We have two dogs in our house, a male and female, two and three years old, respectively (with rounding). When we were training our young miss, we used a squirt bottle as a last resort, when verbal commands and positive reinforcement couldn’t get her attention. Veterinarians and professionals from vet tech schools tell pet owners that spraying should be used when other methods don’t work.

To this day, she leaves the room if she sees someone, for example, spraying disinfectant on a counter-top, and she doesn’t like to be outside while we’re watering the garden. She’s still wary, though she hasn’t been squirted in years.

So you’d think she didn’t like getting wet. But at the park last night, she decided to sniff around the same patch of grass our little mister was, well, “spraying”. We’ve had close calls before, and usually give them a heads-up when one isn’t watching where they stick their head, but unfortunately, this time we were too slow.

It bothered us more than them. With urine dripping from her left ear, our little miss continued to go about her business, apparently unfazed. But it occurs to me, since he’s marked his territory, and with no objection from her, this may mean our puppies are officially engaged.