Dog vs Cat

This is for those of you who have asked how the dog and cat get along. I have to say the cat has come a long way in his tolerance towards the dog. Although, he still wants nothing to do with her. I hate talking in videos so feel free to ignore the commentary and enjoy the Dora music in the background. Also, the cat is de-clawed, so no animals were harmed in the making of this video. (:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMeB4jIoxog

As a side note, the dog has progressed well in her poopy training. She has learned to ring a bell on the back door when she needs to go out. That is, unless I give her access the the front room in which case she still feels the need to mark her territory in every corner. Not sure why that room in particular is appealing to her, but for now it will remained blocked off! She also has learned to roll over (as seen in the video) and to sit, and go to her crate and her bed when told (most of the time). The come command only works with treats...go figure...or if she feels she is not in immediate trouble. I think I have made it past the point of wanting to drop her in the middle of Lake Michigan and never look back, but some days are better than others. The ring worm scare has turned out to be just that...a scare (nightmare), and hasnt shown up positive. That has helped my stress level go down significantly. So feel free to come by and bring your kids to run wild with her to get her energy out, because as you can see, she enjoys running...as fast as possible...in circles around the furniture or anywhere else there is room to run at top speed.

The new Poopy...oh, I mean Puppy

A few of our kids, one in particular...has been begging for a dog since they could speak. Ryan, the not so enthusiastic pet owner, has always stood firm in his decision to not add another furry creature to the Taylor household. The cat is more than enough to send him into a frustrated rage. Luckily for the kids, he loves them more than the idea of not owning a slobbery, barking, pooping pooch. He put them to the test to prove their responsibility during the upcoming weeks of Christmas. They must get along, listen, pick things up, and help with hairball clean-up. It worked...for about a week. Then it got down to one. The same mentioned in the first sentence. she tried so hard, and with "friendly" reminders to her siblings to do the same if they ever wanted to have a dog to call their own. Weeks passed, and he still showed no signs of breaking down. They thought all hope was gone. Little did they know, we had been researching and looking at dogs for a couple months. I had mentioned a dog would be a good Christmas gift, and he would hardly have to buy them anything else, they would be so excited. So as you saw from the previous post, he finally conceded, and decided to get them the dog they had always wanted as a Christmas surprise.

So because we wanted to be responsible parents and pet owners we decided to let the kids in on our decision of what dog to get. We ended up waiting a whole 3 days. Crazy I know. Once they knew the dog was a go, they couldnt wait. Our research brought us to the decision to get a puggle (pug/beagle mix). Ryan and I had actually been looking for a couple months at local adoption listings, and puggles are hard to come by. Seems they are quite popular. So we came across 2. One was a 4 year old male. Ryan and I snuck out to see that one first, before taking the kids along. The shelter he was at was crazy. It stunk, there were so many dogs. As soon as we walked back, my heart broke. They all got so excited and looked at you like "get me outta here and take me home!" I wished I could adopt them all, but I am realistic. We looked at a couple they had and then they brought the puggle out. I loved him. He was beautiful. The problem with a 4 year old, was that we didnt know what his temperament would be like with kids and with the cat, and that he was already full grown and Zack is deathly afraid of dogs. We had to say goodbye to him for now.

The second one we found was a 4 month old female. The only problem there was that she was 2 hours away, and with puppies, you have to start training from scratch...something I didnt look forward to. But, the kids really wanted a puppy and we figured Zack would do better if we started small. So I filled out an adoption application. You would think we were adopting a kid, from the type of questions there were, and I was so nervous I didnt answer them sufficiently. Luckily, or not, it came back approved and with an invitation to take her home the next day. So we set up an appointment to go and meet her. I didnt want to totally throw out the idea of the other one, so we stopped by to meet him on the way out, although I knew...once the kids saw the puppy, it would be all over. We prepped Zack and told him it would be a super hero dog that would protect him from other dogs. He promised to be brave. It pretty much went how I thought. Zack freaked, and refused to step down from Ryans arms. The girls thought he was cute and open to the idea of possibly bringing him home, but I knew.

Then it was off to see the puppy. Of course she was cute...shes a puppy. And just as I thought, the kids wanted her. Zack still wouldnt go near her, but by the time we left the clinic, he had gotten close enough to pet her a little and decide he was okay with her coming home with us. All the way home we deliberated what the best name would be. Wouldnt you know it, the girls could not agree. Zack wanted Puddin or Bloom, Katelin wanted Sadie, or Daisy, Alissa was pretty agreeable. Madi was difficult. She didnt like anything. For a while we had decided on Baylee, but then threw it out because Brylee was getting upset that that was her name! Finally out of desperation and lack of any other ideas, Ryan throws out Jovi, thinking of his favorite Christmas movie "Elf". He didnt really like it, but just wanted something...anything that would get them to agree. And what do ya know...they liked it. Oh, but since she is a Christmas pup, the full name turned into Jovi Jingles.

So without further adieu...here's Jovi, on her first night home.

She is so full of energy, and extremely playful. I was worried I would be up all night listening to her bark, but surprisingly, she sleeps well. Her favorite toy is a stick, and she loves chasing the leaves that blow by. This was the next day when it turned light out. You would never know it was the end of December out. Check out that green grass.

She is pretty good...for a puppy. She sits, but wont stay, or come. She loves fetch and running. Thats the only thing I have seen excite Ryan. He is looking forward to taking her running with him.

Now for the less enticing things. She is crazy! And fast. Especially in the morning. She is not house trained so I have had my share of messes to clean up...the worst? Did you know dogs like to eat poop? Rabbit poop, their own poop...cat poop. Yeah, well she loves it. At one point I used to think cleaning up vomit was the worst. Then I experienced uncontrollable leaky diarrhea. Well, Ive found something that tops it all. What do you get when you combine the two? Poopy Vomit. Thats right..all over the carpet. So the kids have had to learn a few lessons.

Lesson #1: Keep her away from the bunny poop outside, and clean up the dog poop ASAP, from now on. That spot on the carpet...now whiter than anywhere else. I couldnt clean it enough.

Lesson #2: Keep everything picked up off the floor. Puppies are like babies who have just learned to crawl. She puts everything in her mouth. Even though we have a floor full of doggy toys to keep her busy, she has still taken off with slippers, rulers, stuffed animals, flashlights, socks, shoes, blankets, hot wheels...you name it. If its on the floor...it belongs to the dog. At least the house has been staying cleaner. Oh and along with that...keep the bathroom door closed. Picking up shreds of used kleenex isnt my favorite either. Nowhere close to poopy vomit, but still.

Lesson #3: This one is from Zack- Stay on the couch. The highest part of the couch if possible. The dog will lick you, sniff you and scare you senseless if you let her. Oh, and unless you want to be chased and barked at-dont run!

Lesson # 4: If you lay on the floor, you will become a bed for the dog. Remember, anything on the floor, belongs to her.

Lesson # 5: You must eat up at the counter, or else put the dog in her crate during meal times. Obviously.

Lesson # 6: Keep the gate up, unless the dog is on her leash. The dog wants to play...that cat...does not. If left free to roam, she will chase him throughout the house and it wont end pretty.

Lesson # 7: Watch the dog constantly, or she will dispose onto the curtains. Ive washed them twice now. Thank goodness for the new washer and Dryer.

Following these simple rules will result in more peaceful puppy living. And if we can get through this, and maybe fork out some money for obedience classes, we should all get along just fine. Well, and find a way to get Zack off the top of the couch. Thats a must. Wish us luck!