Not much to say

Just that he's the cutest dog ever! ;) I love his floppy ears and stocky little body.

Excuse me, did you miss me?

That dog. Our dog. My dog. Or is he? I actually believe that little booger would like to live with my mom and dad. They spoil him rotten with attention. When I came to pick him up today he was like "oh, hey...you're back". He couldn't have cared less if he tried -- which he didn't. And there I was, all weekend, missing him and worrying about him and calling about him. Harumph. Jealousy is an evil monster. :) It does make me happy to know he's so well cared for when we're gone. Stinker.

Stoshy

Stoshy is going off to college this morning. I'm going to miss him more than I can express in writing.

Cujo, pt 2

Well, it happened again the other night. Not nearly as bad as last week. I think Woody is just sleep-aggressive. Any issues we've ever had with him are related to sleeping. I wonder what happened to him to make him so protective of his sleep. I can't bear to think about it.

Andrew talked to our vet about it yesterday. He thinks we should make Andrew's coming to bed a happy event. Tear apart part of a treat and throw it his way and then make him get up to get the rest of the treat. We'll give it a go. Dr. S said he was probably being protective of me but since he growled at me last week too I kind of doubt that's the case.

On a happier note, Woody got groomed yesterday. He's silky smooth! :) He smells good too!

Woody's Second Job

His first job, and what he's best at, is being cute. :)

However his second job, and what he's getting increasingly good at, is shredding/eating paper. It started with him shredding any toilet paper he could get his mouth on.

It progressed to him digging into my bag and eating a $5 bill. We know it was a $5 bill because we found the leftovers -- maybe he should have started with a $1 bill -- maybe not as filling?

Now he trolls around Andrew's office and any eats/shreds any paper he finds on the floor. He's particularly fond of Andrew's address book. What cracks me up is that Andrew doesn't learn his lesson -- he still keeps all of it on the floor. It's like he doesn't believe Woody will do it again. OF COURSE HE WILL! IT'S FUN! :)

I read dogs do it because they're bored. I think Woody does it because it's fun for him. He doesn't like to play with toys -- paper is his toy. The photo above is this morning's "crime scene".

Sad Day

Okay, this post isn't about Woody. It's about Stosh dog. Michele called me today. Looks like Stosh is going to go off to college within the week. Heartbreaking. What can I say about him? He's a kindred soul to Woody. Had a horrendous early life -- Michele found him on I-94 in Indiana protecting his friend, a lab, who had been struck by a car. He had emotional issues (who wouldn't) that make Woody's occasional outbursts look tame. But Andy and Michele took him in and showed him what it meant to trust, to love and to enjoy life. Then, when we moved in next door, I was fortunate enough to be able to spend part of my day, every day, with him. He made me happy when I was sad. Made me laugh when I wanted to cry. He knew when giving him a belly rub would make me feel just as good as it made him feel. And he asked for nothing in return -- except to be loved and accepted.

I had a lot of firsts with Stosh. The first dog I got to dog-sit. The first dog I took to see Santa. The first dog, and only dog, to do a "triathlon" for me. The first doggie birthday, or "Got Stosh Day" I attended.

I've missed him a lot since Andy and Michele moved. I missed walking him. I missed his wet snout nudging my hand to pet him or walk him. I missed seeing him immediately after his summer "puppy cut". I missed cuddling with him on the floor. I just missed him.

I knew he was slowing down. Michele gave me updates and I could see he wasn't his old self when I went to visit. Michele told me a few weeks ago this day was coming soon but I chose to deny it. Couldn't deal with it. How rude when Stosh never put off my pain, my sadness. We're going to Bartlett on Wednesday night to see him. I told Michele I'd be there for them when they make the decision. It's an awful decision. But Stosh has lived 15 long years and he's suffering. It's time to tell him we love him and say good-bye.

On Your Mark...

Dogs mark. Sometimes they even mark inside (which we're none too happy about). Today we were watching Woody as he walked around the house and licked everything. I mean EVERYTHING. He licked my calf. He licked the kitchen floor. He licked the leg on the coffee table. He licked the leg on Andrew's drafting table. Then we watched him as he went up and down the hall and licked the perimeter of the house...then the perimeter of the area rugs. We finally distracted him because I was worried about him licking lord knows what in the corners. I mean, I'm clean but who knows what has built up in the space between the carpet and the walls? I was slightly freaked out so I called Audrey and asked her if Ringo, their cockapoo, ever did it. She said he does it all the time. How bizarro! Blech!