“Strider!! You got’s stuff in my eye!”

At the farm where we were milking cows, poor Pippin didn’t get outside much.  We were right near a busy street, had large, ugly tempered cattle running around.  So when he did get to play, he was one happy camper, running around and sniffing and looking closely at curious things.

One day, when Strider was oh, 3 months old I guess, we took them both outside to play under supervision.  It was very wet, muddy and puddles abounded.  Pippin isn’t very fond of getting wet, like most Italian Greyhounds, and so avoided the puddles.  Happy-go-lucky puppy Strider bounced through them gleefully.  But when my sisters found a little turtle, Strider became entirely absorbed in examining it.  They placed it in a large puddle, and he followed it’s efforts to escape.  When it dove to the bottom of the muddy water, he snuffled the water in interest and cocked his head at it.

Pippin couldn’t help but notice the entertainment Strider was getting, and was made curious by it.  He perched on the edge of the puddle and craned his neck to see what Strider was looking at.  I’m not sure why, but it was at that moment that Strider decided to jump at Pippin.  One leap, one splash of muddy water all over Pippin’s face.  Pippin started, made a face, then bent his head and rubbed his eye with his foreleg.  He rubbed, and rubbed, then looked up at me, squinting that eye delicately.

“He got mud in my eye!”

Needless to say, he was very irritated with Strider.