The dogs with the loudest bark are the ones that are most afraid.
— Norman Reedus
My husband and I are learning that part of apartment living is getting to know your neighbors . . . well sort of. We have been here for several months and know some people by sight and have learned a name or two along the way. But we have met several dogs. One of them is Skippy.
Here is our story about this whiny dog.
Getting to Know Skippy
After one month of relative quiet, we started to hear a woeful, whining sound coming from the apartment upstairs. Was an animal injured? It was hard to tell. But the crying was disturbing and went on for hours, non-stop.
Part of me wanted to call the management office; what if a dog was injured and was calling for help? But it really sounded more like a lonely dog pining for his owner. And we were the lucky downstairs neighbors.
Later that day, I hear a loud knock at the door. At least, it sounded like that. Actually, it was a loud knock on the door of the apartment directly above us. A minute later, I saw one of the maintenance men leave our building. Someone had evidently called to complain about the incessant barking, either out of annoyance or concern. The howling continued for about another hour. Then we heard human footsteps upstairs, and the howling stopped.
Lots of Whining Going On
Over the next few weeks, we became accustomed to the whining from upstairs. And in part, it relieved us: Our two dogs might bark a little now and then, but they certainly seemed like model tenants when compared to the whining dog upstairs. This background noise quickly became part of our daily life. We started to hate this dog.
One day, Bob and I were outside. We look up to the balcony above us, and there he was: the whiner. He was a scrappy looking mixed-breed dog with a lot of schnauzer in him.
We later officially meet the dog—Skippy – when his owner was walking him around our apartment complex. We didn’t learn the owner’s name—our upstairs neighbor—but he did introduce us to Skippy! We also found out that Skippy was rescued from the local SPCA.
Over the coming weeks, we heard nothing from our neighbor but a lot from Skippy. Especially when there was an absence of human footsteps upstairs. We didn’t think Skippy enjoyed being alone, and given his history, this was fully understandable. Then the holidays came, and all noise upstairs stopped.
Had they moved away?
Oh, No!
One week later, the human footsteps returned, but we didn’t hear a peep from Skippy. Not the tiniest bark, growl, or whimper. We thought we surely knew poor Skippy’s fate. Each year well-meaning people rescue dogs from shelters, only to return them later.
Did someone complain about Skippy, and he had to be returned to the shelter? Was he too difficult for the owners to handle? Had they been threatened with eviction for having a whining dog?
What had become of poor Skippy?
Skippy’s obvious fate made us very sad. We hopefully kept an ear out for his whining, but, alas, there was none to be heard.
Oh, Skippy, what has become of you?
Then this morning, after I got out of the shower, I was told by Bob, “Shh . . . listen.” And there he was! Skippy was back upstairs, whining louder than ever. Bob and I were thrilled. Skippy had returned home!
