Alexis and Corey have taken a trip to Japan for a couple of weeks and I, in a moment of insanity, agreed to dogsit for Chelsea, a big black-lab mix, and Roxy, a little terrier runt. They are nice dogs.
However…
The dork-sisters, Pip and Sparky, take exception to Chelsea. Chelsea is big. Chelsea is an alpha dog (like Pip). Chelsea's bark doesn't just go "Bark." She says,
"AAAHHHHWWWOOOOOOOOOOFFFFFF!!!" She can take both our dogs down with one paw tied behind her back. So things are not good at our house. We have, as Cesar says, "Negative energy" flowing.
The first indication of what the two weeks would be like occurred before Corey and Lex even left our house. Chelsea wandered around the house gathering all the rawhides. All of them. She stacked them in a pile and then put her foot on the pile. She had selected one bone knot to keep in her mouth. She then sort of tossed this up and caught it. Again and again. Just to say to our doggies, "In your face, peons." Every time there has been a bone involved these past two weeks there has been a fight. So all the bones have been confiscated.
Bones bring us to another issue--when Chelsea chews rawhides she gets terrible gas. The first night I was laying in bed, trying to go to sleep, when I got this terrible whiff…I thought something had died!! Another good reason to keep bones away from Chelsea.
Chelsea has a daily pill. She takes it very well…in a marshmallow.
Sparky is basically living underneath furniture for the duration. She is terrified of Chelsea, even though Chelsea really ignores her.
Roxy (the dog Corey despises) has been the best dog of the bunch. I open the back door and say, "Who wants to go outside?" Little Roxy puts her little wiry head down and just walk, walk, walks outside. When I open the door to say, "Come here." Little Roxy puts that little head down and prances in on those little stick legs. She gets along with everyone. Her motto has been, "If someone looks at me, roll onto your back."
This four-dog arrangement has challenged Loy and I. Remember those mind bender puzzles about "A cannibal and a pastor and a chicken have to cross a river in a canoe that can only hold two. How do you get across?" It's sort of like that in the mornings.
Pip and Sparky sleep in the laundry room. It is a gated community. Chelsea and Roxy sleep in our bedroom, Roxy in a kennel and Chelsea in her bed. (Actually, Chelsea and Roxy are very good at night.) Anyhow, Loy gets up at 5:00 a.m. He exercises, then comes up to shave/shower. When he's done with that he opens the bathroom door and says there is this big black dog, stalking him. He gets Roxy out of the kennel and lets C & R outside. When they are done, he lets them in and puts them in his office. Then he releases our hounds from the gated community. They do their thing and then they get the privilege of coming into bed with me for the last hour or two. Then he takes C & A and puts them in the kitchen. Very complex.
We have made the gated community a Chelsea-free zone. The girls keep their rawhides there along with their food. However, I keep forgetting to lock the door to the gate. Chelsea has instincts that tell her when it's open. She then goes in to eat their food, which is immeasurably better than her food.
So, 10 nights down, 5 to go!!!
How much will dog psychotherapy cost (after Chelsea and Roxy leave)? I think we've got some puppy depression going on here.
So, what else is going on in this crazy house? I'm just waiting for summer. Not spring, but summer.
Spring is always a disappointment for me. We get a couple beautiful days. But mostly it's not quite as warm as you want (you feel those 50 degree days and put on shorts and then are freezing!). And you have snow when you don't want snow. I only like spring because is tells you that summer is coming.
We are traveling to St. Kitt's Island in May (did I tell you this before?) I'm very, very excited. It's living out my destiny. I can't wait!!!
We have one other trip planned for sure…in July the Watley family will meet at Storm Lake, Iowa, for the weekend. (by Watley family I mean our kiddies and their families). We like to try to all get together in the summer for at least a weekend. I'm not sure if I'll get all the kids, but that's OK…better some than none.
So, think of me this week with my canine companions. And think of me next weekend, doing a monstrous doggie-poopie-pick-up. The fun never stops here, let me tell you!!
By for now!
Kitt.
This is Chelsea. She has the softest ears ever known to exist. Her redeeming feature.
Roxy, Pip, and Sparky. No redeeming features.
