The Big Lick
You don’t know where that tongue has been, until now
“It’s not abuse if she likes it.”
My wife didn’t look convinced.
“Honey, it’s okay. She thinks a slap in the face is affection.”
“I don’t like it.”
“Allie, she likes it. It’s a dog thing.”
“I’m worried that our daughter likes it, too. I don’t want Josie getting used to hitting animals.”
My two-year-old daughter and six-month-old Labradoodle were inseparable. Even though Josie celebrated every minor victory by assaulting the dog.
I drew a picture — slap!
I ate my food — slap!
I used the potty — slap!
“Good point,” I conceded. “I can’t figure out why the dog likes her so much. At the dinner table there’s dropped food, sure, but for the rest of the day… there’s no reason to hang out with Josie.”
“There’s always a reason,” my wife said.
For the next hour we watched Josie play with her toys and regularly whack the dog. We intervened a dozen times with: “Josie, be nice to the dog. Pet the dog.”
And a few minutes later … Slap!
