Its been pretty dull around here since summer started.  I haven’t really felt motivated to get out and do much, especially with the heat this past week.  I really dont know why there are two seasons/temps in Ohio… COLD and HOT.  Very few nice 60-70°F days.  Compounding the problem is my lack of desire to follow Hera and Apollo around picking up poop when they are at the park.  Seems all they want to do is mark and poop (I am sure the poop is marking too) everywhere.  They dont really want to play, just poop and pee. UGGG – dogs, who’d have them. I do however, have plans on Sunday to go to the Festival of Friends dog carnival and walk with Brutus and her greyhounds.  Should be fun and is at my old stomping grounds.

One of the more “exciting” things around here has been a “gang” of neighborhood kids that have taken to tormenting my dogs.  The boys, 11-13 years old, told my son the last week of school they were going to bang on my door every night to make the dogs bark.  They have held true to their word and every night between 8 and 11 pm the little turds pound on my door and run. Of course the dogs go absolutely berserk and I am terrified one of them is going to hurt themselves getting so worked up. Of course, by the time I get to the door the boys are long gone.  It has been quite maddening.  Every single night.. with out fail! That is until last week when I caught them in the act!

They got careless, as all hooligans, ruffians and yobs do. They thought they’d press their luck and do a second run by knocking for the evening and I was ready for them!  Around 8:00pm came the ever so familiar pound, pound, pound on the door.  By the time I got up from my chair and ran to the door, they were gone. This scenario had been going on nightly for the better part of a month.  I was sooo irritated, that I decided I would be waiting for them the next night.  I set my trap…. pulled back the blinds just a bit so I could see out and cracked the window ever so slightly so if they made any noise what so ever I’d be ready.

The prospect of sitting at the window all night waiting on them was not very appealing, but enough was entirely enough!  I got super lucky though.  They decided to come back by a second time around 8:45pm.  I heard one of the boys say “just do it! Go knock” and a bunch of giggling.  They had met up with another group of younger kids and they were daring of of the younger boys to knock on the door.  I peeked out the window and sure enough they were heading up my walk.  I raced the door and swung it open just as the little prat was about to knock.  I caught him! Fist raised and deer in the headlights look on his face!  PRICELESS…

As they turned to run I stepped out on my doorstep and shouted at them in the meanest “crazy dog lady” voice I could muster. The conversation went like this:

me: “If you bang on my door one more time, I’m calling the police!”
snotty 12 year old girl with hands on hips: “OMG – Like what is your problem?”
me: “Dont you get smart with me little miss!  You know darn well what you are doing – Stop banging on my door trying to get my dogs all riled up! If I catch you anywhere near my house one more time I’m going to your parents!”

I spread the word around to some of the neighbors and found out who the boys are.  Wouldnt you know, we haven’t had anyone come knocking since.  Thank goodness.  I honestly can’t believe I was being tormented by prepubescent boys!  I am now one of those people from the movies that gets tormented by the neighborhood kids… ugggg