A new home for Achilles

I feel awful.  I really do but I also think a new home is the best option for our high maintenance pup.  I knew he was a lot of work but didn’t realize how much until I had a baby.  It’s almost impossible to keep up with the two of them.  I am constantly cleaning messes either from the baby (which I don’t mind) or the dog (which really annoys me).  I usually have to keep them separate somehow which isn’t fair to either one.  Then there is the constant barking and misbehaving on Achilles part.  The days can get exhausting.

I think he is acting out because he is not getting the attention or exercise he wants and needs.  I don’t blame him but I just can’t possibly do it all.  I want him to find a good home where he can run and play, maybe a home with older kids who would play with him all day or a single person or a couple without kids who would take him on walks or runs or to the off leash park every day.  That’s what I imagine for Achilles.  I want him to have the best home a better home than I can provide right now. 

I talked about training him before but the truth is I had to be honest with myself.  I really don’t have or want to take the time to work with him everyday.  So we have him listed with the local Weimaraner Rescue and also craigslist.  I’m really hoping to find a home through the Rescue, they have quite a system including an application, a small fee and a signed contract that if the new adopters give him up he goes back to the rescue and NOT the shelter. 

I’ve received a few inquiries through craigslist but honestly I had to talk these people out of “adopting” him.  One family had a one year old.  Ok.  Um (like I said in my ad) he doesn’t do well with little kids.  But this dude was very persistent.  Finally, I had to tell him it won’t work.

The next woman was a single mom, over-weight (she told me this on the phone), works full time and lives in a condo.  Again, I can already see this won’t fit.  She saw Achilles as her protector being a single mom and all, I can understand wanting a big dog for protection.  But she had this idealized view of a weim. based on a visit with a friend who owned one. And a large dog in a condo?  Not such a good match.  She promised to exercise him every day but even two very active people can’t manage that. 

I feel like I am talking everyone out of “adopting” Achilles and I wonder is it because I can’t let him go or is it I really want to find the very best home for him?  I think it’s the latter although it won’t be easy to let him go, I still cry when I think about him leaving.  In the end, when we find that perfect home, I have to remind myself he will be so much happier and that’s what I truly want.

Life with Achilles

I think of myself as a responsible pet owner. I do all the normal things any responsible pet owner would do like picking up after him when he poos on walks, distract him when the mailman comes to the house (because his barks sound like he would like to tear out the poor man’s heart), annual visits to the vet unless he manages to injure himself in-between then we might have multi annual trips to the vet. He once broke two toes in three places and had to wear a cast for 8 weeks. He is current on all medication and shots and he gets walks and runs throughout the week (I could step this part up a bit) even a visit to the Platte River or Chatfield Dog Park once in a while. He will soon be the recipient of some expert doggie training.

You would think because of all the nice things we do for him he would be the most grateful dog and just be good instead of insisting that he nap on the couch or getting into the trash or eating any morsel that might have accidently been left in his sight.

The other day I had to go to the post office. Going to the post office could be a post all in itself. I can see why it’s called “going postal” but I won’t bore you with my complaints about the post office. Suffice it to say I try to never go but it couldn’t be helped this time. It was necessary.

So anyway after what I would call a very painful trip to the post office I returned home to find Achilles greeting me at the door with his ears down and a look on his face that says “guilty”. If you are a dog owner you know the look. What I don’t get is if he knows he is guilty why doesn’t that stop him from doing the bad deed in the first place?

Then I see crumbs all over my living room carpet. Funny, I swear I put all the food away so his greedy little paws wouldn’t touch anything. I am curious, what did he eat? I walk a bit further into my home and see more evidence of his greed, crumbs on the cork floor and even on the couch! He had the gall to not only sneak food he wasn’t supposed to but he ATE IT ON THE COUCH! I search the kitchen but still can’t figure out what he ate….and then it hit me, there was a full box of dog bones in the closet and I forgot to shut the door. I walk to the said closet and yup, he ate about half the box. I am not sure what stopped him from eating the entire box, whether it was my return from the post office or his tiny pea brain kicked in and said, “Wow, my tummy is getting really full maybe I should stop eating these bones.” My bet is on my return as I have never seen an example of his brain working.

I then reap the benefits of his bad behavior when I get to smell his awful gas for the next two days and when he had to go out for two emergency potty trips at 2am and then again at 3 am.

This morning I was not however a responsible pet owner. On our morning run he had to go potty and his system is so screwed up from the binge his poo was pretty much goo (liquid-y watery goo) sorry for the vivid picture this might paint in your mind. There was no way I was going to even attempt to pick this goo up. Thankfully it was on a side yard full of weeds. Sorry to whoever might call that weed filled patch their yard.

