When I started this blog I thought it would be about the puppy that joined our family and how we trained each other. I thought it would be funny and interesting. I thought other pet owners would find some familiar stories that would make them chuckle. I thought, I thought, I thought ....
What has happened to my life either because of this black dog or coinciding with his becoming part of our household has been ... not quite what I expected.
Our house was two adult (somewhat senior) humans, two senior cats and Cllifford.
Now we have added three humans, one dog and five cats. The total is too much for me to face right now.
I get distracted a lot these days. Save my posts as drafts and wander off ... to return months later.
So I am going to choose to let this blog evolve. Up till now there has been almost no one reading it and since I have wandered off who can blame you. If I am to continue with this blogging experience I need to come up with something that will hold my attention long enough to keep me and hopefully others engaged.
Just like in the beginning I am asking myself "Why am I doing this and what do I want it to say?"
Clifford
His puppy self, in his very own back yard!
Friday, June 10, 2011
Friday, March 18, 2011
In the winter
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| He poses in his new coat. |
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| Then begins to unzip and chew his way out! |
More to follow ....
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Who is training who?
How did someone get the crazy idea that we could house train a dog? Seriously, I am the only one trained. Sure he sits, stays and comes when I call, but even that feels more like he has trained me, in when to give him treats.
I love this dog more than the human tongue can tell but there are days ...
The morning was going well, Clifford had just been out for a run in the yard and had taken care of business like a pro. He was ready for a nap so I thought it was a good time for me to get some house cleaning done.
I laid the dust rag down to answer the phone and Clifford took off with it. He ran down the hall, behind the couch, under the bed and I chased him as if there was a chance I could out run or out smart him. After ten minutes or so I gave up moved on to another task.
Vacuum cleaner humming ... suddenly ffffrrrrclump ... oh no something was sucked up in the hose ... oh no the smell! I quickly kicked the switch to stop the vacuum but it was too late. The entire house smelled like fresh dog doo.
I took the vacuum apart and ran water through every part I could. I put vinegar water down the hose trying to neutralize the odor. It seemed it was almost gone so I put a pile of baking soda on the floor and sucked it up in the vacuum ... still the fumes from the vacuum exhaust was not sweet. As I sat and stared at the vacuum wondering what else to do I glanced over and there he was sleeping soundly with my dust cloth and my husbands socks.
They are so precious when they are sleeping.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
In The Beginning
Clifford came to live with us April 29th 2010 along with a senior cat that we now call Chloe.
Clifford was neutered the day before we picked him up and was a little hung over from the anesthesia the first day. We brought him home, put some food in his dish which he ignored. We went downstairs after dinner to the tv room. As soon as the tv came on he went to sleep and slept the first evening until it was time for us to retire. He slept through the night in his crate until about 5:00 a.m.. Nice! No whining or restlessness. For the first few days every time we turned the tv on he went to sleep. How did we get so lucky? A puppy who was made for our somewhat slower pace.
That was the honeymoon phase and it was short lived. From the beginning he has slept through the night without a whimper and I am grateful. But there was a high price to pay for it. Soon Clifford, would become my fitness trainer.
One morning as Cliffy (his name only at those special moments) was napping on the couch, I thought it would be a good time to take my shower. I had just spent an hour or so retrieving various household items from the jaws of death and the warm water would relax me.
As I emerged from the shower and peered out into the steamy bathroom I realized my towel was not on the rack. I reached for my husband's, it was gone too. I stepped out on to cold floor, the rug was gone. As the steam began to clear I realized that the bathroom had been stripped of towels, clothes and my robe. Only one slipper remained and as I slipped my foot into it I realized the inside had been chewed out. I was not in the shower that long!
That will be remembered as a good morning....
Clifford was neutered the day before we picked him up and was a little hung over from the anesthesia the first day. We brought him home, put some food in his dish which he ignored. We went downstairs after dinner to the tv room. As soon as the tv came on he went to sleep and slept the first evening until it was time for us to retire. He slept through the night in his crate until about 5:00 a.m.. Nice! No whining or restlessness. For the first few days every time we turned the tv on he went to sleep. How did we get so lucky? A puppy who was made for our somewhat slower pace.
That was the honeymoon phase and it was short lived. From the beginning he has slept through the night without a whimper and I am grateful. But there was a high price to pay for it. Soon Clifford, would become my fitness trainer.
One morning as Cliffy (his name only at those special moments) was napping on the couch, I thought it would be a good time to take my shower. I had just spent an hour or so retrieving various household items from the jaws of death and the warm water would relax me.
