So, between getting the house and yard ready for Spring, and being a new puppy mommy, I’ve found that I’m not having the time to write about my many adventures of getting the house and yard ready for Spring and being a new puppy mommy. The house and yard part, no prob bob - it’s been fun! I love doing yard work, and watching things grow. The puppy part? Oh dear God, why did I get a one year old dog? Okay okay, I don’t mean that lol. I love that dog to death. He was very mellow when we adopted him, which I now believe was due to him being in the beginning stages of kennel cough, so he was feeling crappy aside from being in the shelter. So I knew we’d be in for a wakeup call when he got better. Well guess what? He’s feeling better now.

We tried the crate twice. The first time, he hated it, but stayed in it for a couple hours. The second time, he busted right out of it. I gave up on that, because by that second time, the housebreaking was done and successful and he wasn’t showing any signs of destruction or chewing behaviors… until now. (Maybe that was my first mistake - giving up on the crate training?).

I’ve been able to leave him for up to four hours by himself with no problems. I come home for lunch and take him out, then he’s good to go until we get home from work. Tonight, we were gone for about that long, and came home to a massacre. Alright, not really. Tonight, we said goodbye to the DVD player remote, a full box of tissues, his frisbee I just bought at Petsmart, one of my shoes and quite possibly a section of carpet in John’s ManCave. Our puppy has a serious case of separation anxiety. I feel like a horrible pet owner for not being more prepared to train him and raise him right.

So I need some advice. Training a dog yourself vs. obedience classes? I can watch Cesar all day long until I can’t keep my eyes open, but I’m still not convinced I can give this dog what he needs. PetSmart offers an 8 week class that I’ve been told is great. I’m just not sure what to do next. I do know that I need to give this pup some structure, because I’m thinking he’s not had that in a while. He does seem to know basic commands (sit, come, stay), but he doesn’t always follow them. You can tell by looking at him that he was someone’s pet… he’s gorgeous, and the pads of his feet are still fairly soft so he wasn’t roaming for long. Any words of advice for a new dog owner? Please? Somebody? Leo thanks you in advance.

Leo’s first vet visit was fantastic. He did SO well. We’ve only had him for a month, and I wasn’t sure how he’d be around the other animals since I only know for sure how he is with our cat. Well… he made fast friends with a HUGE Rottie and a very hyper boxer, so I think he’s gonna be fine! We had a long wait because they were running behind, and he even tried to console two little Yorkies that were nervous and barking up a storm. I’m just so thankful that he has the personality he does with other animals. I tried to take a picture in the waiting room of the dogs together but they all kept moving too much lol. He’s going to be so much fun at the dog park

So the community we moved to has a website with a forum/message board type thing where you can post just about anything. People talk about anything from politics, to the city, to posting info about coming events. It’s basically a free-for-all ongoing conversation around town, and a good medium to get to know your neighbors, etc. Anyway, a post caught my attention the other day that is still bugging me.

Hey everyone, I have two cats that I love very much, but… recently they’ve started peeing in our house (at least one of them has). It’s not all the time, but frequent enough to where it’s become a problem because of my 17 month old daughter. The vet says unfortunately it’s nothing physical, like a UTI. He says the only option outside of putting them down is trying to find a new home for them. He said often he finds when cats change homes they don’t have these tendencies in the new environment.

Really? A vet actually said that, over a behavioral problem? I’m gonna have to call bullshit on this. I know how frustrating this problem can be as I’ve had to deal with it before, but I’ve had animals all my life, and have been to a few different vets. NONE of them would ever say something like that. An animal with a medical problem, that is suffering and has a diminished quality of life, well that’s completely different. But this is a behavioral problem that the owners just don’t want to “deal with.” And I know this will garner many eye rolls, but my animals are like children to me. Would someone put a kid down because they urinated somewhere they shouldn’t have? NO.

I’m so mad that I can’t post on the boards yet (waiting for admin to approve my registration), and the person doesn’t give an email in their profile. Either the vet they went to doesn’t have the compassion to help the owners figure something out, or the owner is lying about the vet saying that, is just regretting taking the cats in and wants an easy way out. Forgot to mention, she says the cats were strays until about two years ago. She also claims that she called every shelter around here, and no one will take them - which is also bull because I personally know the people at the shelter we got Leo from, and they will take any animal that comes to them. Anyway, this just bugs me. Animals are not disposable. Get a second opinion, research the problem, take them to a cat rescue, SOMETHING. Don’t end its life just because you “can’t handle it anymore.”   

I am a bundle of overworked nerves lately. The biggest issue I’m having is the lack of help I’m getting from John with the dog. I’m the one who walks him, and the only one who tries to practice discipline with him. I’m trying like hell to be consistent, but it’s not working because My Other Half is not pulling his weight in this arena. I’ve gotten to the point that I really can’t stand the dog sometimes, and I HATE feeling that way. It’s not his fault at all, and I know that. His lack of exercise is making him impossible to deal with. Labs and Huskies are both known for excitability… and he’s a mix of the two! It’s like a double whammy here, and I can’t get John to see that.

The obedience class is being saved up for again. I’m just afraid that the money will be wasted because John won’t enforce the training at home once the course ends. On top of all this, the cat has decided that she’s going to stop using her litter box consistently. My pretty carpet, that was brand new when we moved in six months ago is now a mess. We use Kids & Pets and it works really well, but it’s like every day we’re finding a new spot. The carpet has lost it’s newness. This Saturday, we’ll be taking the carpet cleaner to the floor and heading to the dog park for a while to let it dry… again.

So this is the main cause for my nervous energy. I feel that my household is slipping into chaos. I have no energy to keep up with it, and I’m tired of feeling this way, like I have no control. Also, I’m not trying to make John out to be a horrible person or whatever, because he’s not. I love him dearly, and I couldn’t ask for a better mate (most of the time haha). The problem is, he’s one of those people that wants the cool thing but not the work that comes with it, know what I mean? Ugh, I need to do some yoga or something, get centered and regain some control around here. So uh… anyone wanna tell me how?