Molly, the shredder Schnauzer

Learning about Schnauzers is the title of the book , so I open it and read when we first get our dog. While reading, I find a Schnauzer has high anxiety when its person or persons leave the house. They don't like being alone, and this is an understatement. Five years into this dog/person relationship we have experienced the anxiety of a Schnauzer named Molly.

When we leave the house we look back and pick up every piece of paper we can find that Molly can get in to, because she will tear paper into more pieces than you can imagine. It looks like she won the dog of the year contest when we return and find confetti in bazillions of tiny pieces all over the floor. I fully expect to see a tiara on her head.

She runs to the back door when she hears the key in the lock. She's excited! She wants us to see her shredding project. We walk in and wonder "Where in the heck did she find this paper towel?" She will search, when we leave--as though she is part bloodhound, until she finds a piece of paper. Can you imagine if she could stand up and reach for a roll of paper towels off the kitchen counter? Makes me shiver to think of it.

Let me get to the root of this particular story, for you see, I see everything as a potential story - - EVERYTHING! Last Saturday our town had a "trash off" and this was the perfect time to rid ourselves of "stuff" in our falling down shed in our backyard. First of all, my husband loaded the truck with lots of "stuff" he wouldn't even let me look through; I'm a hoarder you see. He comes in the back door ever so often, asking me to recycle things he thinks is in the shed. Okay, first recycle a Barnum and Bailey size tent we camped in a few times. By the time we got the tent up with all the stakes and found an area large enough for the tent we were ready for our nap in the tent. That tent was old! The last time we went I vowed never to camp again. Sand was in every crack and crevice of our bodies, the car, the kids (and that was a long, long time ago). What does this have to do with a Schnauzer you say? I'm getting to it folks.

I get on-line run a recycle ad for the tent we haven't used or seen in eons. I recycle the golf clubs and the bag. I recycle 2 weed eaters (one with a hole in the tank). Then, he comes in and says the tent has been eaten in totality, not a bite left. RATS! I write on recycle, Tent taken. This is not a lie. The tent has become recycled alright by momma rats making numerous nests for baby rats. The shed is inhabited and has been for a while. What is wrong with those feral cats we let live here and feed?

Golf clubs were gone immediately - - some recycler took the clubs and the bag. We told the recycler with their new found treasure to use hot soapy water and clean those clubs and the bag up really good. Now for the weed eaters - - gone, not in the shed. We have no clue where they went, probably recycled them the last time we cleaned up the shed. Another "taken" email to recycle!

Chick finds a treasure. A box of love letters from all my service pen pals and old friends and loves from 1959 when I moved from Indiana. Most are eaten up and gone, some are salvageable. I wrap them in a small paper bag to read later, and placed them on the end table. We left to go eat lunch. When we returned - - some of these treasures, 51 year old letters, were now (you guessed it) confetti. Rats and Schnauzer's - - who needs a shredder?