The Poo I've already shared with you a few of the many personalities manifested by the Canine Americans living at the Dixon house. Today I will concentrate on The Poo. You have met Poodreaux Boudreaux and Rasta Poo, but he has many more faces to share.

Cauliflower Head

This one is both literal and figurative. The Poo is a creamy white color, and when he has been slack with his personal grooming his wooly topknot is reminiscent of a head of cauliflower. Lately, he has been about as thick as a head of cauliflower too. I don't want to say he's dense, but let's be honest he is advancing in age, and swamp ear has made him partially deaf. You can call his name until you are out of breath, but he often fails to respond. He understands only what he wants to understand and that varies from day to day. Cauliflower head is the Poo in insolent mode.

Poodle Lecter

Those of you familiar wHiat nh n tihbea ml Loevcitee rcharacter will remember that he is a cannibal. While he is not exactly a cannibal, the Poo spends a disturbing amount of time gnawing various itchy hot spots on his own body. At this point in time, the armpits on his front legs are devoid of hair, his feet are near bald and stinky, and the insides of his back legs are thoroughly chewed and possibly a little bruised. No amount of medicated shampoo or vet visits seem to alleviate the itching. Perhaps he needs counseling

Thumper

The Poo is portly and the entry to his lair under the loveseat is narrow. While he can just squeeze himself under, turning around is difficult, and the edge of the rug blocks his outside view. The result is that every time he goes under, humans are treated to several minutes of scratching and thumping which can be most annoying when one is watching TV or trying to have a conversation. Either we must raise the loveseat, or the Poo must decrease his girth.

Fraidy Poo

There are times when I think, despite his bravado, The Poo is in fact scared of everything. He is afraid to jump over a string of yarn, he is afraid to pass by a wire, he is reluctant to walk on paper, and he will not jump onto the furniture if he sees anything in his path. He lets a Chihuahua one third his size push him around. Add to that the fact that he barks at the wind, cowers when he hears fireworks, and heads for his lair under the loveseat anytime a human utters the word "bath" or "you stink," I think it's pretty clear that the Poo is a closet coward.

Despite all his various personas, The Poo is actually a fairly steady fellow and a valuable member of our pack no matter what personality he manifests.