I Love Schnauzers   My life with Schnauzers

The Kick.

You know, the kick dogs do after doing their business? That never made sense to me. One, my dogs are never anywhere near their “deposit” when they do The Kick, and two, they are inevitably facing the wrong direction.

Background: Deita, Miss D to her friends, is a rescued miniature schnauzer. She came to our rescue group in October 2010 and I brought her into my home that December. The vets say Miss D is about 8 years old, so she’s no spring chicken. She definitely has some arthritis issues and she has some kind of medical condition affecting her back legs. One vet suggested it might be neurological. Another is convinced she has had a ruptured disc or two that were not treated or did not heal properly. A third says she displays signs of hip dysplasia.

Whatever the reason, Miss D is a bit unsteady on her feet and has a wobbly gait. On a good day and on a flat surface, she usually loses her balance and falls on her rump doing The Kick. And yet… she continues to do it.

Today, Miss D was up on the slope, checking the messages posted by the other neighborhood dogs, posting replies to some, ignoring others. The slope is covered with slippery pine straw and more than once, she slipped and slid. Undeterred, she did it. The Kick. As it had so many times before, her back foot slipped out from under her, she lost her balance, and started tumbling end over end, landing by my feet.

She jumped up, as if to say, “I meant to do that.” Then she stared at me, daring me to contradict her. WTF? I gave her high scores for originality and execution. Then we continued on our way.