ago, we had to put wire on the front gate to prevent the agile little fellow from escaping through the bars. Just last year, we had to remove it to apply a nice new coat of blue paint. Within minutes of application, the divil traipsed into the house with two streaks of blue on either side of his head.

Although Scruffy may not be a prime example of his kind, he is an extremely gentle and affectionate dog. He’s no ‘Crufts’ champion that’s for sure, but I wouldn’t have him any other way. A four-legged-fiasco he may be, but he’s our fourlegged-fiasco.

If you would like your pet featured in this column, please send a story of 440 words and a photograph to snews@independent.ie clearly labelled MY PET