And so it goes, my luck with dogs, I get the puppy that is
one of the largest in the litter, untold till I
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| Tess & me |
Okay, I admit I forgot the trials and tribulations of
potty-training. My kids were much easier and so were ALL other dogs I owned.
This little bitch is a challenge. She is smart being a labradoodle the poodle
seems to be quite dominate making her extremely intelligent. Thus her norm is outside is playtime, inside
is peetime. And thank God the vet suggested giving her treats as a reward for
going to the bathroom outdoors. However now she seems to think going
anywhere is worthy of a treat. Who is smarter, her or me?
Everything in the house is a play toy, except the doggie
items I bought in the rip-off section of the store! You know the section, where
the sign says Pet Toys and are simply kids toys made small with baby squeezers
in them the size of your thumb but inflated prices by 75%. Today, Tess discovered toilet paper. So glad
I buy it bulk at Sams because it is going to have to still remain in reach of
the john inspite of her penchant for unrolling it. Oh, don’t tell me our puppy
is not talented. She can unroll it in a mere 30 seconds flat!
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| So Busted! Better than doggie toys! |
Do you know what it is like to take a shower with a small
puppy with long legs at your feet? I
do. The only time Tessie does not mind
being in the water is when I am taking a shower. The very minute I hop in the
shower to take the quickest showers in my life she begins whimpering like she
has been attacked by another dog, right there in the bathroom! As she cries by the glass doors, scratching “Mommy
I want in” I relent and let her in.
Thus begins my, what use to be, chill serene showers, long
gone, now invaded by a four legged animal weaving figure-eights around my feet.
Once she gets done feeling as if she is tangled and me being cautious of not
losing my balance, she does the unthinkable at my feet. I blink and there comes
the squat. I watch as she proudly does #1 and thank God it is not #2. And nope,
no treat this time for Tessie.
Tessie now wants out. She has her bladder unloaded and has
had enough! Out goes the wet mangled puppy looking like a black rat. All I see
is too beady eyes looking back at me silently saying dry me
After showers, I dry her off. I then head to the backdoor to grab her leash to take her out. Good routine, because it’s all about catching the time for #2. I want that number always done in its proper place, I mean this dog will be a lady! One day, as I am
putting the leash on, struggling to
find the darn loop, she starts tooting. Okay, I tell her, I am hurrying. Her squirming is not making it any easier. Whodathought more would come with the toot? Isn't she a female?
Right there on the floor, thank God not the carpet, she starts dumping a load! I am shocked beyond belief, I am holding her and she starts her business. For the love of God, what puppy does this? I swear she is simply being defiant to me. I make a mad dash out the door as if she has anymore left in her little butt! By the time I put her down in the grass, she is hopping all over the place, literally giddy with laughter at what she left me to clean up inside. Don't dare make excuses for her because she is cute or a puppy, she does this shit on purpose to punish me for being a disciplinary in the house. We played outside longer than usual so I could put off cleaning up dirty diapers, I mean poopy floors!
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| The Spoiler, Daddy! |
As my friends tell me, puppies need routine, they need
structure. And just like with my kids, I am the one that does it. And just like
with my children, she rebels. She does to her daddy, Mr. Softie. Can we
just say, with puppies rebelling and
everyone telling you she is so sweet you are left speechless? Why do people so easily forget what little teeth feel like buried in your feet and how many chords lay on the floor?
Well, in all seriousness, she is a bundle of life, with its ups, downs, full of laughter, frustration and happiness and love. She fills a void in my life that my dog Charley left and still is there. I love her already inspite of her testing me, at times to the limit. And truth be told, if she could talk, she would say I test her!
