Top 20 Fears of Dooley the Bulldog


Dooley’s new home. Fortunately she lets Courtney and I live there too.

Well as many of you know, Courtney and I have bought a new house here in Oklahoma City and have been living in it for a little over a month now. It has been wonderful so far, and we really enjoy it. Courtney has started a new job doing marketing for a local bank, and I am getting used to working from home. Anyways, I just thought I would give you an update on Courtney and I as well….Now on to what you really read this for….DOOLEY! This is a really long post, and I have a couple stories before I unveil the list. So, if you want to ignore the stories and get straight to the list just go to the end of the post.

New Terrain

Dooley’s New Backyard

Dooley has some new stompin’ grounds here in Oklahoma and so far has enjoyed it greatly. It has taken her a little while to get used to going to her own backyard, but she is getting there. She does have some new fears here in the backyard that have caused some problems with her getting spooked and not using the bathroom, which brings me to my first story…

We often have pretty clear skies here in Oklahoma, and one day while I was letting Dooley outside she lazily walked out toward the grass and did her usual thing – looked in every direction before getting too far out there. It’s like she is crossing a street or something (except more elaborate, like she is crossing an 8 lane highway with no speed limits and killer cars on the road that look for bulldogs). She looks Left, Right, then Right again, then Back behind her, then Forward, and then Up. Looking up is usually the problem when Dooley goes outside. She could see a bird flying or maybe a leaf in the wind, but the other day it was a jet. Not even really a jet, but the contrail of a jet (or at least I think that’s what you call it). It’s the white trail a jet leaves behind after it passes. It’s not like she could hear it or anything, she just saw the white line in the sky and thought it was Armageddon out there. She turned around and went back in the house faster than she had moved anywhere in her life. I know many of you are thinking, “Wes, surely it was something else. It is not possible for a dog to be afraid of something 20,000 ft in the air,” but I assure you, my friends, that this was the case. It even happened again 3 days later.

Photographic Memory

Many times throughout her life I have questioned Dooley’s intelligence, but I have come to the conclusion that she is really a genius with a photographic memory. As you saw in the previous story, our dog is what you would call “visual.” She has an unbelievable ability to see things and at the same time notice when something is out of place, even if it’s just an inch or two off. From a new flag outside to simply a misplaced bicycle, Dooley often notices any small change to her surroundings. So, to prove the photographic memory, I must share yesterday’s experience.

Courtney and I have been grilling outside more often and we happened to run out of propane the last time we grilled. So last night I took the old, empty tank to trade out with a new one. Keep in mind, Dooley never saw me move the propane tank, nor did she see me put in the new one. Last night when we let her out, first thing she noticed was the new tank. I need to further describe that the tank is the exact same size, shape and color. It just happened to have a slightly different wrapper on the outside. Dooley immediately noticed the change and became uncomfortable, which solidified my theory that she has a photographic memory.

The List – Top 20 Fears of Dooley

Dooley at work. Most days Dooley just sleeps beside me while I work at the desk.

20. ) Fans

19.) Wind

18.) The Refrigerator

17.) Motorcycles and Big Trucks (probably a good thing)

16.) Any inanimate object held by a person

15.) Zombies (but then again, who is not afraid of the undead)

14.) The American Flag (probably any flag, but that is the only one she as been exposed to)

13.) The light reflected by watches or shiny objects onto the ceiling, but she loves the laser pointer

12.) Birds in flight, but not birds on a fence

11.) Bicycles

10.) Swiffer or any broom

9.) Any yard equipment including mowers and hedge trimmers, with one exception: She kind of likes the Weed-Eater

8.) Most cleaning supplies

7.) People talking when she can’t see them

6.) Pet Gates

5.) Trash Bags

4.) Packages of toilet paper that are sitting on the ground (Must be at least a 12 pack)

3.) Trees that sway too much

2.) Vacuum

…..and the number one thing that Dooley is afraid of….

1.) A closet that holds a vacuum or has the potential to hold the vacuum

It was a tough call, but she is probably honestly more afraid of the closet that holds the vacuum than the vacuum itself. (Proven true in three different households)


2 responses to “Top 20 Fears of Dooley the Bulldog”

  1. great post! nice to hear that everything is going well for all of you…try not to work Dooley too hard…we don’t want her getting stressed out!

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