Laika was a puker. Throughout her life, she would puke randomly and stealthily for no apparent reason. She would eat grass, like many other dogs, and not throw-up. Then, she would go about her daily business and mysteriously puke. One time, we were crossing the street on a walk and halfway across, she just turned her head to the side and threw-up on the road without even breaking stride; she kept walking as if nothing happen. It was very impressive!
Most dogs that I've taken care of will usually give a fair amount of warning when they are going to be sick. They will either get a panicked look on their face, act somewhat agitated or pace around, or their stomach will make "the sound." Anyone who has been around pukey dogs knows what I am talking about. Their stomachs go from silent and happy to growling and angry. The few times I had to give Laika peroxide to throw-up (another story or two), her stomach sounded like a cement-mixer about to jettison its fullness on anything and everything in the surrounding area. But, usually, her puking was spontaneous, surprising and eerily silent.
There was nothing that Laika ate which specifically made her puke. It just kind of happened. Sometimes she would drink really fast and throw-up a bit. Other times, it just seemed like maybe a combination of a full-stomach mixed with excitement or anxiety. Trying to figure out what made her sick was not worth the mental strain. It was one of the wonders of the world. But, despite whatever would cause it, the result was a mess. If we were lucky, she would puke outside and we could leave it where it was "released" and walk off into the sunset together, a little bit less burdened by the weight of the evil in Laika's tummy. However, this was not always the case...as we shall see.
I used to work Sunday - Thursday in the afternoon/evenings. So, Friday was my first day of the weekend. On Fridays, I usually woke up early and took Laika out. Then would go do errands and come home in the afternoon to hang out with her. One Friday, I was feeling especially tired after taking Laika out and crawled back into bed to rest a bit more. Laika was milling around the apartment, sniffing everything, making sure that all the odors passed muster. As soon as she came into my room, she jumped onto the bed with me and, without warning, puked on both blankets that were covering me! Her reaction was to just stand there, as if nothing happened, and smile at me, while wagging her tail. What a jerk! I, obviously, had to get out of my warm (now warmer) bed and go do laundry in the basement. All the while, I could hear Laika loudly wagging her tail two floors above me! After the incident, she was puke-free for an entire week.
The next Friday, I was, again, in bed trying to get some rest. Laika was, again, happily investigating the sights and smells of the apartment. And...again, she jumped onto the bed, in which I was relaxing, mind you, and unleashed another vomitous volley! This time, she somehow managed to hit every layer of bedding all the way to the mattress (but missed me)! How did she know this was my day off and I would have time do all the laundry? Was she planning this? Was it coincidence? I will never know. The only truth that I knew for sure was that my bed had been puked-on by a happy puppy, yet again.
The next Friday...well...you can figure out the rest from the last two paragraphs. Laika, again, autographed each layer of the bedding with pinpoint accuracy. It was like she was some sort of puke sniper and I was caught in her sick game of target practice! But each time, she acted like she had done nothing wrong and just wagged her tail and tried to give me kisses. I am not sure if she was trying to tell me something, but it was an effective way for me to get out of bed, I can assure you.
The next Friday...there was no puke on my bed! Victory! Laika's streak of ruining...I mean...planning my day had come to an end. I was happy to spend the day with her sans any day-off surprises! After these repetitive episodes, Laika did occasionally get sick on my bed, but it was never again while I was actually in the bed, trying to enjoy myself. However, as I discovered the other day, her legacy lives on through the way she chose to "personalize" my mattress!
The bed-puker captured in her natural habitat.
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