Marley the "Marvelous"

Marley is a dern cute puppy - that much is certain. His puppy eyes will melt your heart every time! He is still bounding with energy and runs everywhere he goes... However, he is not a brave dog. He gets scared more than any canine I've ever met. Here are a few examples:

--He is terrified of the grill unless it's pushed up next to the house. When it's against the house, he delights in peeing on the wheels. However when D.J. pulls it into the yard so he can actually use it, Marley's tail goes between his legs and he refuses to go near the back door for several hours. It's flat out ridiculous!
--The other day, there was a flock of birds in the yard when we opened the door. Being the excellent bird hunters that our dogs actually are the leapt from the porch barking their greetings to the startled flock. Marley slipped on the grass and slid on his side. Granted, he took quite the spill and I'm sure it startled him at the moment. But the dog refused to go outside for two days. We literally had to catch him and carry him out the door. Once on the grass he usually did his business immediately and then bolted for the door. Nut case!
--Just as he was recovering from his fear of tumbling, I got the brilliant idea that I would scare the birds from our yard so they wouldn't come back. I banged a cookie sheet until they had all flown away and, in the process, instilled a solid fear of cookie sheets in my dog. Every time I pull one out to cook with, he goes running. Like I said, ridiculous!
--When we visit my parent's house (and occassionally at our house) he is terrified of the grass. He huddles on the corner of the patio and refuses to touch the vile green things! When we carry him into the middle of the yard he usually bolts for the concrete. Now tell me, why would a dog be scared of grass?!?!
--Last week we were taking a walk around the neighborhood like we usually do. Marley was looking at some children playing in a yard, and when he turned around there was a bicycle laying on the sidewalk a few feet from him. He jumped and refused to pass the bike. Again, we had to carry him. About this time, we were thankful we'd gotten a Maltipoo and not a Lab or a Golden Retriever.
--This weekend, we were watching "America's Funniest Home Videos" and there were several clips of dogs and cats chasing remote control cars. So D.J. got out all of his cars and began chasing Marley around the house with them. Marley was terrified of either the noise or the unidentified object coming at him full speed. I seriously thought he was going to wet himself! When the biggest car didn't move well on the carpet, we took it outside and he chased Marley down the street with it. Marley eventually got wise and hid in the grass. Crazy, I tell you! Flat out crazy!
--Last night, we were watching "The Wizard of Oz" on TV and he was terrified of the Munchkins - especially when they laughed. He kept climbing up me and eventually landed on my shoulders as he scrambled for my head. I couldn't stop laughing long enough to comfort him or turn the sound off. Crazy nut case of a dog!

As you can tell, life is not normal here in the Hammond House. We love Marley, and he provides plenty of good laughs, but he is one nutty dog!

Oh, and happy 3rd month-a-versary sweetheart!