That my friends is in a nutshell “life with Achilles”.

 

Dog school for the not so gifted and talented

Cool, I figured something out most of you computer whizzes probably already knew. You can post to your blog from Microsoft word. Neat-o. Maybe now I can underline book titles. My punctuation will still be poor though. I guess Bill Gates can’t do everything for me! Let’s try it All the Pretty Horses and maybe even a cross out or two. Sweet!

A while back I mentioned we might have to give up our dog. This would truly break my heart, he was our baby before our human baby came along and I still love him dearly. It’s an unconditional love the love I have for my dog, it has to be or else he would have been booted a LONG time ago. Truth is, I can’t see Petunia growing up without him. My family always had a dog around and that’s what I want for P. She needs a dog to romp in the grass with, to play fetch with, and to completely soak her while playing in the river. A pal who will never talk behind her back and will stick by her as long as he lives and even eat those veggies she hates. You know, man’s best friend.

My dog is all that and the biggest challenge of my life. He is truly like having a second child; my mom even said once that kids will be easy compared to him. I usually have to do more regarding the dog before leaving the house then I do for the kid. I know it’s our fault for having a challenging beast. He was my first baby and such a cute pup that I couldn’t say no and now I am regretting allowing him to get away with just about everything. We also didn’t know what we were getting ourselves into when we got a Weimaraner. My husband picked the bread because they are beautiful dogs, bad move honey. They are beautiful no doubt about it but also: loyal and loving to his family (aka needs LOADS of attention), an incredible hunter (aka needs TONS of exercise and are bread to go go go ALL DAY LONG), a fearless guardian of his family and territory (aka super protective and barks at EVERYTHING!) and in spite of the folklore and myth surrounding the breed, the Weimaraner is not a wonder dog. Given the opportunity, he will still steal the pot roast off the dining room table when no one is looking!

The worst characteristic he has developed is growling at our child. This totally freaks me out and is a characteristic I will not tolerate. I would NEVER EVER want ANYTHING to happen to Petunia because we are not responsible pet owners or responsible parents. So instead of doing what would be easiest (in the long run) meaning giving him to the Weimaraner Rescue we have decided to invest in some training. I really really want Petunia to grow up with a dog, she adores him already and I know when she is a little older they will become inseparable.

We did training once, when he was a puppy and he knows basic commands it’s just he usually chooses to ignore those basic commands, especially when they come from me. He regards himself as the master in command, the king of our little castle. He sees Petunia as a threat to his territory and a little unpredictable. I am hoping with a little advanced training he will not only stop growling at Petunia but they will become best pals.

 

We have been advised to get our dog trained before; I guess other people have noticed his annoyances. He was actually kicked out of a doggie kennel but the one we have him in now just LOVES him and our vet LOVES him too so he can’t be all bad. I am concerned what the dog trainer will say about him and really about us and our lack of training. I’ve read a bit of (oh, again I can use the underline) Cesar’s Way and guess what dog is on the front cover, a Weimaraner. Cesar is the dude with the hit show Dog Whisperer. From what I’ve read we have done pretty much the opposite of his recommendations. He says “there are no problem breeds, just problem owners.” Yeah, that’s me.

So dog training for the not so gifted and talented, here we come. I’m excited to have a well behaved dog roaming my house that loves my kid and yet protects us from strangers.I will keep you posted on our progress.

 

What the February?

Today it’s so beautiful outside (almost 60 degrees), I can’t not be outside. I went to my Hot Mamas exercise class (no joke, that’s what it’s called-oh and don’t type wwwdothotmamasdotcom cuz that’s a porn site-I know from experience and NOT because I was looking at porn-minds out of the gutter!) but I must have been the only one who didn’t get the memo because not another soul was there. I don’t get it, it was 50 degrees out, where was everybody? Since I made the effort to gather all my exercise paraphernalia and Petunia and her must haves to go to this class I didn’t want to just turn around and go home so Petunia and I went for a run around the park. I knew I had to take advantage of the opportunity of the warm weather and sunshine, we won’t be seeing those for a while. Tomorrow we are to get 4-8 inches of the white stuff. UGGGG.
Sick. of. Snow.
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My day’s are numbered. In fact I probably only have one or two left. Petunia is so so close to crawling. She gets up on her hands and knees and can stay there for 5-10 seconds before she tires and is back on her tummy. She just mastered the rolling over, she had back to front down at 4 or 5 months but didn’t get front to back until last week and that has opened a whole new world for her and me too. I don’t have to “rescue” her from laying on her tummy any more. She can already scoot around and of course gets into all sorts of stuff, like the stereo and remotes. I think it’s time for the baby gates…….
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I have a problem. My dog growls at my baby. We are a concerned about this and of course watch them closely when they are in the same room together. Usually, I am right down on the floor next to them to intervene if need be. Most of the time he doesn’t seem bothered by her. He will come up to her and lick her face or her hands but if she enters his space or touches him he is all out growling just shy of showing his teeth. I think he is jealous of her. I make sure to give him plenty of attention and pets especially, while we are all on the floor together. I don’t want to punish him for growling because that’s his warning system. The funny thing is he LOVES other peoples kids, loves them! So I think it’s a territorial thing and I understand, I mean he was our baby and now not so much. I hope he gets over it soon. Giving him away is a last resort and I don’t want it to come down to that. Do any of you have tips? or suggestions?

