Dog-sitting

This weekend I watched my sister's dog while she was out of town. He is a weimaraner. These dogs were bred originally to hunt birds, so they are very powerful. They needed profuse amounts of energy to run and attack their prey. But, my sister's dog, Charlie, barks and chases birds more than he catches them. 

Watching him was like taking care of a child, a large heavy child. He constantly wanted attention. When he didn't get it he became annoyed and pawed at me. It was like boxing. He'd also try to jump on me, and because he is pretty big and heavy he could do some damage. He never actually knocked me over, but he did try. When I would pay attention to someone else, he would get jealous and bark at me. We went to bed when he wanted to go to bed. And, once we were asleep, he made sure to wake me up every few hours to ensure I still knew he existed. 

I couldn't believe how much energy it took just to watch him. I'd grown up with dogs, but they had been much different. They were my companions, playing with me when I wanted to play and taking care of themselves otherwise. Charlie is like a big baby. I thought it was odd that although he had been bred to be a hunting dog, and at the call of his master, he seemed to have his owners wrapped around his finger...er, paw. He was definitely running the show. I don't know how my sister and brother-in-law get anything else done at home. 

Watching him made me think twice about getting a dog. Apart from it being difficult to take care of a dog in an apartment, I don't have the energy to have a large, slobbering dependent like that. I think I'll wait until I have more time in my life. He was pretty cute though. I think that's why he gets what he wants so often. Being huge doesn't hurt either.