Dog Day Afternoon

Okay it is really morning, but it IS a hot day in August. My neighbor's dog woke me up again. This is now a daily occurrence. Of course it doesn't help that I usually sleep until 11 or 12. But when one is chronically tired with bizarre sleep patterns anyway the last thing I need is to be woken up once I am finally sleeping.

The dog is actually quite cute and happy as dogs go. I think it is German Shepard puppy or some such. I don't know dogs that well since I am a cat person but it looks like a small version of a German Shepard execpt its ears are too big which might be normal in the puppy edition. The dog barks because the owner ties it up outside and it wants back in the house. It doesn't like being on its own. Even I know that dogs are social animals and they tend not to handle being on their own very well.

I don't blame the dog for this. The owner is a moron. These are the same people that used to start up a loud diesel truck between 5 and 6am every morning and let it idle for 20 to 30 minutes so the cab would be toasty warm when they got in (it was winter). Didn't matter how many times we asked them to stop. Didn't matter that diesel was over $4 a gallon at the time. They just don't care about anyone around them. I don't seem to need an alarm clock with these guys. They seem to be creatures of habit and enjoy making noise first thing in the morning. Apparently, if they are up everyone else in the neighborhood should be up as well. Absolutely clueless and selfish.

I love animals. I was even a vegetarian for many years. (I now eat chicken and fish but that is another long story so I digress) But when the dog starts barking and doesn't let up for an hour or two I start having daydreams that involve my son's BB sniper rifle, some collateral car damage and a quiet if somewhat unhappy dog.

So now I am awake. The dog has been taken back in the house. I'm tired but unsure if I'll fall back asleep or if I even should at this point in the day. I try not to sleep too late or I run the very high risk of becoming completely nocturnal. Of course on hot days like this, I prefer bumping around in the cooler evening hours. I hate the heat more than I hate my neighbors. Welcome to the Dog Days of Summer.