A dog named Pistorius
Our Penny has taken to walking around on three legs.
Sometimes.
Some days go by and where she walks perfectly normally. She has had her daily mad fits in the garden where she shoots around the place like a cruise missile on steroids, which is an act that requires an absolute flat minimum of four legs in perfect working order. Not a hint out of her that she may be in some way mobility challenged.
And on other days she shoots around the house on three legs.
Weird.
A couple of times I have got her into an arm-lock on the couch to see if I can find anything wrong with the offending leg. I have tweaked it. I have pressed each pad in turn looking for a reaction. I have bent all the joints in every conceivable direction [she is double jointed in every joint]. I have peered, poked, pulled and prodded all to no avail.
There is fuck all wrong with the leg.
I have noticed one common thread though.
She tends to walk on three legs when she is coming over to look for food. If her scrounging mission is unsuccessful the limp gets worse. If she does get a morsel of cheese or something, the limp vanishes. It’s like the miracle of Lourdes only more spectacular.
I suspect she’s just pulling my leg.
I suspect that yes, indeed that is exactly what she is doing.
Just be warned though, don't let her get a boyfriend. It might all end in tears. Or in court!!
Any boyfriend will be sorely disappointed. All the relevant equipment has been removed. Far more likely then that she would be the victim!
Another example of dogs training us.
I have a deep suspicion that you could be right. She'll have met her match here though. 😈
Previous owner was gullible?
I once had an old tom cat who had sprained his front left leg pretty badly. He was was a smart old bugger and quickly picked up the fact that my first wife would always give him extra treats if he sat down, held up his admitted painful left front leg and threw a pitiful look on his face. 3 months later this tactic was getting a bit old but so was he and I gave him the benefit of the doubt that things hadn't healed quite right and were still hurting now and then. Until the day I caught him lifting the wrong front leg. I pointed my finger at him and said, "Hah! That's the wrong leg!". He gave me a disgusted look and never tried that again.
I have been checking and it is always the same leg – nearside rear, to coin a motoring term. I'm just waiting for her to switch legs. Unfortunately I think she is watching me watching her and is damned careful to always use the same leg.
You old softie!
Hee, hee, funny ?
I meant ! not ?
Make your fucking mind up!
Have an old friend who once owned a stray dog which walked normally around the house, but ran incredibly quickly on three legs when outside. Complete strangers would stop to pet him. Looking for a better home?
she may be pulling your leg but she's certainly not pulling hers!
We have a cat with the same affliction. No problem when chasing birds in the garden.
It may be an unsubtle attempt to distract us from the fact that she is getting fat?
Don't we all?
My elderly mutt pulls a similar trick when feeling too lazy for a decent walk. Every time we're approaching a short-cut home, out comes the limp.
On the rare occasion that I take pity on the furry fraud, the limp has been replaced by a brisk trot within ten yards.
I find that I unconsciously tend to limp too, when I am trying to get the barman's attention !
That's why you never get served – he just assumes you're already drunk.