This entry could have been filed under ‘teasing the babies’ category. When I knew the babies were alone, once in a while I would call and leave a message on the answering machine. These answering machines are the type that one could hear the message while it is being recorded. If Abby was at my condo, which was a loft, Abby could hear the message from anywhere in the place. My mom’s house is bigger, but when the babies are alone, they often hang around the kitchen or breakfast room since they can better monitor the door where people enter and exit the house so they can easily hear the answering machine while they are alone in the house.
I would often yell Abby’s name, tell her she’s a good girl and how much I lala’d her. There were times when someone was actually home when I left a message, and they said Abby would poke her head up when she heard her name called. There were other times when the message was played back and Abby would cock her head to the side and quizzically look at the answering machine. I think she knew someone was talking to her and that the someone was me.
There were times when the eccentric behavior was taken up a level and I would ask the person at home to put the phone to Abby’s ear so I could talk to her. She would respond and become alert. Again, I think she knew who was talking to her and she was being spoken to. Andy, on the other hand, was scared. If he heard his name on the answering machine or phone, he would slowly ease out of the room and not return until the event was over. Andy had a lot of issues.
It really warms my heart to know that there are other people out there in the world who do the same dog-crazy stuff that I do! Answering machine? CHECK. Once I left the house in a huff in the morning, and actually called back from work and left a message, apologizing to the dog, for being short with her. Oh yes, crazy dog lady...And yes, more than once, while travelling, I have asked my DH to put me on speakerphone...
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