The Mosh Pit

Lila Watching Over the Neighborhood
During the Beginning of the Mosh Pit

When we first got Lila just a year ago, we learned that she was a bit of a digger.  When we gave her certain treats that looked like bones, she held them tightly in her mouth and pranced about the house. She whined and demonstrated to us that she had to go outside with her “bone.” It was probably bad that we showed her that we thought it was cute when she dug, carefully placed the bone in the hole and pushed the dirt back into place with her nose.

Today, Lila has not been allowed to sit in her favorite place. It’s a place we like to call the “Mosh Pit.” Passersby probably would not even notice her lying there. The only times she barks is when she sees a black dog, wants some company or sees a stranger getting too close.  When she first started sitting by the front steps, she rested her back up against the side of the step and stretched out her body along the length of it. We thought that was great, but then she somehow got the urge to make a hole.

Mosh Pit at Its Early Stage

During Lila’s little pit stops at the front steps, we noticed that little by little, dirt started to get dug up where once beautiful green grass grew. Some days the dirt would be strewn about the sidewalk leading up to our front door. Even though I sometimes sat with her and told her not to dig, the minute I was gone, the process would begin.  The kids and I would take turns hiding the evidence by making sure that the dirt was swept back into the hole before Dad got home. Some days we didn’t get to that chore, and Dad discovered that dirt had been thrown by the dog that sits in the mosh pit.  Dad was not happy to see this.

A Cool Nap

At the beginning of the formation of the mosh pit, I thought that all would be okay. Lila seemed happy and cool, and the pit didn’t bother me too much. I thought, “She will grow out of wanting to dig holes eventually.”   Then the hole got bigger and bigger, and now the once-even sidewalk is tilting a smidge. The rocks are covered with dirt, and I noticed that when she gets out of the hole, she looks like Pig Pen. A cloud of dirt dust can be seen floating off her fur. Gritty little pieces of dirt can be felt on the floors of the entryway, living room and kitchen. While trying to sweep the dirt away, the little cloud of dirt dust can be seen flying about. I was not happy to see this.

Pig Pen
Image courtesy of Yayaro

We thought that it might be a good idea to remove the loose dirt from the sidewalk instead of sweeping it back into the hole. We are now collecting the dirt in a bucket to put back in place in the fall and top it off with a nice slab of green sod. Now we have a bucket full of dirt, and the hole is getting even bigger. Removing that loose dirt did not stop Lila from digging!  If any passersby looked very closely they could see our dog buried in a hole with just her head sticking up!  Yes, she rested her head on the outskirts of the mosh pit!

A big rain storm turned this into a mud pit!

Lila is a dog that likes to be outside, and we know it’s her way to dig. Today, we are keeping her inside. Sorry, girl, but we are getting tired of the Mosh Pit!

Advertisement