Once upon a time, I read a lot of books when I was left to myself a time or two. Many of them, leather-bound, were ones that my parents or grandparents handed down to me. These were worn, scuffed, soiled, and torn from decades of use. I still have a few of these. Having very used books, with some passing resemblance to dog’s ears, appear aptly described.
Dog-people are also accustomed to things being described as dog- such n’ such. My neighbors are a little bit more than disappointed, I imagine, as having an item of furniture very abruptly becoming dog-eaten. They took a rare vacation over the last two weeks, having a family member and a friend look after their Doberman left at home.
The big goofy mutt does not take to being left to himself. It is the same observation we learned about teenage humans. If you have raised teens, and you leave them for a few days unsupervised, they often promise to be on their best behavior. At least during one of those times, things didn’t go as well as your kids had hoped. Unfortunate events also happen with dogs. We got a text from the travelers, asking us to look in on the young adult. Even though Rebs had some supervision, it was when he was unsupervised that all hell broke loose. It might have been better that the dog chewed up a few dog-eared books. Instead, for a second time in these last two weeks, he took out his anxiety on a piece of furniture. Home tomorrow, they will need to shop for a new couch. And perhaps, engage some dedicated sitters- or a doggie daycare when they chance another getaway without the dog.
It's a Dog's Life 