"Can't we negotiate this over a Milk Bone or something?"
Sorry it's been so long since writing. When I last wrote, we were about to go to the shore for a week's vacation. Now I always expect a few things to have gone wrong in our absence and they did - big time. We bordered our 2 dogs at a kennel and the older one, Scooby, came back, well, sick as a dog. After rushing him back and forth to the vet's, it was discovered he had ingested some other dog's toy while on his vacation and it had formed a blockage, needing about $4200 worth of surgery and tests to remove. He convalesced for about 2 weeks at home with me running him outdoors every two hours until he had his staples removed. We camped out in the kitchen during daylight hours - never a good place for me to be in. So in addition to the pounds I put on during vacation, my doggie duties were adding even more.
Dog #2 - Daisy - a lab/husky mix we got at the shelter as a reward for the Teen making honor roll (which, in the words of our current VP, was a "BFD") is another story. First, let me say that yes, I agree with you all, I should've had my head examined before I ever said yes to a second dog. But the first two rewards on the Teen's list - a lip piercing and a tattoo (sorry, Miz) - were not things we thought were age appropriate. However, they would've been much lower maintenance than Crazy Daisy. She just turned one yesterday and still can't be trusted on her own. I have also locked myself in the kitchen while waiting for her to be old enough to be left on her own without chewing furniture. My husband says this is crazy - I should just let her out of the crate - she's old enough, he says - and go back up to my office where I'm happiest (and away from food). So I experimented and let her have the run of downstairs - checking on her occasionally. Well, that girl still can't be trusted as I caught her chewing a pen which was about to leak all over the rug. What's a mom to do?
I decided it was time to take charge and mark this house as MY territory. I needed to get back to writing and away from the food showcase that is my kitchen. So this morning I went to the Y and did 35 minutes on the elliptical. The twenty-something next to me smiled politely as I started, as if to imply that the staff had better get the paddles ready, but I finished without bursting any arteries or stroking out. Now my usual course of action would have been to let Daisy out of her crate when I got home and take up my post in the kitchen. Not today! I took my shower, got dressed and moved right to my office to get back to writing - as it should've been from the start. I'm too much of a figurative and literal softy - always thinking I have to put everyone else's needs ahead of my own - even my furry little friends.
I still struggle with putting myself first but am coming around to realizing that if I want to make each day - and myself - better than the last, I had better take back the important things I had ceded to those with a less pressing agenda. Sorry, pups, but Mama's back in charge.
