On German Shepherds, Petco and annoying toys.

I noticed that the new Petco by Weis is finally open. So yesterday, in a weak moment, I took Lagniappe to the store so that he could pick out a new toy since his last best friend--a stuffed squeeky frog--finally died of overplay after about three years of being loved, carried and squeeked.

I usually let him pick his own toys because that way I know that he gets something that he likes and that's more satisfying to me than blowing $10.00 on a dog toy only to have him never play with it.

Right off the bat, kudos to Petco for the smooth tile floors that don't let a dog get any traction. When we first walked in, he went bonkers and tried to drag me towards the goodies, but he pretty much wound up running in place because his claws could not grip the floor but my rubber-soled shoes could and did. After a few seconds he calmed down, and then we shopped.

First I had to convince Lagniappe that the rabbits and ferrets in the tanks at eye level were not on the approved dog toy list. But he still had to stand there checking them out, his whole body trembling with desire. Rabbits and ferrets, you owe me.

Then we hit the dog toy aisles. Back and forth we went, up and down the aisle. Lagniappe had to check out everything. Suddenly he made his choice--a stuffed hedgehog about the size of a football. He grabbed it and it made this grunting noise when he squeezed it. It was a different noise from the usual hihg-pitched squeek of his frog. "Oh well," I thought, "change is always good."
Lagniappe proudly carried his new acquisition around the store as I picked up a few other things, and then he showed it to all the people at the registers. At least this time he let me take it from him to scan it. Last time, when we bought the frog, the cashier had to scan it while it was in his mouth because he wouldn't let go of it.

We got back home and he began to happily play with his new stuffed friend. Back and forth he ran with it, squeezing it all the while. He rolled on the floor with it, he poked me with it and ran off, and when he tired, he lay in his favorite spot on the stair with it. But he never stopped squeezing it. And 5-6 hours later, that grunting noise that it makes was no longer novel or cute but damned annoying.
As I write this the morning after, he's already playing with it again.
And it's seriously on my nerves now.

Thanks a hell of a lot, Petco. My wish for every employee there is that they have kids and someone gets those kids a drum set for Christmas.