Domino The Wonder Dog

Disclaimer: If you don’t like pets, dogs, and fluffly wuffy endless photos and prattles about both then don’t bother reading any further…..for everyone else, here is Domino’s very own page which from time to time will be updated with her latest adventures and photos.

So, why Domino? Well she’s black and white, it’s that obvious and unoriginal I’m afraid.  As for the Wonder Dog bit, I’m not sure why we started adding that moniker but it’s very definitely not a pedigree name.  Domino was born on Mt Tamborine, Queensland in a litter of nine and we didn’t so much pick her, as she chose us.

It was a rainy, stormy day on the mountain and a sign of things to come was being faced with the huge, chained and crazy brute of a dog that had sired her.  She gets her fierce streak from him.  Her mother on the other hand was small, docile, very pretty, though covered in mud from rolling around the fields, and seemingly a bit stupid.  I’ll leave you to judge what sort of offspring such mixed heritage might result in, but suffice to say Domino is not afraid to take on dogs twice her size, yet is scared of her own reflection, socks left in unexpected places……and unoccupied clothing on chairs.

She has always had problems socialising with other dogs, which is a real shame, and the nearest she gets to a play date is with my son-in-laws Bull Arab, Simba, in a sort of doggy version of the Mexican stand off; Simba is a big love-able dog that just wants to play and Domino is an antisocial, jealous type who would like Simba to just bugger off and leave her alone;

Luckily though we live in an area where there are at least many kilometers of paths and parks for Domino to have a good old run around and socialise with humans instead and expend some of her endless energy.  She loves the water, particularly running up and down the beach chasing waves, but can’t swim and is putting up a lot of resistance to learning;

I used to have a Border Collie called Spencer (female) when I was little so it seemed a natural choice to get another one.  Like Spencer, Domino suffered an early gender crisis (though in our defense it was very dark in the barn she was kept in and her owners told us she was a boy).  Fortunately, even though we discovered ‘he’ was actually a ‘she’, her name actually still suited her.  She was the only one out of that crazy litter that kept wandering over to our feet and looking up at us.  I really wish I’d taken a photo of them all; Border Collie puppies are just so damn cute.

Though she is a working dog and does love a very long walk every day, she is also an accomplished and dedicated snoozer. She even snores, who knew dogs did that??!  Her preference is on my furniture but she can sleep pretty much anywhere and does:-

 

When she’s not being a lazy bitch she patrols the boundary of our property and harasses any passing dogs and their walkers, postmen, cats in the street, birds and the odd passing butterfly.  In fact, her ‘no fly zone’ is perhaps her most spectacular and noisy addition to our outside areas.

A code red def con one; at certain times of the year when the pecan trees herald the arrival of very large and noisy flocks of Sulphur Crested Cockatoos.  The 5.am parrot alarm arrives bang on time for about a month, and Domino will stalk the lawn for hours waiting for pecan or bird fall out (she would happily chew either).

As a working dog her little doggie brain is programmed to help out, however inappropriate or unwanted her help should be.

Domino has to be kept very active and stimulated in order to fulfill her natural instincts and to save our belongings from destruction.

Like most dogs she doesn’t particularly like being bathed but as a long coated variety that turns grizzly bear/afghan hound/shaggy dog every winter she does have to submit to the odd grooming.

We’ve owned Domino since she was 8 weeks old in November 2006 and I just can’t imagine life without her now.  Despite having car sickness she’s been on many outings with us, camping and to the beach.  I just can’t imagine coming home and not finding her either jumping all over me or lurking around a corner because she’s destroyed something else in my absence. She’s been with us through many ups and downs, and one house move, welcomed and variously terrorised visitors from near and far and is 100% a member of the family. Like us, she’s not perfect, has her flaws and moments of sheer lunacy, but you take her as you find her and if you get to know her you’ll discover she’s a lot of fun and very, very loyal.

I’ve walked for thousands of miles with this dog, and even done a lot of my running training with her until we parted ways one day, literally; she ran after a cyclist and I turned a corner….at the same time, in opposite direction, at speed, on a hill…. and still attached by the lead.

She steals food, lays across my computer keyboard when I don’t pay her attention, has peed on my bed, has left scratches and chew marks in all my pine furniture, likes to dry herself off on my $500 rugs after a dip in the stinkiest pond water she can find, has destroyed approximately eight cushions, is the worst study partner ever, digs holes in my garden, throws up in my car, leaves smudge marks from her wet nose on all the patio doors, and is often more of a pest than a pet, but she is still rather wondrous and only pet owners and dog lovers could possibly understand why

The post that led to this page: http://wordswithnannaprawn.com/2012/10/29/pet-procrastination-post/