Saturday, August 2, 2008

Me, my crazy head, and a puppy

I've made a huge mistake! Don't you hate when that feeling overwhelms you? Especially for someone that is always right like myself, it's a very sobering feeling.

My kids begged for a dog for months, maybe even the full year! They incessantly talked about friends' pets that they played with at their houses. They would come home from school and make me feel like shit tell me how they were the only kids in class that couldn't fill out the "My Pet" section in a class survey. They oogle at the neighbor dogs walking past the house several times a day. I knew they wanted one, but my husband and I were not up for it. We held our ground as one strong united front- no dog! Dogs are a lot of work- we told them repeatedly!

Then tell me, why didn't I heed my own advice? Why, for the love of God, did I ignore my own gut instincts that told me they shed hair, they pee and poop, they bark, they stink and they lick. Furthermore, why did I ignore your advice? I had so many blogger buddies warn me- Don't do it!

I'll tell you why... It started at the flea market. We went about a month ago just to wander and browse- it was actually the day I found my beloved purchase. While there, I was surprised to see buttloads of stands selling puppies. I'm not sure of the legitimacy of the sellers and how they came about to have these pups, but they had lots- I'd say out of 200 vendors, every 4th was selling puppies.

Let's be honest,even from a self- acclaimed non-dog person, puppies are cute- and these were no exception! So about every fourth stand we encountered, my kids' faces lit up like a Steeley Dan concert (wow! have you been to one of those? No Joke!) The ooohs, the aahhhs, the awwws, each time they fell in love with another one. We would have to yank them away so my husband could go and look for useless collectible shit that will, no doubt, end up in a box in the basement his stuff.

Actually, at first, we lied and tried to fake them out and said- look there's more up here, let's go- little did we we know, there really were more! The more cute puppies I saw and the more excited my kids got at each litter, the more I thought, these aren't so bad and look how happy it makes them!

Now, I can be as mean and depriving a mom as the best of them. I have no guilt when it comes to taking things away, denying treats or activity for misbehavior, I'm a pretty bad ass mom. So, the fact that my heart melt every time they held a new puppy, with their smiles gleaming and they talked to them in that silly squeaky baby voice can be easily overlooked. I'm tough, I can handle it.

The true problem lies with me! I thought the puppies were cute, dammit! Their cute little baby faces and the way they just layed there in their pen, they looked so harmless!

So, when I get something set in my crazy head, it's a dangerous place. I came home and did research. I tried to see if there were puppies that wouldn't shed, were relatively small, and good natured. I forgot to research the kind that don't pee, poop, are not high maintenance and don't stink. I came upon some breeds, mixes, breeders, and rescues. I went to their respective websites. The pictures were all so cute! My crazy head was becoming more and more determined. Unfortunately, what my crazy head wants, as poorly thought out and initiated it may be, my crazy head gets.

Well, my crazy head, I hope you're happy! My crazy head is tired. My crazy head sick of cleaning up pee and poop. My crazy head is watching this pup scratch ( and even though he is using Frontline), my crazy head will not stop itching for fear of a rare human infestation in my head. My crazy head vacuumed at 6AM to try and get the fleas that it doesn't see and the vet says aren't there, but I'm convinced they are! Please let me lay my crazy head on shoulder and cry for a bit. Tell me it will all be better. Tell me dogs get house trained. Tell me that my husband wouldn't kill me if I got rid of him after we've already invested so much money, time and energy into him!




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12 comments:

amelia bedelia said...

I am the same way! I think "oh, i really need that kitten that is in the middle of the street"...yeah, ok, two weeks later we all had ringworm! "free kitty" turned into $200 vet bill.

Sue Wilkey said...

Hang in there. You know the "honeymoon phase"??? This is the exact opposite. The accidents, the biting, the barking , the waking you at all hours. Think of it like having a newborn. A major pain in the ass, but it all settles down in a few years. Well, for dogs it's like 9 months- 1 year. Professional training is a huge help. A year from now, I would be shocked if you didn't love the dog like a crazy person.

Amy Amy Bo Bamey said...

This too shall pass. I have been where you are and now that my dog is past the puppy phase all is better. I wanted to strangle my dog when he chewed up son's ipod, dvd, and like 5 pair of sandals. But now that teething is over we are a loving family. My dog potty trained pretty easily. He has a doggy door so he can go in and out as needed and I love that. Do you use puppy pads and are they working? That's what I used.

Unknown said...

I promise you, it will get better! When puppies are little, they're a lot like babies--WORK, WORK, WORK. But after a couple of months he will be housebroken and will sleep through the night MUCH quicker than any baby I know ever has. And you'll even be able to go some place and leave him home alone--you can't do that with kids until they're, what 13? 18? LOL! Don't worry, this will all soon be a distant (unpleasant) memory!
~Christy

Honeybell said...

I agree, it WILL get better! One bit of unsolicited advice, get an aluminum can, put some pennies in it, tape it shut, and KEEP IT WITH YOU. Watch him like a hawk, every time he tries to pee or poo in the house, give it a shake or two in his direction right before you take him out. It speeds up the housebreaking process considerably. (consistency is the key)

Jill said...

Hello T!!!! So glad to be back here and catch up on your life!

You're not crazy. Puppies are cute... that's what got me too. I wanted to badly to give ours back - for about the first 2 years. Then she grew on me. Now I only want to give her away about 1 day a month... that's usually when she's just done a huge vomit right in the middle of the rug - and my husband has surprisingly not seen it.

Deb said...

I think all of the ladies here are probably right. You've only had the dog a couple of weeks, so hopefully things will settle down soon.

I was scared to death 4 years ago when we got our cat (then a kitten), but it did eventually work itself out.

As far as your husband giving you a hard time if you do return the dog, my only response to that would be to wonder if he is willing to help out with the dog? It always seems like the Moms who get stuck with the pet jobs.

Momo Fali said...

I've been wanting another puppy so bad. Our lab is 10 years old and I want the kids to be able to have the experience of a puppy. But, last week I was around an 18 month old retriever and it drove me crazy in about 10 minutes flat. Got that puppy idea right out of my head.

Tiffany said...

It will get easier. I promise. And once you get him house trained you'll be so happy! I regret buying a dark chocolate sofa which shows every damn piece of trash or dog hair, even though they aren't allowed on it! Just hang in there.

Queen-Size funny bone said...

I hear ya. I got a dog to keep my husband who is retired because of Traumatic Brain injury company. Didn't work so I got another dog to keep the first dog company. Yup the pee and poop is getting better after almost one year.

Unknown said...

It will most definetly get better...there will be a time that you will be very grateful for that little puppy...and it will be able to comfort you in a way no one else can.
I suggest puppy training class...you can usually get them through your vet, or petstore...since you are NOT a dog person...find out if you can do a one on one training...It will save your sanity...believe me.

Unknown said...

I got the cutest,sweetest lil doggers(mr gp) and when I tried to give him back my mother-law-in refused to take him...i kid i kid...

We love our lil dachshund "ginger" and things do get easier a pp suggested a can with coins GREAT idea-we used a bell