Some dogs just have their quirks

Lazlo was always a strange fella. He was a large handsome shepherd mix with ears that flopped over. He was the sweetest thing when it came to people, but he had no tolerance for other dogs. His other enemy? Books. Generally, destructive dogs are destructive with anything they can get their paws on. Not, Lazlo. Occasionally he’d get into the garbage, but his favorite play toys were always bound. I can’t explain it, but everyday when I would show up to walk him he would have chewed the corners or ripped pages out of a paperback. What he had against Chaucer or King, I do not know. Maybe it’s because his owner was very fond of books. She had loads of paperbacks and many lovely, expensive art books lying around. Even if they were put away tightly on a bookshelf, Laz would find a way to inch them out. He was a mama’s boy, so maybe it was his way of expressing his separation anxiety. I always thought it looked like revenge. After all, he stayed with me a few times and never did it to my library. 

His owner was very patient with him. I would leave her messages about the destruction and she would just sigh knowing this wasn’t the first or last time. I never understood why she would continue to leave books within reach considering his track record. Whenever I would come in and find the evidence, Lazlo would hide or just look at me with those guilty eyes. It was hard to be mad at a dog with such silly egg eyes. His floppy satellite dish ears always made him look so stupidly cute. So, day after day, I would clean up the mess feeling awful about throwing away the books. Eventually, Lazlo and his owners moved away up north and I missed his antics. I wonder if he’s still tearing up books in Minnesota? It’s been a while and I’ve lost touch with his family. He’s probably an older fella by now, so maybe he’s grown out of it. Maybe his mom bought an iPad or Kindle and that was the end of it. Gosh, I hope so. Last time I checked, the score was trees 0, Lazlo 1,000. 

By Mary C., dedicated Fetch walker, sitter, and all around snuggle-giver