A Long Road

Puppy training is tiring, has anyone ever told you that? It is. It’s about consistency AND encouragement, and a whole lot of patience which can seem in short supply when you’re so very very tired.

But, the whole silver lining is that you have this beautiful puppy, this creature that needs your love and attention and all the patience in the world. And somehow, you have the patience, through bitten noses and fingertips, and peeing next to the door instead of outside the door. At least her poops are tiny.

I say all this because the last week, with my fiance being the point on rearing our pup into a capital D o g, we have treated, praised, cajoled, caught-in-mid-piddle, scolded, and snuggled this sweet little girl. And then something scary happened. She woke up with swollen paws, lips, eyes, ears, and a raw and red belly. All 3 pounds of her was suffering, except for her mood. Two emergency visits and a ton of Benedryl later, her mood is still spectacular (she is something special) and her swollen, allergy induced attack from still-unknown causes has subsided.

“All 3 pounds of her was suffering, except for her mood.”

Such a trooper she is.

Having animals is a lot of ups and a lot of downs, a ton of tears and frustration but so much love that you almost forget all the downs because the ups are so great. This week has given me a lot of perspective and I think it has done the same for the Originals-Barn, Wes, and Coop:

Coop has slowly fallen in love, and I say love as the love/hate we all know about our siblings growing up. She hisses and swats but loves every minute of the attention, and there is a lot of puppy/cat attention. Hazel can’t get enough Cooper. They chase each other and Cooper takes up residence in this felt dog house I got at Walgreens (a total $15 WIN) and Hazel gently, meekly, winningly, sneaks in behind her to cuddle.

Wes is less thrilled. He is a big baby though and change is hard. His habits are back to normal, the eating and his place on the couch…we’ll see what happens over time but the rhythm is currently manageable.

Barn…he has surprised me. He is the best big brother. I think he has more patience than both of Hazel’s human parents. He let’s her steal food, and chew toys, and even munch on his tail. That alone must be love.

Until next week!