Pierce the Wonder Dog (Part II)

Well Pierce and I are alone this week. He has already made his mark peeing on the couch and pooping on the rug. He got back at me for not letting him out. He's sly and the alpha male in the house. In his old age, he does not put up with any shit. He does what he wants to do. He went out to take a pee and was gone. Vanished out of thin air. I had no idea where he went and he came back a few hours later. He has done this to his owner, after a long night working Benny came back at around midnight, Pierce went out for a pee and was found rummaging around the neighborhood at around 3 AM. His favorite place is DePalo's about a block away. The sandwich guys let him hang out. A couple of more things to learn from Pierce: (1) He is part human, or certainly an odd dog; (2) He has a diabolical mind, not to be taken lightly in any confrontation; and (3) He does what he wants, like an old man in a soup line sending soup back for the third time.

Pierce the Wonder Dog

One of my roommates is Pierce, a 16-year old Yorkie. Anyone who knows Pierce well, recognizes his talent for grubbing. It is his sole purpose in life and he has made a career of it. He disappears under the guise of night and reappears at places most likely to have food or give him scraps, especially bacon. He is a focused grubber and he is the best at it, everyone around here agrees. There are three things I would like to comment about on Pierce: (1) his spryness for his age; (2) his ability to focus; and (3) his passion for excellence. Yes, we can learn tricks from an old dog.

Pierce was named after Paul Pierce, then a young player with my roommate Ben's Boston Celtics. Paul Pierce is know as "The Truth," as again displayed in this year's NBA playoffs. Pierce, the dog, finds his truth in food, especially people food. You can be sure that Pierce knows who has food and who is most likely to give him scraps at all times. In his old age he whimpers a bit more when there is food around. He cannot hide his glee.

Pierce can be considered about 90-years old in people years. Yet, he is pretty spry and has no major physical ailments (knock on wood). Occasionally he'll have a misguided poop, but he is generally an easy dog to take care of, even in his older years. He is pretty self sufficient. What's the secret to Pierce's longevity? Passion for grubbing. He is always on the lookout for a new spot. Take for instance our landlord Dean's place - He sometimes spills his fish food on the carpet and Pierce finds it a good place to snack. He now considers this one of his new favorite hangouts. Pierce is always on the move and on the lookout for new territory. If you continue to search then you have a reason to live by remaining active.

Pierce has a unique ability to focus, particularly on grubbing. He is always looking for food and could really care less about pats. "Who's got food for me?" - This is all that Pierce cares about. As a result his purpose in life is fairly straightforward - find the food. Focus on food. Always grub and place grubbing ahead of all else. This singlemindedness makes Pierce an expert grubber. If you focus on something long enough then you should be an expert at it.

Pierce not only grubs all of the time, he has it down to a science. He knows who has the food at all times. He plots his strategy and darts away at select moments when no one is watching. He disappears for long periods only to reappear, seemingly out of thin air. He has key locations, but often alters his paths. He can be considered a "food detective," as he acts like Lieutenant Columbo in his search for food. He searches for food clues and can be rather pushy. He is also known as MacGrubber for his creative ways in finding food, especially new targets. If you are good at something, then you should have it down to a science, like clockwork.

I thought that we all could learn a little more about Pierce, the wonder dog. The result is a GoPro video of a typical grubbing day for Pierce..