Having two dogs can be a lot of work, but the rewards are amazing! My two dog-ters, Dinky Molly (a diva-esque lhasa apso, pictured left) and Riley (a shih-tzu/brussels griffon mix and the Tazmanian Devil's spawn, I'm sure) not only keep me company, but they also make me laugh. AND ... they like to spend time in my scrap studio, often laying on the table beside me as I work!
As I mentioned, Riley shares many qualities of the Tazmanian Devil - namely bouncing off the walls (literally)! She's a 10-pound dynamo who is a fearless jumper but also a carefree snuggler. Unfortunately, she's also a chewer. She's been in our house for about a month, and she's already chewed up shoes, cardboard boxes, the bottom of a chair, and ... our barely-used, like-new couch. Anything she can get into her little mouth, she chews (except dry dog food, which she WILL NOT eat).
Now having a chewer in the house has been quite a change, as Dinky is the most mellow, well-behaved dog I've ever seen. (The most excitement she gets is chasing squirrels.) And she has NEVER chewed anything ... She hardly even chews her food! In fact, she has never been interested in anything to chew on ... until now.
After checking various websites on doggy behavior, the obvious occurred to me - Riley needed toys to chew on. So off I went to the local PetSmart to load up on chew toys and raw hide (which, by the way, totally threw me into shock when I saw the price tag!). Among the items I picked up was a big doggy ham bone. (I figured it would take her a while to chew that one up.) Little did I know that that $2.95 item would provide me with $1 million worth of laughs!
I unpacked the bone, let both dogs sniff it, then went off to do something productive. Suddenly I heard the most primal screech I've ever heard! I rushed back into the room only to find Dinky on one side of the bone and Riley on the other, neither moving and both TOTALLY STARING each other down! I watched in amazement as my precious, docile Dinkydoodle fiercely protected the bone, staring and just daring Riley to come one inch closer. Each time Riley so much as blinked, Dinky showed her teeth, growled, and put her chin on the bone, telling Riley to back off. Of course, I don't want my dogs to be enemies, but I must admit, I had that little "atta girl" feeling as I watched my precious puppy finally standing up for something!
The stand-off lingered through the night, as Dinky - who ALWAYS sleeps in bed with me - REFUSED to move away from the bone. In the morning when it was time to go outside on a "business" trip, I had to literally throw Dinky out the door to get her away from the bone. When she was finished, she once again reclaimed her bone, refusing to leave as long as Riley was in the house.
It's now noon, and the stand-off is in its 17th hour and counting. I'm beginning to wonder how long it can last! In the interest of the health (both mental and physical) of my babies, I'm about to head back to PetSmart to get another doggy ham bone so the non-chewing dog can continue to protect her bone and so my little chewer will have something besides the furniture to chew on. :-) How do moms with kids do it?????
As I mentioned, Riley shares many qualities of the Tazmanian Devil - namely bouncing off the walls (literally)! She's a 10-pound dynamo who is a fearless jumper but also a carefree snuggler. Unfortunately, she's also a chewer. She's been in our house for about a month, and she's already chewed up shoes, cardboard boxes, the bottom of a chair, and ... our barely-used, like-new couch. Anything she can get into her little mouth, she chews (except dry dog food, which she WILL NOT eat).
Now having a chewer in the house has been quite a change, as Dinky is the most mellow, well-behaved dog I've ever seen. (The most excitement she gets is chasing squirrels.) And she has NEVER chewed anything ... She hardly even chews her food! In fact, she has never been interested in anything to chew on ... until now.
After checking various websites on doggy behavior, the obvious occurred to me - Riley needed toys to chew on. So off I went to the local PetSmart to load up on chew toys and raw hide (which, by the way, totally threw me into shock when I saw the price tag!). Among the items I picked up was a big doggy ham bone. (I figured it would take her a while to chew that one up.) Little did I know that that $2.95 item would provide me with $1 million worth of laughs!
I unpacked the bone, let both dogs sniff it, then went off to do something productive. Suddenly I heard the most primal screech I've ever heard! I rushed back into the room only to find Dinky on one side of the bone and Riley on the other, neither moving and both TOTALLY STARING each other down! I watched in amazement as my precious, docile Dinkydoodle fiercely protected the bone, staring and just daring Riley to come one inch closer. Each time Riley so much as blinked, Dinky showed her teeth, growled, and put her chin on the bone, telling Riley to back off. Of course, I don't want my dogs to be enemies, but I must admit, I had that little "atta girl" feeling as I watched my precious puppy finally standing up for something!
The stand-off lingered through the night, as Dinky - who ALWAYS sleeps in bed with me - REFUSED to move away from the bone. In the morning when it was time to go outside on a "business" trip, I had to literally throw Dinky out the door to get her away from the bone. When she was finished, she once again reclaimed her bone, refusing to leave as long as Riley was in the house.
It's now noon, and the stand-off is in its 17th hour and counting. I'm beginning to wonder how long it can last! In the interest of the health (both mental and physical) of my babies, I'm about to head back to PetSmart to get another doggy ham bone so the non-chewing dog can continue to protect her bone and so my little chewer will have something besides the furniture to chew on. :-) How do moms with kids do it?????
Congratulations on your new blog! I am happy to follow along to help get you going and I hope you will stop by Julie's Open Window and follow along too. I am getting ready for a big giveaway over there, so stop by soon!
ReplyDeleteGo to: http://juliesopenwindow.blogspot.com/
Also would LOVE to invite you to The Play Date Cafe to play along with us there!
Go to: http://theplaydatecafe.blogspot.com/
Nice to meet you : )