waiting and waiting and waiting…..

I am not a good waiter, not as in a server at a restaurant but as in sitting around waiting for something or someone to arrive. I have patience in most areas of my life but this is not one of them. It does work both ways, I don’t like when people have to wait on me either.
I don’t like planning my day around the cable guy, or laundry dude or the UPS deliver-er. Today it’s the UPS deliver-er today. My new computer is supposed to arrive and so I am sitting here NOT patiently waiting and waiting and waiting for this blasted UPS delivery guy. Every other day his truck rumbles down the street at 11am and my dog barks his “hello” or rather his “get the hell off my street” not so today, it is silent except for the 30mph wind gusts. Now it’s almost 2pm and no sign of the guy. I wait here at the computer because I have a full view of the street so I can intervene when he arrives. My goal is to prevent my barking dog from waking the napping baby-that’s really my main concern and I know as soon as I start doing the dishes the UPS deliver-er will arrive, knock on the door and barkingdog-wakingbaby will ensue. At any rate I guess it’s a good excuse to catch up on blogging. I hope your day was more productive.

PS. I’m already done with the pink. Too much. Back to my basic black and white with just a splash of color. Much better.

Greek Hero or Heel?

Achilles was the son of the mortal Peleus and the Nereid Thetis. He was the mightiest of the Greeks who fought in the Trojan War, and was the hero of Homer’s Iliad.
This is not how we describe our Achilles. We usually use the term “Achilles Heel”.
Of course we love him still.
He is a very spoiled pooch
as most dogs are these days.
He pretty much thinks he runs the
house and isn’t liking the “new addition”
too well. He thinks the bed
(meaning our bed) and the couch
are his domain.

Wow, people read my blog and I’ve been tagged

I am new to blogging and pretty much know nothing about the workings of a blog. How did anyone find my blog (especially since I have changed my url 20x-I can’t decide what I wanted to go with but I think I have it now) and then decide to tag me? I enjoy reading other mom’s blogs who have been there done that and I can laugh with them.

Back to the tagging. My friend Latte Mommy tagged me and I’m supposed to write 7 things about myself and then tag 7 other blogs. I’m not sure my life is that interesting but here it goes.

*I haven’t eaten red meat for 12 years and just last week decided that I needed a change so now I’m a meat eater again! This will shock my family I am sure.

*When my kid(s) is/are in school I want to get back to school myself and study landscape design/architecture. I love digging in the dirt and being outside so I thought this would be the best of both worlds. I also want to take photography lessons oh and go to cooking school. Think I’ll have time for all this?

* I always hate my hair. If it’s short I want it long, if it’s long I want it short. I want it blonder, browner, curlier, straighter…you get the point. What’s wrong with me??

*I “adopted” a little girl in Guatemala and some day would love to go and meet her and her family.

*I love, love, love snowshoeing. It’s such a great experience and if you haven’t tried it you gotta do it. It’s good bonding time, a great work out and fun all rolled into one. What’s better than a crisp winter day, sun shinning, snow glistening, you are up in the mountains and it’s peaceful (no traffic, no sirens, no rude people). You can actually hear the breeze moving through the trees and it smells so nice, fresh. Ahhh wish I was there right now.

* I have a dog named Achilles, he is a weimeraner and a pain in the a**. But of course I love him. I have been begging my husband for another dog for 5 years now and he has yet to give in. I love dogs and I think Achilles needs a friend (a much smaller and mellower friend so I don’t have to entertain him everyday

*I’m getting addicted to blogging

Now I’m supposed to tag 7 people. Since I am new to blogging I don’t know 7 bloggers who haven’t been tagged several times. Most of the blogs I have read so far seem to be very experienced bloggers.

I will however have to tag my friend Lulu who is also a new blogger so I know she hasn’t been tagged yet.

Hope I didn’t bore you all.