As I emerged from the shower and peered out into the steamy bathroom I realized my towel was not on the rack. I reached for my husband's, it was gone too. I stepped out on to cold floor, the rug was gone. As the steam began to clear I realized that the bathroom had been stripped of towels, clothes and my robe. Only one slipper remained and as I slipped my foot into it I realized the inside had been chewed out. I was not in the shower that long!
That will be remembered as a good morning....
Monday, January 24, 2011
What was I thinking???
This is Clifford, the black dog I found at the local humane society. He is not the dog I was looking for and I probably would not have him now if it weren't for my husband. Clifford already had an adoption pending when we saw him. The shelter person said we could fill out an application in case the other adoption did not work out. If I had been there alone I would have left at that point and Clifford would probably have found another home. He was cute and adoptable; but not what I was looking for. I did not want to do the "puppy" thing. I wanted an older dog that was possibly housebroken and less energy intensive. Having done the "puppy" thing in the past I was fully aware of all that goes in to fitting a puppy into your home and wasn't really interested in doing that.
Why my husband filled out the application is still a mystery to me and he has no answer that makes sense. He has done nothing but complain, growl and generally object to every puppy trait that Clifford has demonstrated. He blames me for all of the unpleasant things that Clifford does. I feel innocent and fully justified as the martyr in this situation. Okay so lets be honest I am not completely innocent, I could have said no when the humane society called to tell us we were approved for Clifford.
We had also applied to adopt a cat that they called Rapunzel (not sure how they spelled it) and I was expecting that call. So when the voice on the other end said we had been approved for Clifford, it took me a couple beats to realize she was using the wrong name. I then asked her "Well what about Rapunzel?". She did not have information about Rapunzel but told me when we came to visit Clifford we could also inquire about Rapunzel.
After she ended the call I continued to hold the phone in front of me and ask questions .... Clifford? ...... What is wrong with me? ..... Should I call back and tell her to forget it? .... Is this really a good idea? ... Can I do a puppy? ... Maybe I could be the back up if they don't find someone else to adopt this dog .... oh, no that last thought revealed something to me .... I now feel responsible for this dog.
As my husband and I drove away from our house to visit with Clifford in my heart I knew we were coming home with a puppy. I knew myself well enough to know that if I went to visit with this dog I would be committed for life. The brief look we had in the kennel was enough to tempt me but a visit with touching and playing would end any chance for me to say no.
Still on the surface of things I clung to the idea that if it was not meant to be something or someone would intervene. Maybe the person evaluating us would decide we were unfit or unqualified. Clifford would bite us or growl in disapproval (I have a tendency to employ magical thinking in order to avoid accepting full responsibility). I will admit to you now that I knew that this little black puppy was going to bring havoc into our house and I didn't want to be blamed for what was going to happen.
Well, that is how Clifford entered my life. Oh, and yes we brought Rapunzel home with us too. We have changed her name to Chloe and she seems to like that. More on Chloe later.
So the journey begins .....
Why my husband filled out the application is still a mystery to me and he has no answer that makes sense. He has done nothing but complain, growl and generally object to every puppy trait that Clifford has demonstrated. He blames me for all of the unpleasant things that Clifford does. I feel innocent and fully justified as the martyr in this situation. Okay so lets be honest I am not completely innocent, I could have said no when the humane society called to tell us we were approved for Clifford.
We had also applied to adopt a cat that they called Rapunzel (not sure how they spelled it) and I was expecting that call. So when the voice on the other end said we had been approved for Clifford, it took me a couple beats to realize she was using the wrong name. I then asked her "Well what about Rapunzel?". She did not have information about Rapunzel but told me when we came to visit Clifford we could also inquire about Rapunzel.
After she ended the call I continued to hold the phone in front of me and ask questions .... Clifford? ...... What is wrong with me? ..... Should I call back and tell her to forget it? .... Is this really a good idea? ... Can I do a puppy? ... Maybe I could be the back up if they don't find someone else to adopt this dog .... oh, no that last thought revealed something to me .... I now feel responsible for this dog.
As my husband and I drove away from our house to visit with Clifford in my heart I knew we were coming home with a puppy. I knew myself well enough to know that if I went to visit with this dog I would be committed for life. The brief look we had in the kennel was enough to tempt me but a visit with touching and playing would end any chance for me to say no.
Still on the surface of things I clung to the idea that if it was not meant to be something or someone would intervene. Maybe the person evaluating us would decide we were unfit or unqualified. Clifford would bite us or growl in disapproval (I have a tendency to employ magical thinking in order to avoid accepting full responsibility). I will admit to you now that I knew that this little black puppy was going to bring havoc into our house and I didn't want to be blamed for what was going to happen.
Well, that is how Clifford entered my life. Oh, and yes we brought Rapunzel home with us too. We have changed her name to Chloe and she seems to like that. More on Chloe later.
So the journey begins .....
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