Sunday, February 22, 2009

One step forward, two back

So goes the life, or perhaps it is the CARPET life, of a dog owner.

When I got dog number two she was from a show home/breeder. She had basically grown up as a crate dog. Nothing at all like a puppy mill. It just means that she was rotated between being outside and being in her crate...with some hooman interaction of course. This could easily be a perfect thing, but I really like having my dogs greet me when I get home; not having to go let them out of their cages.

Lately Miss Kate is getting closer and closer to being a "crate dog" again. I see her perched on the back of the chair, looking out the window as I leave and come home.
Believe me, she does not stay there the whole time. I do need to take into account that Henry could easily be not only the instigator, but could be setting her up. I was gone for about two hours this morning. When I left I had a splitting headache. When I came back I still had the headache and was really looking forward to climbing into bed and "disappearing" for a bit. As soon as I stepped in the door I knew I had a mess to clean up. (While the head and eyeballs hurt, the nose still worked fine.) I know I did the deep sigh and figured a quick ten seconds and I would be headed for bed. WRONG!! One of the dogs, which I assume was Kate, has been chewing plastic things lately. I am now thinking it was Henry, as it was the clips for his muzzle. (I had done his toenails and it is the only way. Muzzle and then hang him from the grooming table loop.) The camera bag was also missing a clip and there was a clothes hanger that will no longer hang. On top of all that, there was a pretty good sized hunk of bark from the wood box. The biggest piece left was maybe the size of a quarter. On top of that mess were remnants of a cardboard box. These are not young puppies. They are 20 months and 19 months in age. I am forever surprised at what secrets they have hidden away. Books are quite popular with Kate. She really does consume them. S2 had bought a large candle for a friend. When I gave it to her to take home it looked like a rather large rat had been nibbling away at it. 'Twas a tad bit embarrassing. I don't remember seeing damage to the box, so they must have been working on it while it was in the box. It was pretty heavy. We have our days that go great. No problems at all. Then there are days like today.

Perhaps it was that I was out and about a bit yesterday. Perhaps it was that movie that we watched last night. (S2; where's the review?) Perhaps it is that they are dogs, not humans, and I haven't a clue what puts them in "beast" mode.

Whatever it is, Kate is going to see a lot more from inside her crate. I would, however, get a kick out of watching what they do while I am gone. I really can picture the angel dog Henry (OK, angel except for the four feet on the floor thing) taunting Kate. "Wow take a look at that candle, Kate. I bet you can't get it out of the box. Go ahead and poo in the corner, she will never know. I'll bet that book is one of those dog psychology books and the chapter on crate training is the one that she will read first." What Henry doesn't know is that I am wise to him in that some of the things are at a level that Kate cannot reach. Whether he snares them and gives them to her for destruction; I cannot say. (If only they hadn't eaten that page in the Greg Louganis book.)
The good news is that my headache is quieter now. I will go torture the pups by starting the carpet cleaner. If only they could understand cause and effect.

I will quietly await the movie review...

G2 Great. It is a no indent day on blogspot. sigh

At least I finally have the pictures downloaded and onto the computer. I can't imagine blogging about yesterday without some pictures! Problem is, I really did do a bit too much and I've been physically 'unhappy' all day. And now the Oscars are on....
S2

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