Meet Ollie

Meet Ollie! He doesn't like posing for pictures.

Oliver, frequently known as Ollie when he’s being good, is my yorkie. The runt of the litter, I named him after Oliver Twist, because he’s a particularly waifish little guy. He’s always begging for more: more food, more attention, more love. You name it, he wants more of it.

 

 

Please can I have some more?

I used to take Ollie to the groomer and let them fix him up all handsome, but it turns out he and the groomer do not get along. He was always failing his report cards and catching colds from the other puppies there, so now I just groom him myself. This adds to his waifish appearance. He generally has at least one ear flopping over, and his beard is always uneven, but we love him for it anyways. He’s happier, at least.

 

 

Ollie likes taking Lortab when he gets sick.

Ollie has a gimp leg. He hobbles around like a crippled old man. At some point, he will have to have surgery, but the last time I took him to the vet for it, he “conveniently” had a cold that prevented us from fixing him up. In fact, every single time we go to the vet, just like when we go to the groomer, Ollie catches a cold. So, in addition to not being able to groom him, I also can’t board him at the kennel, and he has to live with a gimp leg. Ollie leads a hard, hard life. And he lets us know it, too. 

Ollie "helps" with schoolwork.

This is where the “little man” syndrome comes in. Because his life is so hard, Ollie feels like he can boss us all around. Ollie hates when he does not have everyone's full 100% attention and lets us know his exasperation over being ignored by barking at us. Over and over and over again. We've tried lots of different tactics, but Ollie knows how to get what he wants. Usually, we end up just loving on him and paying him the attention he thinks he deserves. He is most definitely spoiled.

Of course, being spoiled means you always get delicious treats. Ollie loves to eat everything except his dog food. A few of his particular favorites in order are: 1) kitty food; 2) peanut butter; 3) cheese; 4) chicken. He has been known to make himself sick from “binge eating” his favorite treats. He has a hard time with self control, but it’s just so good he can’t stop. He also loves chewing on rawhides that are bigger than his head. This lets the other pets know he’s not afraid of a challenge.  

Don't mess with kennel time.

When Ollie gets down on his life, he retreats to his kennel. This is where he spends most of his time. It's his house, his safe place. You are not allowed to mess with him in there. Try it, and you will have one pissed off little guy on your hands. Sometimes he lets his B.F.F. Monty sleep with him, but you better believe he doesn't share very often. Ollie's kennel is where he keeps his babies, his rawhides, and anything he doesn’t want to lose. Everywhere we go, the kennel has to go. Ollie is not a light packer, just like his mama.

Road-trippin'!

Sometimes, Ollie goes to hang out with his friends, Brees and Lucy. They are beautiful Westies, who always get good grades on their groomer report card and are perfectly well-behaved. With his home-made haircut and jealousy issues, Ollie had a hard time getting along with them at first. When he realized they had a big, fenced-in back yard and didn’t have to wear a leash, he decided he could tolerate them, and they’re finally good friends. Sometimes, Lucy and Brees even share their bed with Ollie, who hasn’t quite decided if he likes that sharing thing yet.

Brees & Lucy, Ollie's new B.F.F.'s(?)

When he's not sleeping or barking at everybody, Ollie enjoys going on walks. He likes to defend his territory by marking the same bushes and trees every single day. He's a predictable guy. When he meets people outside he doesn't know, he likes to pretend he's an angel by wagging his tail and cowering down for petting. This good behavior is a complete ruse, because as soon as we come back inside, he's back to his sassy, demanding ways.

Contemplating going for a swim.

Ollie doesn’t like to be left out of any action. He likes to “help” with my crafts and bark at me while I’m baking. His help comes in the form of untangling and re-tangling yarn by dragging it all over the room, scratching at my hands to re-focus my attention on him, and telling me what I’m doing wrong while I’m baking (usually what I’m doing wrong is that I’m not letting him sample my recipes).

All of that sassing and helping wears Ollie out big time, so he rarely misses the opportunity to take a nap. He seems like such a sweet, well-behaved little guy when you see him like this, but don't let it fool you.