Yesterday I spent the day with my friends, Jacquie Rogers and Judith Laik. Jacquie has an in-home theater, and we lay in recliners all day watching movies (something we do several times a year).
It was the first time I left the puppy in the fenced yard all day long without supervision. Those of you who read this blog regularly, or who follow me on Twitter will have a good idea what happened while I was gone all day. That's Asterisk above with a sock in her mouth. I was taking pictures today of the socks she'd pulled off the clothesline the day before. She grabbed one and I snapped the picture. The 
massacred foam pad is something else she had taken off the line. By the time I arrived home, she'd gotten into a lot more things! Notice the picture of her looking so innocent in the foreground, while in the background lie the remains of a hanging wooden planter she had destroyed, along with plastic pots for seedlings, and ivy leaves she'd yanked off the ivy vine.
massacred foam pad is something else she had taken off the line. By the time I arrived home, she'd gotten into a lot more things! Notice the picture of her looking so innocent in the foreground, while in the background lie the remains of a hanging wooden planter she had destroyed, along with plastic pots for seedlings, and ivy leaves she'd yanked off the ivy vine.Here's a partial list of what she did:
- pulled a hanging planter off the deck table (where it was sitting, prior to being hung) and dismantled the planter and spread dirt and plants all over)
- chewed on the deck, the steps, the gate, the porch railing, the ivy covering the railing, and probably lots of other stuff I haven't found yet
- pulled an old rubber sink mat from the garbage and chewed it up
- ripped a pair of my socks off the clotheline
- shredded a blanket.
- knocked over a water bucket. Knowing her propensity for this, I'd put out two water buckets, since it was a hot day. The other bucket was fine
- climbed INTO a whiskey barrel planter and flung dirt at least 50 yards away. Dead plant bodies lie all over the yard
- got into my empty pots and planters that were neatly stacked on the deck table. She scattered them all over the yard
The bottom two pictures show the steps she chewed on, and the rubber sink mat she demolished. You know what, though? I'm just laughing. I see the humor in what she does. It's not malicious. It's just pure puppy fun. And if you can't have a little fun in life, then what's the use of living?
9 comments:
OMW!! Soon Aster might set to chewing you. What was poor Nova doing during all this?
I don’t know if this will help (or maybe you already done this) but have you considered setting out a bucket of toys? My boys still enjoy a good pair of undies and the occasional sock from the hamper, but digging through the toy bin is proving better sport. (especially when mommy trips over a carelessly flung bone)
Will your Aster destroy a Kong?
Our golden retriever, Lily, is happily content to gnaw away for hours at a Kong with peanut butter and kibbles frozen inside! I swear, it saved many a pair of shoes!
Nina, I think I'll try your Bucket 'o Toys! Asterisk is always poking around in my wastepaper basket, so I think she'd like a "legal" place to go toy surfing! Great idea!
Louisa, I have a Kong toy and both dogs love it. I smear peanut butter inside and they go to town. Amazing how long dog tongues are--they can reach faaaar inside to get every last bit. Never thought about freezing it!
I like to use a mixture of peanut butter, kibble and cooked brown rice (trying to bulk out the peanut butter, so Lily doesn't get too fat). Mix in a bowl, pack into a Kong, and toss it in the freezer. Hours of chewing pleasure...
Now that's an idea! I think I'll skip the kibble, because the pup is indifferent to her food, but the rice and peanut butter sounds like a good idea!
Now, to go out in the yard and find the Kong, bring it in, wash it off, and pack it with goodies. What fun! My dogs will love you forever, Louisa!
"pup is indifferent to her food"
Ahhhh... we had this trouble with Voltan the Destroyer. (our #2 GSD) Started adding a chopped up hard-boiled egg to his food every day and he is a much Much MUCH happier dog. It’s cheaper than expensive dog food and I'm not replacing chair finials or scraping undies quite so much.
Nina, "scraping undies"???
I'm almost afraid to ask! *g*
Yea, you know, when your dog gets hold of a pair and starts chew'n. They’re not much good after that.
"scraping undies"???
OK, it took me a while... a long while. Then it hit me in the shower! It should be "scrapping (as in throwing something away) undies", right? Ugh. I never learned phonics in school. Teachers were too busy experimenting with rote memorization back then. Since, I've learned the rules (while homeschooling my daughter who, now in 9th grade, reads and writes at near-college level), but it's hard to teach an old dog new tricks. :-)
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