Dog Dilemma

Oh, sweet Bessie. How you frustrate me so. And yet I still adore you.

This dog. The first week we got her, back in 2011, we got a wire crate. She broke it the first time we left her home alone. She broke it, AND broke out. But didn't destroy the house.

So we let her roam the house every time we left.

And she did great.

Until I went back to work, and she spent long days home.

Then she started destroying the house. I mean, DE-STROY-ING. I'd come home from lunch to lamps knocked over, speakers and wires torn up, a sleeping bag torn out of the hall closet, in shreds.

So we got another crate. A plastic one this time.

And somehow we put the door on backwards and she broke it.

So we bought a third crate. (These things run around $100 minimum.)

And she settled in. She even started going willingly into the crate for me every morning, and every lunch hour. She seemed to appreciate the boundary of the crate. She couldn't handle the wide open house by herself, but she could handle the crate.

And then we moved back to Nashville.

And she forgot that the crate is a safe place.

After a few times of leaving her, she broke the door of the third crate.

We started zip tying her in, rather than spending another $100 while I'm not working.

She broke the zip ties.

We found a 4th crate on clearance.

The third time in it, she snapped the wire of the door in half.

This dog only weighs 35 lbs. She has the strength of a cougar. (Are cougars really strong? They seem like they would be.)

Somehow, she couldn't get the zip ties off, but she snapped the wire. Explain that one.

So yeah.

Somehow, a fifth crate seems pointless.

Birthday Bessie!

I'll post updates about our trip to Michigan later, but now, I have to wish my sweet puppy a HAPPY 2nd Birthday!!

Birthday surprises! (Yes, I've become THAT person.)

Enjoying a birthday cupcake. Doggy friendly, of course.

Love my pup!

Disgusting AND Hilarious

I have mixed feelings about our dog licking Charlie. To think about where her mouth has been really, really disgusts me.

On the other hand, I think it's impossible to always prevent it, living in a household with a dog. I wash his face and hands a lot.

Charlie has a new interest in Bessie licking his face. I try to stop it, but we had to get this on video once.

The Time the Sh*t Hit the Fan. Literally.

Last week I referenced in my 'I Can't Believe' post that I couldn't believe what I came home to at lunch.

I'm fortunate enough to live 5 minutes from my office, so 90% of the time, I drive home for lunch and spend my hour with my pup, prepping dinner, and catching up on household errands...or my DVR.

I walked in the house last week with a list of things I wanted to do before I had a friend over that night. Namely, vacuuming, and making sure the bathroom was in working order.

When I walked in, I was assaulted with an awful smell. I thought 'Man, I took the trash out yesterday, so I have no idea why it smells like that already.'

I let Bessie out of her crate, and quickly realized she had had...an explosion of sorts. In her crate. This has NEVER happened before. And what do dogs do when they are wet? They shake themselves off. This is where the sh*t on the fan part comes in. I haven't actually checked the ceiling fan, but I'm sure it's there.

She quickly darted across the house, leaving a trail behind her, before I could corral her in the bathtub. The rest of my lunch hour was spent bathing her, cleaning furniture, gathering tainted items and throwing them in the basement to be dealt with later, and completely disassembling her crate outside and scrubbing it, in dress shoes.

I felt bad for me, but even worse for Bessie who had to sit in that mess. I wish I didn't have to crate the poor thing, but she gets severe separation anxiety if left to roam the house, and becomes quite destructive.

One hour turned into an hour and a half, and I was late getting back to work. Part of that was due to me deciding I deserved ice cream. I stopped at my favorite place on the way back. On the way there, I discovered my pants were speckled in dog poo. Then a bug flew in my ice cream.

I smelled for the rest of the afternoon.

Here's hoping for a less eventful lunch break today.

Happy Monday!

Meet Bessie

Say hello to Bessie. My amazingly awesome, fully grown dog, who will always look like a puppy. 

We adopted Bessie in November of 2011. We went to the Alabama Animal Adoption Society and were both immediately drawn to her. She is very sweet and submissive. She just wants to love and be loved. 

Fun Facts: 

Bessie is a Lab/Beagle mix. So, she looks like a Lab, but is the size of a Beagle. 

She'll be 2 in May. Planning her party now. (Just kidding, not kidding)

Bessie LOVES these things (in order): Chicken, walks, peanut butter. If forced to choose, I honestly don't know if she'd choose chicken, or a walk. We can't say the word 'walk' in her presence. 

Best trick: 

Bessie can shut the door. The hubs taught her how to leap up on the door and slam it shut when she comes in from the back yard. The catch? She refuses to do it unless you're standing next to the treats. If you yell from the living room for her to shut the door, she looks at you and says 'yeah right' with her eyes, and lays down.

We've created a full on Bessie personality, with a certain voice. She knows when we're doing her voice and cocks her head at us. 

This dog cracks me up every single day. Love her.

This is my personal favorite pic of her. I thought the smell of peanut butter would wake her up.

I'm a Mommy Blogger Now

I've decided to become a Mommy Blogger. You know, since I'm a mom now. 

I'm going to start posting pics and stories of our life with the kiddo, and of course our fur kiddo, Bessie.  Below is a taste of what life looks like lately... 

Hanging out with a bunny:
   

The dog likes the bunny too:

 

 Bunny and his Easter basket:

 

 Bunny had too much fun: