Scary Swiffers!!

Both of my dogs have always been afraid of the vacuum cleaner .... well perhaps not afraid but more believing that it is their sworn, mortal enemy. This started when Tosca was a puppy and she would bark and attack the vacuum, I can only guess that when Oakley was added to the household she pulled him aside and said, "that thing that sucks and makes the noise? It wants to kill you!"

Oakley has always been quite overt in his vacuum attacks, silently skulking behind me and out of nowhere lunging forth and biting (there are teeth marks to prove it.) On more than one occasion he has happily walked into a room only to encounter said evil vacuum, quiet and alone in a place he was not expecting it, then tripping over himself and howling to escape. I confess I have found these moments pretty damn funny, except the one time I was living alone and he started freaking out barking in the middle of the night and I was sure someone had entered the house to murder me, only to find that he had gotten up for a drink and been frightened by the vacuum in the hallway.


Today I got out the Swiffer - you know the non-powered broom with disposable cloths - to dust the wood floors. Well apparently his fear is not of vacuums but of any device used to clean, sweep or remove items from the floor. Seriously, what's scary about a swiffer?

My dog is such a pussy.
**the picture doesn't show the fear as well, but his tail is tucked between his legs and he sniffed it then very slowly backed away.**