As we know, I’m constantly worried about whether my dog is “happy.”  Just like us, dogs have different preferences for different thing.  Some of those feelings can be quite strong. 

Luckily, the list of things that Sweet Baby L loves is pretty long: going to the park, pats from strangers in the park, KIBBLE, any and all types of treats, going to the vet (I know lots of pups who hate the vet, but Sweet Baby L loves it. Probably because she gets treats there).

But even Sweet Baby L can’t love everything all the time.  Here are the things I was kinda surprised to find my dog hates the most: 

Wearing Things Around Her Neck

One of the first things we did after bringing Sweet Baby L home was buy a little nametag with her name and our number engraved on it. Imagine my surprise when we fastened it to her collar only to have her spend the next ten minutes writhing around on the ground, trying to get it off. I’m still not sure what bothered her most. Maybe it was the sound of it jingling? Maybe it was the fact that she knew something was there, but she couldn’t see what it was? The same thing happened when our neighbors left her a package of bandanas. She doesn’t mind her collar, which we had embroidered with her name and our contact info. Anything beyond that? Forget it.

Having Her Back Paws Touched

Living in the city means Sweet Baby L traipses through a lot of disgustingess when she’s outside. I often cringe at the sheer amount of trash and remnants of other dog feces we come across on our walks. More than once, she’s walked right through a puddle of what would appear to be another dog’s urine. This means that after each walk, we wipe her paws off before she comes back into the apartment. (Does this remove every parasite and germ? No. But does it help me sleep a bit better at night? Yes.)

Sweet Baby L knows the routine. When we get inside, the leash comes off, she does a “down,” while I get a tiny handful of kibbles and the wipes. The kibbles became part of the show because without them, she’d jerk her back paws out of reach whenever I tried to wipe them. Sometimes she’ll grumble. On days that they’re especially grubby, she’ll even try to jump up before I can get to them.

The Stairs

This is most likely because Sweet Baby L lives in an apartment building that has an elevator, but she haaaaaates stairs. Especially if they are inside. (She seems to do OK on stairs attached to outdoor decks, or stairs at parks). This was very challenging for everyone after a major storm knocked the power out in our building and flooding rendered the elevator useless for an entire week.

Waiting for Meals 

Sweet Baby L is an impatient one when it comes to getting her food. If it’s getting even remotely close to mealtime, and I’m not on my way to get the kibble out,, she will come stand next to me, stamp her feet, sigh, and then as a last resort, bark in my face. 

As if I’d ever forget to feed her. Cue my next thought: Oh my God does she think I forgot about her??? LOL.

The Car

Growing up, my dog loooooved riding in the car. I kinda figured all dogs did.  But Sweet Baby L is a city pup, and for her, the car is something to be tolerated. I don’t know if it’s because she’s not used to it (we only take it for trips to the vet, and on occasion, out of town) or if she suffers from motion sickness, but the first time we took her on a short road trip, she spewed. 

Now, whenever we need to be in a car, she’ll squish up real close to one of us, almost like she’s trying to sit in our laps. It’s very sweet, but also makes me worry about just how miserable she is. I hate how nervous she gets, staying all stiff, like she’s on high alert. She won’t even take any treats. Stroking her chest and under her muzzle seems to help a lot.  

Longer road trips are most likely outta the question.

The Bath

Sweet Baby L always seems to sense when it’s about to be  bathtime, and her reaction is always the same. She’ll pretend she doesn’t hear us calling her name, and when she realizes that she can’t ignore us any longer, her tail will tuck beneath her legs and she’ll refuse to make eye contact with us. My poor baby! 

Once she’s in the tub, she does OK. She stands very still and tolerates it.  I guess it’s that she hates the anticipation of having to get in the bath than actually being in there.

The Heat

No one is happier about the colder temperatures in New York than Sweet Baby L. This Midwestern-born pup looooooves the snow, and hates, hates, hates the summer. I can’t blame her, given how thick her coat is. It must be really uncomfortable, especially when the humidity kicks in. Needless to say, outdoor time in the summer is limited to the morning and evening, with lots of water breaks.