Living with Clifford the Big Dog

A blog post by Clutch, a Yorkie and small big brother to a giant Doodle

We just celebrated Beauregard’s Gotcha Day. I’ve mentioned Beauregard before. He’s the giant Doodle that lives on my puppyhood farm. Four years ago, he was adopted as a puppy and came to live with us.

The idea was that I would have another dog to play with. It sounded like a great idea. What none of us realized was how much that puppy would grow. And grow.

At first, it wasn’t too bad. He was full of energy, but he was small enough that I could hold my own with him. We tumbled over each other a lot, and I snarled when he got to be too much.

I am a good big brother. I made sure he was okay whenever he got himself into trouble. Like the time he fell into the water and had to dry out. I sat next to him to help him feel better.

But he grew so fast. And so big. He could knock pictures off the wall with a swish of his tail. He didn’t realize how big he was. It was like living with Clifford, the big dog.

I weigh 13 pounds, and I’m a senior dog. Can you imagine a 100-pound teenager jumping on me, shouting, “Play!” Or tossing a giant Kong at me that’s bigger than my head?

I’d lie on my back and plead for mercy. “Why are you assaulting me?”

Beauregard would wag all over and leap over me. “Play!”

How exhausting.

I had lived with big dogs on the farm before and loved running up to lick their faces. But they lived outdoors. Beauregard quickly became an indoor dog—in my space.

My family tried very hard to make it work. But after a while, it was clear I wasn’t thrilled about living in the same space with a gangly, ever-growing giant. They really wanted to keep me in their home full time. But they were also concerned to provide what was best for me.

In my not-so-subtle way, I let them know I needed my own space away from Beauregard, where I could be the only indoor dog and live on my terms.

That’s when I went to stay with Miss Janet, my pet sitter. It was temporary at first, till I could settle and Beauregard could mellow. But every time I visited Beauregard, I couldn’t wait to leave and get back to my new space. I’ve been staying with Miss Janet ever since.

She lives just down the street, so it’s easy for me to visit my family, my puppyhood farm, and yes, even Beauregard. I still love that overgrown puppy. Mostly from a distance.

When the family is out of town, Miss Janet and I take care of Beauregard. She sets up sheltered spaces where I can still be part of the goings on, but he can’t jump on me.

He still assaults me when he wants to play. He just thinks we’re having fun. I snarl and growl and run away and hide in one of the safe spaces. But when he pouts, I come right back to kiss him, sit with him, and make sure he is okay. I’m still his big brother.

The nice thing about pet sitting is that when the visit is over, I get to go back to my own space and relax. Even sometimes during the visit, I take a break, go back to my own space, and take a nap.

So, that’s the story of how I ended up living down the street from my puppyhood farm, and how I still get to run in the fields and take care of my giant little brother, Beauregard, whenever he needs a pet sitter. And yet I have my own space, where I can rule and reign and relax. The best of both worlds.

Thanks for listening to my story about my big little brother! We have a great relationship . . . in our own respective spaces.

Clutch