Furry Interruptions

The day started with the blaring of the alarm at six. Sylvie pulled her hair into a messy bun as her dog, an Australian Shepherd mix named Maxon, danced around her feet, excited she was finally up. "Okay, okay, chill." She rolled her eyes. He always woke up faster than her. Sylvie was sure it was a dog thing. Opening the back door, she sent him out in the small backyard to do his morning routine while she went about hers. Ten minutes later, she was pouring water over her tea, and Maxon had returned to the door, ready for breakfast. She let him in so they could enjoy breakfast together. He had his usual dog food while she had a serving of overnight oats.

Shortly after, Sylvie was enjoying her tea and firing up her computer at the kitchen table. Working from home was excellent, and her first item of business was to check her email. Maxon, however, returned to the back door and watched her intently. At Sylvie's failure to respond to his body language, he began whining. She looked up from her work and then slightly frowned. "Can't you wait until eight-thirty? It's only been half an hour since you first went out." Maxon whined again. "Fine, you can go out." She walked over and opened the door. Not even five minutes later, Maxon returned to the door and gave a sharp bark as a request for entry.

"Seriously, you can't play with your toys out there for forty minutes so I can get this done?" She got up and let him back in. "Here, go play with your puzzle," she said, adding treats in the slots to keep him interested. "And here's your squeaky toy Mr. Avocado. Play with him next." Thankfully he did, and soon, it was eight-thirty. Sylvie had successfully worked for a little over an hour and was ready to check off exercise from her to-do list. "Fetch your leash, buddy," she called as she retrieved her running shoes. Maxon raced to a lidded storage basket by the door and grabbed his leash off the top. Eager to comply. Soon they were off, running through the neighborhood and passing people as they prepared to leave for work or whatever they had on the agenda for the day.

Ten o'clock saw Sylvie freshened up and ready to start work again. Maxon had flopped on the living room carpet for a nap as soon as he had finished a drink of water, and she was sure he would do that for a majority of the time left until her planned lunch break at noon. However, twenty minutes later, she jolted out of her concentration when Maxon began furiously barking. "Down, quiet boy!" she called. But he ignored her. She out of the living room window and saw that he was barking at a person walking past with a dog. Rolling her eyes, she walked over and repeated her command as she adjusted the curtain so she could see out the top, but Maxon wouldn't be able to see out the bottom.

Turning back into the room, she was greeted with the sight of her dog sitting in front of her with his avocado squeaky. "Maxon!" she groaned. "I need to work. I'll play with you for a bit in a couple of hours, then we can play and go on a walk when I get done at five!" he danced around her feet and whined when she tried to pass. "Here, I'll throw your toy for you a few times, and then you can go outside for the afternoon." She threw the toy a few times, and they played tug of war a bit. Sylvie then sent him out in the backyard to run around. It was a beautiful day, and there were toys, a bowl of clean water, and a dog bed for when he needed a break. He liked to chase shadows, so hopefully, he would entertain himself for a while.

No such luck. Sylvie got in another ten minutes of work before Maxon appeared at the door once again. Seeking to be let in. She ignored his first bark, one solitary yap. But he was soon having the canine equivalent of a temper tantrum and raising quite the racket to get her attention. "Maxon, seriously? I need to work." she scolded her exuberant dog. "Here," she crossed through the kitchen and retrieved a treat-dispensing toy from the living room. "I'll set this up for you, then you can play with it while I work. Maxon sat patiently, on high alert while she filled the toy. Sylvie set him up in the living room and returned to her work.

Thankfully the toy distracted Maxon well, and Sylvie was able to work until the clock struck noon. Walking into the living room once more, she saw that Maxon had used his bed, as evidenced by his blanket being rearranged, and was now plating with Mr. Avocado again since a lack of treats caused a lack of interest in his other toy. She almost hated to disrupt the peace, but she didn't want him to act up if his walk was late. "Maxon, let's go! Fetch your leash buddy!" They had a ritual of taking a brief jaunt around the block before lunch, and they would play in the yard before going back in so Sylvie could eat. She liked to stick to that as much as possible, and soon they were back outside, enjoying the beautiful day.

After a brief lunch eaten on the back deck while Maxon ran around, Sylvie was ready to return to work. Maxon followed her in, but he went over to his bed in the living room and flopped down for a nap. Sylvie put her dishes in the dishwasher and readjusted her hair, and was back at her computer going over documents her co-workers had submitted at 12:45. The house was quiet, and she was on a roll getting things done when at 2:15, she realized that it was too quiet. "Maxon?" he didn't come to check in with her so, Sylvie went to go find him. It was a small house, so it wasn't long before she did. In her bedroom. Where he had knocked the pillows and her plush dragon off the bed, and pushed all the blankets off as well, and torn up all the tissues that had been in her bedroom trash can.

"Maxon, what do you think you're doing!?" she exclaimed. She shooed him off the bed he had been still rolling around on and began to pull off the fitted sheet. No way was she sleeping in sheets he had rolled all over. Dog hair in the sheets was one thing she wouldn't stand for. Maxon lay on the floor out of the way, looking dejected. She folded the blanket and comforter and added the other sheet to the hamper with the fitted one. Pillows and the dragon were tossed onto the chair, and Sylvie took all the trash and put it in the kitchen trashcan. She would remake the bed after dinner. "Maxon, go lay down." she pointed sternly to the living room. Indicating for him to go lay on his bed.

He listened, and she went to retrieve a raw bone from the refrigerator. "Okay," she said, approaching him. "You chew on this and stay here while I get some more work done. I just need you to stay until five, then we can w-a-l-k." she spelled the word so he wouldn't get all excited and want to go right then. He seemed content with the bone for the moment though, and they usually kept him busy for a good chunk of time. "Here's your squeaky squirrel toy, too, in case you need something else to do before I finish." She tossed and it landed next to him on his bed. He lifted his head and gave her a look that was less than impressed, before returning his attention to the bone. "Wow, tough crowd," she commented and returned to her workspace in the kitchen.

Maxon mercifully entertained himself again, this time without getting into mischief. He came into the kitchen at 3:45 for a drink of water and asked to be pet, but he was quiet. Sylvie breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, the clock struck five. She stood and stretched, and then called Maxon over to send him out in the yard again. She then squeezed in another twenty minutes of answering work emails, and then grabbed a banana for herself and filled Maxon's food bowl. Sylvie then went to the back door and called him in, and he charged in and went straight to his bowl, inhaling his food like a vacuum.

Sylvie sighed. At last, she could relax. She decided on potstickers and vegetable stir-fry for her own dinner. Once that was done, Sylvie was ready for an evening walk around the neighborhood. The weather was excellent, and the sun was just starting to set, giving a neat ambiance. "Maxon," she called. "Let's go on a walk! Fetch your leash!" When she walked in the living room though, she found Maxon flopped on his bed instead of waiting at the door with his leash. "What are you doing? Let's go!" She watched incredulously as he flopped over, turning his back to her. 

"Oh, so you interrupt me at work all day because you have so much energy, but now that I can, you want to be a couch potato? Thanks a lot!" He just flopped onto his back with a big doggy grin. "Maxon!" she exclaimed. Incredulous at his behavior. "Let's go, bud. Fetch your leash." He finally went and grabbed his leash as she finished tying her shoes, and they enjoyed a beautiful evening strolling around the neighborhood.