Temporary gremlins

June 24, 2010

Dear Patty,

They remind me of the sometimes cuddly, sometimes diabolical characters in the movie "Gremlins." One fine thing about watching a movie at home is the ability to press "pause." With Jack Russell terriers, pause isn't an option.

They are a father and 1-year-old son, white with brown markings. One has a tail, one doesn't. How these two dogs came into our care is not important. They were abandoned in another city and ended up at DC's house the way lost coins gather in a comforting couch.

The important thing is that we've agreed they aren't staying. Our elderly dog Lucy is displeased to have gremlins in her house. She stays away from them. In turn, they mostly ignore her. She's not any fun.

Fun is herding a soccer ball like a star in the FIFA World Cup. They retrieve rubber balls until my arm grows sore. But when I tried to incorporate an old softball into the game, the dogs tore the cover off. Gremlins.

They want attention, they want to play and they want it now.

They're fiercely protective of us. I read that they're also among the five smartest breeds, so they probably can be trained to be more hospitable.

Like vampires, the sharp-toothed gremlins in the movie can't abide sunlight, and a funny thing -- reproduction -- happens when they're exposed to water. Finally, you do not want to feed them after midnight.

Our gremlins love the outdoors so much that keeping them from escaping is a constant test. But they always come back. Stubbornly.

Water doesn't make them pregnant, but the father attacks the spray when I water the garden.

Feeding them after midnight doesn't change their behavior. If it did, midnight snacks would be required.

When DC and I lived on a former farm outside the city limits, our neighbor had a Jack Russell terrier that terrorized every small animal in and out of sight. You'd think we'd be used to their tenacious zest.

These dogs were bred to hunt foxes, and their front paws are designed for digging furiously. When I hear DC occasionally scream these days I suspect those paws are digging into her leg for attention.

It's like having two 2-year-old children with sharp teeth and claws.

As rambunctious as they are, the dogs turn snuggly once their energy is spent. The father sometimes lies on my chest. Sleeping crocodiles look harmless, too.

A friend warns that stray dogs become pets after three weeks. I check with DC almost every day to make sure that isn't going to happen. We don't know their names and aren't giving them new ones. We've posted them with local and state groups that do animal adoptions.

We know we're a way station on their road to new homes, we hope places with fewer walls and fences and maybe some children who don't need energy drinks either.

Love, Sam

Sam Blackwell is a former reporter for the Southeast Missourian.