Well the time has come for me to return to work next week. I am happy that I still have a job to return to, but at the same time sad I will be gone all day away from my “babies”.
Since I have been home (5 months now) Otis has not gone to doggie day care, Marley has not been in his crate, and we have the newest edition Brock. They are all wonderful and for the most part behaved and well mannered, but when mom is away the children like to play. I am very apprehensive as one of my fur-children, Otis, suffers from separation anxiety, Marley was crate trained from the day we adopted him, and Brock I am not sure about as he has only been here about 9 weeks and I only crated him a few days.
When I am gone for appointments I have left the three of them to mind after themselves and have the run of the house. So far there has only been a minor thing when I have gotten home, but just like watching NASCAR run at Talladega, you are biting your nails waiting on the big one. We had one of those a few years back and I am not sure my husband could handle another one
A few years back (before Marley and Brock) we kept Otis in the garage while we were out of the house, and in the garage to keep him company was a radio, a fan to keep him cool and a bone and chew toy. What we never could have imagined happened one day when we left him there for only about an hour and went to the store. When I walked into the garage through the side door, the fan was still oscillating from side, Otis was there wagging his tail happy I was home.
But I felt something cold in my bones, I just stood there not really seeing or hearing what was happening; my brain just could not focus on what I was seeing. I felt as if I was in a dream and all was blurred and moving in slow motion. I saw snow floating in the air, snow??? It was May in SC, there is no snow in SC even in December. I went to Otis and saw he had some blood on his mouth, I was scared and for all the wrong reasons. I moved to the front of the garage where the door to the house is and there it was...the snow machine. My husband’s corvette was parked in the garage and was under a car cover for dust protection, trust me when I say dust was not the car’s immediate danger, Otis was. Otis must have been bored or having an anxiety attack and so he proceed to chew the fiberglass bumper of this beautiful car. The snow was what was left of the car cover.
It was then I jumped into protection mode of my own, protection of Otis from the car’s owner who was just turning the door knob of the side door into the garage. I instantly ran to the door and tried to lock it, but Lennie, confused, pushed harder and the door opened. I ran back to the front of the garage and hit the button on the wall that opens the bay door and yelled, “Run Otis run!!!” Otis did not hesitate; he ran across the street and sat on my neighbor’s front step just quivering. I tried to calm my husband, but we need to be real here how would you have reacted if your corvette had just become the largest chew toy?
Many years later, and a call to the insurance company, we now laugh of that day and Otis has been very happy in a cage free doggie daycare. But times are tough and the daycare is no longer an option due to the cost, so back to where I began, wondering when that “big one” will strike again and what will be the new chew toy of choice?
Since I have been home (5 months now) Otis has not gone to doggie day care, Marley has not been in his crate, and we have the newest edition Brock. They are all wonderful and for the most part behaved and well mannered, but when mom is away the children like to play. I am very apprehensive as one of my fur-children, Otis, suffers from separation anxiety, Marley was crate trained from the day we adopted him, and Brock I am not sure about as he has only been here about 9 weeks and I only crated him a few days.
When I am gone for appointments I have left the three of them to mind after themselves and have the run of the house. So far there has only been a minor thing when I have gotten home, but just like watching NASCAR run at Talladega, you are biting your nails waiting on the big one. We had one of those a few years back and I am not sure my husband could handle another one
A few years back (before Marley and Brock) we kept Otis in the garage while we were out of the house, and in the garage to keep him company was a radio, a fan to keep him cool and a bone and chew toy. What we never could have imagined happened one day when we left him there for only about an hour and went to the store. When I walked into the garage through the side door, the fan was still oscillating from side, Otis was there wagging his tail happy I was home.
But I felt something cold in my bones, I just stood there not really seeing or hearing what was happening; my brain just could not focus on what I was seeing. I felt as if I was in a dream and all was blurred and moving in slow motion. I saw snow floating in the air, snow??? It was May in SC, there is no snow in SC even in December. I went to Otis and saw he had some blood on his mouth, I was scared and for all the wrong reasons. I moved to the front of the garage where the door to the house is and there it was...the snow machine. My husband’s corvette was parked in the garage and was under a car cover for dust protection, trust me when I say dust was not the car’s immediate danger, Otis was. Otis must have been bored or having an anxiety attack and so he proceed to chew the fiberglass bumper of this beautiful car. The snow was what was left of the car cover.
It was then I jumped into protection mode of my own, protection of Otis from the car’s owner who was just turning the door knob of the side door into the garage. I instantly ran to the door and tried to lock it, but Lennie, confused, pushed harder and the door opened. I ran back to the front of the garage and hit the button on the wall that opens the bay door and yelled, “Run Otis run!!!” Otis did not hesitate; he ran across the street and sat on my neighbor’s front step just quivering. I tried to calm my husband, but we need to be real here how would you have reacted if your corvette had just become the largest chew toy?
Many years later, and a call to the insurance company, we now laugh of that day and Otis has been very happy in a cage free doggie daycare. But times are tough and the daycare is no longer an option due to the cost, so back to where I began, wondering when that “big one” will strike again and what will be the new chew toy of choice?
3 comments:
Otis does crate now, yes? I think it is very interesting how we never seem to remember to grab the camera and photograph these "special moments" in our dog friend's rearing. I think its because we go into such complete brainlock and shock that the moment truly comes down to a life and death thing.
Bear has not chewed up a corvet... I'll give him that, however, after watching him destroy the living room, I firmly believe he is capable of it.
Great post!
Happy wandering!
The Writer...and her dog, Bear
To the writer, no Otis cannot be in crated, not even if we go away, no kennels at all. My husband without my knowlege placed him in one the day after this happened, when I got home from work he had broken two of his canines down to the gum line and that was not all, needless to say it was a vet visit and the crate my husband borrowed from our neighbor was in no contition to return. We have a dog sitter come in if we are going to be out for longer than say 5-6 hours. If Otis is not in a crate and if it is not thundering he calmly layes about the house and is the perfect dog!
Yikes! Yes, very expensive chew toy indeed.
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