No, Lewis isn’t a male stripper.  Then again, he does run around without clothes, so I suppose he meets the technical definition.   Alas, he does in reality have a bad habit.  Of course, Lewis has lots of bad habits, but his aggressive interaction with Chip and Dale stands out among his character faults.  He chases them, chipmunks that is.  And unfortunately, he’s pretty good at it. Thankfully being good at something doesn’t necessarily mean being successful at it.  (Just ask anyone who fishes…or any parent).   That’s the case with Lewis and his escapades with Chip and Dale. Just like the cartoon version, the local chipmunks manage to outwit the great white dog on a daily basis.  Not only is he Pluto to their Chip and Dale, he manages to be Goofy as well.

After observing this vaudeville act for some time now, I have come to several conclusions:

• Chipmunks are extremely quick and agile. No great revelation there.  But what a little ball of fur running for its life can do to the psyche (maybe psycho is a better word), of a 140-pound dog is fairly awe inspiring.  Chip and/or Dale can launch this dog into frenzied action like waving a slab of bologna at him.
• Equally impressive is how fast the big fellow is. He can go from 0-60 in microseconds.  The only trouble is, chipmunks can launch in milliseconds.  Result?  Constant failure.
• Which leads to the next point. This is one stubborn dog.  Not only does he persist with Chip and Dale, he’s just as likely to give you that blank-eyed look when you’re pleading with him to get out of the rain, at 11:30 at night.

I have to admit, however, that Lewis’ failure to parlay with the chipmunks isn’t all his fault.  As animal folks, we have altered the terrain a bit to favor Chip and Dale’s escape.  From well-placed patio furniture to a covered grill to flower pots, it’s all an orchestrated move to assist the local chipmunks in executing their getaway from Lewis the Stubborn.   They run for cover while Lewis darts back and forth …in vain. The result leaves Lewis looking like the losing player at  his own arcade version of Whack-a-Mole.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVJL9oXgsAA

I applaud the chipmunks actually.  They never lose and they keep Lewis in shape, just not sure what shape that is.  All I know is, it means I don’t have to run with him….but just like Chip and Dale, I often have to run away from him when he gallops at me at full speed like a jailbreak.