Our dogs, while being playful (we’re giving them the benefit of the doubt), chewed out our outdoor car cover installed to protect one of our cars.
The nerve. No, they are no longer teething; they are too old to be going through that phase.
Why they would take their frustrations on the car cover escapes me. My wife observed that they were marking territory the other day, targeting the car tires of the covered vehicle. We can totally understand the act of marking territory. For dogs it seems part of their daily routine, the execution of which they have perfected over time – the direction, trajectory of the arc, and liquid squirt pressure.
This morning we picked up the pieces of the torn car cover strewn all over the lawn. Our dogs silently watched from a distance. For a moment I thought they were showing a little remorse. But nah. . . I immediately snapped out of my stupor. In my mind I doubted our dogs were capable of entertaining such emotions. More than likely they were quietly snickering.
It’s been a while since I drove our covered car. It sat there in the backyard lawn, away from the driveway. You see, we just widened part of the driveway, pouring concrete and allowing the cement to cure. Our dogs must have realized the car was motionless. They couldn’t chase it, so, what’s the next best thing to do with a parked car? Use it for a fire hydrant, tree, a toy, like, part of an obstacle course. Why not?
They did.
To our dogs, the car cover undulating in the breeze must have appeared very tempting. The dogs saw dental floss. They tore into it, ripping, and shredding it to ribbons. I can tell you one thing, our dogs get very creative when it comes to games. And they must use their teeth in the process, else the thrill is not complete.
Since the car had sat there, idly parked, while the concrete driveway cured, I felt it was a good time to take the car out for a spin to charge the battery and blow off some of the engine soot, and carbon residue from the injectors and exhaust manifold.
I did.
I hit the freeway at top speed opening all blowers and activating all fans, wipers, and the electricals. The first batch of air that blew forth from the vents smelled strangely foul. The blast from the A/C unit left a grotesque taste in my throat. I heaved and attempted to cough up the “moldy substance”. Nothing doing. My throat membrane felt something was clinging to the walls.
Now I am writing this post feeling “sinus-ance” discomfort. It’s my fault – I should have had my face mask on anyway, or rolled down the windows before activating the blowers.
If you are reading this, learn from my experience. Cover your face before blowing the vents of a vehicle that’s been parked for a while. I can think of a time when you may wind up parking your car at the airport lot while you are on an extended trip away from home – that’s what I am talking about.
I feel okay now; thank you. I have been hydrating, taking vitamin C, resting, and I have also washed my nostrils with saline solution.
(All photos courtesy of Bing.com – used for illustration purposes only.)
