Truth be told, not everyone in the house is as excited about the pending puppy as I am. Son #1 says he's going to get a baby gate to keep the puppy out of his room. I've seen his room. All intelligent beings avoid that place as much as possible. But hey, if he wants to keep the puppy out, more power to him. I'm sure Gucci (the cat) will voice her opinion of another dog in the house, probably loudly and often. Hubby keeps worrying about poop. Honestly, the carpet should have been replaced years ago, so I'm not too worried. We have so many stains from soda, coffee and Lord knows what, that I doubt he'll even notice another one. (Pepper story: We hadn't been in this house a week before Pepper gave us the first stain. She had gotten hold of a box of Pepto-Bismol tablets. She chewed them up -- and then threw them up -- in the computer room. The Red Dye #5 left a permanent stain not three feet from where I'm sitting.) There are enzyme products to remove the odor, so I'm not worried. Plus, I plan on taking off three weeks when the puppy comes to start potty training correctly. Surely we can figure something out.
I'm more worried about chewing. My guys (OK, and me too) are bad about not putting stuff away. I keep telling them that we need to start changing habits now. They'll say "Yeah, OK" and then leave their crap on the floor or the back of the couch. I'm afraid they're going to have to lose a thing or two before they get it.
Another thing I'm worried about: sleep! As I've gotten older, sleep has become much more important. Is that pathetic or what? I look forward to sleeping in on my days off, and cherish the occasional afternoon nap. Not going to happen with a baby in the house! I'm sure this isn't the last post on this subject.
Don't tell Hubby, but he is right on one thing. Although cute, puppies can be annoying. I just had a puppy incident at work. Last week someone dumped a litter of seven puppies on the beach. (Sometimes people really suck!) The puppies were 3-month old pit/lab mixes. Cute as can be, but little pooping machines. I was scrubbing cages all day, every day. They would poop -- a lot! -- and then roll in it or paint the walls with it. Even worse, they'd jump all over me with their poopy little feet. Despite my best efforts, I went to court on Monday with poop on my pants. I was standing before a criminal court judge discussing a dangerous dog, hoping she couldn't smell me. How embarrassing! Good news though, the Humane Society took the puppies yesterday. They will be vetted, fixed, microchipped and put up for adoption. Then someone else can deal with their shit. My question: why couldn't the owner just bring the puppies to me in the first place? Seriously, sometimes people really do suck.
I had the same concerns as you when I decided to get Rigel. That was the first time I brought home a puppy without having kids in the house too. It was a lot easier than bringing home a new baby. Neither Rigel nor Teemu left stains on the carpet, either. All I had to do was devote myself to the puppy, so I did that.
ReplyDeleteAs for the chewing, please remember what I told you when Teela was a puppy: It's your fault if it gets chewed.
Every time.
I love saying that.