About a year ago we decided we wanted to get a dog. We wanted a female german to breed. They're smart, and very popular dogs. We knew they'd be easy to sell, and if for some reason they weren't, we could contact police stations, since german shepherds are often police dogs.
We wanted to wait a few months till it was warmer and the dog could stay outside most of the time. (I'm not what you'd call a pet person and was basically doing this to make Superman happy and get some extra cash every now and then.)
The very DAY we decided this, we got a surprise that night. Some people that Superman works with found out it was his birthday and that he was thinking about getting a dog. At 10 pm the doorbell rang and two of his co-workers were at the door with a puppy.
WHAT?!?
I was literally without words. This isn't like parents getting their kid a puppy for Christmas. This was making a major decision for adults!!! "Happy Birthday! Here's a 10 year commitment for you! Hope you like it!!"
We were shocked. Sure he was cute, but it was a puppy. A male golden retriever. Who I was now responsible for house breaking.
Joy.
Fortunately, he turned out to be a pretty good dog. Very smart and obedient. Of course he did the usually messy stuff on the carpet and chewed one of my favorite shoes, but he grew out of it fast enough.
All together now: "Awwww, how cute!!!" Have I mentioned that Max is a good-lookin' pup? He really is. As far as we can tell, they paid about $400 bucks for Max. Quite a birthday present, eh? From two female co-workers. Good thing I know Superman's loyal!
Mid-summer he was big enough that he needed to spend the day outside. We decided to get a mate for him to play and eventually breed with. We found one just about a year older than him that we bought.
Lacey is...........not as good of a dog. She's just not as well-bred. And is simply a dumber dog. She isn't as obedient and just doesn't pick up on Superman's training very quickly. Or at all. Plus, she's really anxious. Always panting heavily and rarely laying down and relaxing. She just has to be wherever you are, begging for attention. (Still with the panting in your face. Lovely.) She's always trying to put her paw on your leg -- something she must've picked up from her previous owners that we absolutely HATE.
Anyway....................now that it's so cold outside, the dogs are spending the majority of the day indoors. The dogs are great with the kids, which is a huge plus. If they weren't we'd probably have to get rid of them. We have baby gates that we use to block off the kitchen where they sleep, and where we put them if we have company over.
But golden retrievers shed. A LOT. Their long blonde hair just falls off all over the house. I have to vacuum before they come in and once they leave so that the vacuum doesn't get clogged. Though it still does. I have now fashioned my own personal vacuum unclogger from a wire hanger. Works quite nicely.
Except that I shouldn't have to unclog my vacuum every other day!!!!
(deep breaths)
And Max is now turning into a man, if you know what I mean. ALL the time. It's kind of amusing and disgusting all at the same time. Poor Lacey just puts up with it. (Just another reason I'm afraid of my boys being teenagers!!)
At any rate, having the dogs inside has definately changed my household behavior. I'm a better housekeeper, because if I'm not, the dogs will get to it. No laundry lying about, no dishes left on the table, or in the sink. Toys have to be put up. The only thing that's now dirtier is the kitchen. They track in quite a bit of mud, which I just can't bring myself to mop when I know it's going to be filthy again in 2 hours. (Though I suppose that's the tale of all housework -- you clean it up, even when you know it's just going to get dirty again.)
Oh. And sitting downwind of a dog?
I think I just threw up a little bit in my mouth.
I know some of you have pets. Am I just damaged because I didn't grow up with pets and therefore don't have the great love for them? Are they a part of your family or something to keep your kids (or husband) happy? Do you clean up after them just like you do with your kids, or is it different?
9 comments:
Yeah, giving someone a dog is a big deal. Big commitment (you can't just throw it in the goodwill pick up pile if it's not your style!) Glad he worked out for you. He's adorable!
I left you a little award on my blog. :)
i know what you mean!!!!
put it this way...
if spencer didn't love our cat so much, it would have been HISTORY A LOOOOOOOOONG TIME AGO!!!!!!!!
I'm sooo not an animal person. I definitely like dogs better than cats, but if we had one it would be an outdoor pet. On days like today (blizzard) that would seem mean, so we don't have a dog.
And if someone showed up on my doorstep with a dog, unannounced, I'd say thanks, but no thanks.
That's like giving someone a vaccum for Christmas.
"Merry Christmas. Here's a chore you can do."
We are dog people, although I didn't have them growing up. I like little dogs, cute little cuddly ones that like to sit on your lap. Luvpilot likes big dogs. His dog is a lab that sheds all the time. And especially now that he has thyroid problems. I can't leave him out during our hot summers, so I am vacuuming all the time. I made Luvpilot buy me a Dyson just for the dog hair. It has been so worth it!! Although now I have another problem. We dogsat my in-law's two dogs for a couple of days and they peed everywhere!! So gross! I will be renting a carpet cleaner as soon as I have time to clean my carpets. I so wanted to blog about it, but she reads my blog and would get offended if I complained about her babies. Seriously, her dogs are more work than kids. Okay, rant over.
We have a dog too. She is a German Shep mix and is mostly outdoors, but comes in the house in the winter. She stays in the back bedroom which is a TOTAL MESS!!! My girls just don't care. Have you ever thought about just brushing the dogs out beforehand, and maybe that would alleviate some of the shedding? Once this dog is "gone" were sticking to cats only.
Awwww they really are so cute! I think golden retrievers are such beautiful and sweet dogs. When we get a yard, I really want one! But that must be difficult, having them inside the house. I grew up with labrador retrievers, but they always lived outside and never came in. It's hard for me to imagine having large dogs inside. I like that you did a post about them and we got to see what they look like!
very cute dogs. super cute i'd say! :)
my pets (one dog, one cat) are like my children (but, you see, i have no kids and they are my substitutes...until i have real ones) but i also grew up with two dogs and cat. i used to hate cats, but moe (my cat) thinks he is a dog...so we're cool. so i guess i still hate cats...unless they think they are dogs. :)
anyway...i have to say, nelson used to be an outside dog and i miss that...he sheds everywhere and wallows all over my bed and gets into the trash. all the friggin' time. i've lived in my apartment for 6 months and i'm looking for a new place with a fenced in yard already...i think it's like a kid to me, you put up with the poop for the love! :)
Oh Alyssa.
You have not seen a messy dog until you have met Hank, and have not seen a dumb dog until you've met Lucy. Everyday there is a huge mess and you cannot leave anything on the floor. ANYTHING, that includes socks, books, CD's, underwear, ANYTHING.
But you know what? Despite the havoc these two dogs create, I can't help but love them so deeply. I know i'm only 15 but they really are like my children. No matter what trouble they get into, my anger will simmer down almost immediately (depends on what they destroyed) and that night they will be cuddling with me, and I almost want to cry I am so in love with these dogs.
But I know not everybody is like that and I understand it is very hard to tolerate something that you didn't want to in the first place. =D
Best of luck with the pups. :) They are too cute.
Wow! Sometime just gave you a dog for a present? That's a hard one! But he is adorable and I'm a sucker for animals even tho I complain about them all the time! We have 2 Beagles and I swear they think their name is "That damn dog". Ha! Because they love to howl. The girl loves to chew and steal your socks and underwear to chew on and our boy is a nervous nelly. But man, you gotta love their personalities too. They have such an adorable side that melts your heart. But like your dogs, ours shed and we have to keep up on the vacuuming-Vacuuming-vacuuming! The thing that makes it worth it is the memories my kids share with our animals. I had wonderful memories with my dog and my kids are having great ones with ours.
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