Samsonite vs The Nozzle

I have four of the cutest and most loving little dogs. Biffidous Regularus, (Biff), is my oldest. Tyke is next in line. Samsonite is the third oldest, and he is also the smallest. Then lastly, but not least, there is Henry who we affectionately call Roo-Roo.

When Samsonite was little, I had discovered his joy in chasing the stream of water that sprayed from the nozzle attached to our garden hose. Each day from May to October, I hand water my front and back yards. I also water our vegetable garden, flower beds, and two Japanese maple trees we planted about twelve years ago. During the hour or so it takes me to water, I must keep Samsonite locked in the house. Roo-Roo voluntarily stays inside with his big brother. Biff and Tyke are allowed to stay outside with me.

On our property, there are two spigots. There is one on each side of the house. On one side, I have a five-foot plastic bin. Inside of that bin is where I keep my fifty-foot hose. On the other side, I have a smaller plastic container where I keep a twenty-five-foot hose. I must keep my hoses locked in containers, because Samsonite has chewed holes in several hoses rendering them useless. He had destroyed at least a half-dozen hoses before I got smart and bought the bins. It is not his fault, but Samsonite becomes a vicious killer when it comes to hoses and nozzles. There have been a few times when he has gotten ahold of my nozzle, so I’ve had to replace some of them too.

We live in Spokane, WA and can only run the water about five months out of the year due to the freezing temperatures and snow. Samsonite waits all through the Fall, winter, and Spring to play what we call, "Hose Action Jackson." The game starts when I open the front door. As I take the cover off of the doggie door, he bolts out of the house like a bullet. He runs to the hose, follows it to the end where the nozzle is and waits for me. He gets very excited and he wags his little nub for a tail. He knows very soon he is going to get the one and only thing he loves, the water.

I spray the hose with a hard stream, and he chases the stream everywhere I put it. I watch my sweet little dog become a soaking wet psychotic water killer. I had to learn to limit how long we play because he will run until he foams at the mouth, and once, his paw bled. Since then, I have also learned about the dangers of water intoxication and dry drowning in dogs. If you are a dog owner, you may want to research these two subjects and play wise with your canine companions.

On one afternoon, we were playing Hose Action Jackson, and I hooked the nozzle on the fence to free my hands for a moment. I turned around just in time to see my little Samsonite jump the four-foot fence and grab the nozzle. Of course, I thought he was amazing, so I got out my phone to videotape him doing it again. I decided to use the slow-motion feature on the camera because he is little and super-fast and I did not want to miss seeing him in action. By watching him in so slowly, it is possible to see what he’s thinking. I especially enjoyed the way he used his back legs like a kangaroo to hop to his calculated position so he could obtain his prey, the nozzle.

My dogs and I are easily entertained. They fill my heart with joy, and they cause me to laugh a lot. I hope you enjoyed watching the video. We are pleased to share it with you.