Pee Arthur

Today was my first time in a big pet store. Perhaps Bea's too, because she didn't know how to handle herself either.

The concept was simple. Sara and I were going to the Mets game later and we didn't want to force Bea into a crate. So we were going to buy a gate to let her roam the kitchen and the hallway. Minimize the damage while maximizing the amount of space she had. Sara knew more about this stuff - so she went off to find a gate while I walked Bea around looking for any toys she might like. Well, for part of it we drove.




13 Seconds of Adorable


The amazing thing about Bea is that she seems comfortable everywhere. Many dogs freak out if you touch their paws, walk them near any cars, or look at them wrong. But Bea has only known us a few days and her love is already unconditional. It's the reason why people love dogs so much, and Bea is one hell of a dog.

There was one place she was uncomfortable: the pet food aisle. Maybe its because she already knows that most commercial pet food is the animal equivalent of McDonald's. Or maybe it was just the cacophony of smells that overwhelmed her. But she peed. My wonderfully behaved housebroken dog peed right in the middle of Petco.

I am sure it wasn't the first time a dog peed at Petco. I bet there was one peeing in the next aisle. But Bea has been so great about obeying rules thus far that it worried us. Was she sick? Terrified? Rebelling? Whatever it was, I had no idea how to handle it. I called Sara over, and she didn't come right away, so I tried to convey a sense of urgence without a loud public explanation. I wasn't going to yell, "Sara, Bea Arthur just peed at Petco!" Though I did contemplate it just for the laugh.

Petco provides incredibly non-absorbant "paper towels" for messes. You know that brown sandpapery stuff in airport bathrooms? Yeah. Way to go Petco - you're only hurting yourself.

Bea was fine in the car on the way home, but it made us nervous to leave her alone tonight. Would she do it again? Or worse? I expected the Mets to shit the bed tonight, but I didn't want my dog to do it, too.

Either way, we did have fun suggesting other people we could have named Bea after. My favorite two were Pee-a Zadora and J Pee Morgan. And of course, sponsored by BPee. Complete with her own leak.