Why would anyone volunteer to take on a puppy? Is a frontal lobotomy included in the price? Or does it only happen at a full moon? I have a theory - you take on a puppy because it looked cute and sweet and it was a sunny day. (And possibly because your son begged you for six months.) Fast forward to seven o'clock on a rainy Sunday morning when your son has let the puppy go outside while you try to snatch ten minutes more sleep and now there are muddy footprints all over the clean floor as well as a puddle of wee on the back door-mat because it decided it didn't like being out in the rain. Suddenly you realise that someone somewhere is havin' a larf.
Couple that with a sudden yell of 'Mummeeee! The puppy's vomited under the table!' and you might want to rethink just how cute that puppy looked in the box.
Still, we made it through our puppy-sitting weekend relatively unscathed and the children learned a lot. I'm not sure I was quite prepared for the anatomy lesson, but when your daughter asks, 'Mummy, what's that thing like a lipstick underneath him? Why is he trying to rub it on my brother?' you need to take a deep breath and be honest.
And Ike is kind of cute. He is especially sweet after 8pm when he crashes out for the evening, muttering the occasional groan in his sleep. The new Ja-JaBinks nickname really suits him, he even has the funny walk - rather like a drunken whippet wearing clogs: skinny legs, huge feet, aiming in a forwards direction but somehow veering off slantwise. And he keeps getting the hiccups, I have never seen a dog do that before. It's the Despereaux ears that really tickle me pink. I did a quick rendition of 'Do Your Ears Hang Low?' for the delictation of my small people yesterday. It's an old ditty I recall from my childhood, not quite as exciting as 'Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavour On The Bedpost Overnight?' but charming all the same. I'm not sure if the kids think I'm amazing to have remembered all the words for soooooo long or whether I'm just one slice short of the full loaf. But I don't really care.
You don't have to be mad to live here, but it helps.
Rinse & repeat
2 years ago
Puppies are so sweet, but the admin logistics that they bring with them are a nightmare.
ReplyDeleteWe have a stray pup living outside at the moment and I am just trying to work out whether I have the strength to take her in.
Thanks for stopping by. My 2 are desperate for a puppy/kitten respectively. Actually hubby pretty keen on a dog too. Not so easy with this lifestyle, we go home to England every summer for 6-7 wks. What wd we do with the dog??
ReplyDeleteHey you two! Thanks for popping in. I would have melted by now and taken in the stray. I am such a sop. There was a local dog whose owners left it at home when they went away on holiday this summer. Some bloke came and fed it but it just lived in the garden all alone. I was this close to breaking it out of there and bringing it home.
ReplyDeleteWhen we go away ours goes to a couple who take dogs into their home while owners are away. Up to 20 dogs at a time! They live upstairs and give the dogs the run of the downstairs. Tiggy loves it.