Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Ten Things That Are More Difficult with a Dog

As much as I love Charlie (I think that is evident from all the posts and pictures I put on here), there are many ways in which he makes life more difficult than pre-puppy days.

1. Sleeping-this is probably our fault for letting him sleep on the bed with us from a young age, but we just couldn't say no. Now Charlie owns the bed. His preferred place is right in the middle, stretching his legs as far as possible. When that gets old, he plops down on top of one of us, usually when we're completely zonked and he lands in the most inconvenient place possible (ie: a sore arm, full bladder, or groin). And sleeping in is a thing of the past since he paws at my face (only mine, not Brian's) as soon as it starts getting light out on the weekends.

2. Painting my toenails-I actually woke up half an hour early this morning so that I could paint my toenails before a certain pup would be out of bed and insanely curious about what I was doing. Plus, with all the dog hair floating around, I had to make sure to stay in a closed room to limit the possibility of hair landing in my freshly painted toes. Oh, the things you take for granted.

3. Taking a shower-he either wants to be in the shower with me (and then drink soapy water and make himself sick), or he whines incessantly outside the door until you let him in.

4. Doing any sort of home improvement project-we have been trying to paint and decorate our house, but it is so much harder with Charlie wanting to sniff and explore every single thing we do. Plus he thinks drywall dust is a magical treat that falls from above and doesn't understand when we yell at him as he tries to eat it.

5. Watching a movie or tv show without interruption-whether he wants our attention to play, we fear he is getting into something, or he needs to go outside, our tv time (and dinner time and free time) are never just ours anymore. One more reason to be thankful for our dvr and the ability to pause live tv.

6. Keeping our house clean-it's a constant battle against dog hair on the floor, on the furniture, and on our clothes.  Except the dog hair always wins. Always.

7. Being spontaneous-we can't really take a weekend trip or attend a last minute happy hour anymore (although if we're being honest, we didn't do that a whole lot before). We always consider how such plans will affect Charlie and whether they really need to be done before committing.

8. Buying any decor for our house-since Charlie is still very much a puppy with some of those terrible puppy behaviors, we have to find things for our home that are indestructible or easily replaceable. Charlie is a chewer and is particularly fond of all things bedding: pillows, sheets, and blankets are his guilty pleasures. So, when buying linens for our brand new bed, we went for cheap and functional, knowing it will most likely end up stained and with bite marks until this phase passes and we can replace it.

9. Opening the freezer-Charlie loves ice, so much so that of you open the freezer drawer he comes bolting towards the kitchen, regardless of where he was or what he was doing. It's actually pretty adorable, except when you just want to get some ice without being accosted by a very excited puppy.

10. Leaving him-I mean, who wants to be away from this??


Even with all these difficulties, I wouldnt change a single thing.

How does your pet make life more interesting?

2 comments:

  1. When Baxter was a puppy, I was right with you on everything on the list (except the ice...he was interested for a few weeks, but then realized treats are better).

    We just kicked him out of the bed a few months ago and though Marc said I was mean for doing it, it has noticed that he sleeps better now. I'm thrilled that I'm not constantly washing our duvet cover!

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  2. Ha! I find it so weird that our dog likes ice (our last dog did not). So much that when you're filling up a glass with the ice dispenser in the door, he will sit right at the edge of the kitchen waiting for a piece to drop (or for us to give him a piece).

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