Life with a Dog

So, my sister's family has a dog. They are going to Virginia with the Army for 14 weeks so my brother-in-law can do some schooling. They don't have a place to stay and thought they'd leave their dog and cat with my parents in Wayne. Fine, fine, fine. Except that my parents have three dogs currently and the "top" female dog hates Maggie. They fight and can't be outside at the same time. And then my sis said, "I don't suppose you guys would take Maggie?" I'm a people pleaser...what do you think I said? I wanted to help them out. This was a way; I was on it with gusto.

So Maggie came to stay early in January. The kids were thrilled. Yes, we'll feed her. Yes, we'll brush her. Yes, we'll walk her. Yes we'll pick up her poop. (My personal non-favorite...who ever decided that would be a good idea?)

Well the kids are thrilled and do fairly well on the feeding. They brush her back at least and take her out for some ball fetching (seeing as there are no sidewalks scooped to walk her on in this neighborhood). Generally we're doing OK. They love Maggie. If I permitted it, I'm sure they'd sleep with her.

However, we are not getting a dog when Maggie leaves. Why you ask? Let me tell you... (And me for I'm sure I will need to reread this post when my children start begging for a dog...3.6 seconds after they say goodbye to Maggie.)

She stinks. Not terrible. Nothing multiple bottles Fabreze and scented candles can't handle but I just don't like it. We were forewarned about this...it's very true.

She has nightmares and howls in the middle of the night. It's enough to wake the dead (all but my children who could sleep through anything apparently). We were also forewarned about this...also very true.

She doesn't stay in the yard if we leave her by herself. The neighbors are kind enough to call me when, oops, I forgot we put Maggie out FIVE MINUTES AGO! This past weekend, Kev let her out at 11pm and came up to tell me something. Maybe a 5 minute conversation. You already guessed what happened? Yes, she was gone. Not a little-calling-out-the-front-door gone. The kind of gone that requires Kev to get in the car and travel the neighborhood and me to call out the back and front door every two minutes and traipse around the yard in my jammies and coat. (Yes, if you're wondering, she did come racing back from way back in the acreages behind our house. I'd say she was chasing a rabbit or squirrel and forgot herself.) I just have to say that I prayed more fervently for that dog to come home for twenty LONG minutes than I have in the recent past. I kept thinking of the phone call to my sis and her kids I would need to make. Not good!

All that to say. I'm not a dog person. I'm happy to dog-sit. But I just like them outside, in a doghouse, all the time! I know, I should go live on a farm...but they don't even do that on farms anymore. My mom lets the three dogs in the utility room in the basement every night 365 days a year and has the cats out in a shed with a HEAT LAMP. I just don't attach well to animals. Could have been raising a bottle calf and then finding out I was eating "Spunky" or maybe the dozens of favorite cats I went through living on the farm. (Cars and tractors and rat poison to not make for long cat lives.)

Oh, and I do love Maggie and the kids are THRILLED to pieces to have her. I'm glad we have her for a little while. She is one sweet, quiet and obedient dog. Thus the reason that she's still in my house!