A Week With My Own Marley

So, I'm living my very own "Marley and Me" this week. I am dog sitting my friends' dog for the week while they are camping. These are the same friends that watch my dog when I am out-of-town.

This is Haley. Haley is a yellow lab who is about 9 years old. Haley is a sweet dog, but she is also a 100 pound beast! During the times that I have "watched" her she has dug up my yard, eaten a sprinkler, chewed up my slippers, and numerous times I have found myself standing on top of my couch or bed with a rolled up magazine trying to get her to stop (fill in the blank). She is the messiest eater and drinker (more water is on the ground than in her mouth), she jumps straight up in the air when I bring her food and water, often knocking the bowls out of my hand in the midst of her jumping bean-like behavior. She also walks around when she poops so cleaning up the mess is time consuming since there aren't any piles, but rather little pieces sprinkled all over the grass.

Now that Haley is getting older, she has settled down some and this winter my friends have decided to try her in the house during the day. Up until now, Haley has been an outside dog. This new privilege began a day or so before I left for Hawaii. I was told when I dropped Koho off that Haley had been pretty good inside and there was hope that she would be able to be part of the family inside the house during the day. Koho of course was thrilled with that since usually when she stays, the dogs remain outside and Koho doesn't really understand what she is doing outside with "that dog".

Apparently, the inside thing was a success and I was told when I picked up Koho and Haley to take them back to my house that she had been very good inside. That was great for me since my dog likes to be inside and I have always felt bad to leave Haley outside when we were inside. There were just a few exceptions. The one that concerned me the most was that if she drank too much water she would throw up. Hmm, OK - no water inside, that's for sure. "No worries," I thought, "Everything will be fine." This is how it has gone so far.

• The first afternoon (the day of my extreme jet lag) I let her in after making sure she had done her business. I blocked her from going upstairs, but she was allowed to wander around downstairs where there are only tile and wood floors. She spent a little bit of time sniffing around, and then found Koho's water and proceeded to drink it all up, leaving a lot of it on the tile floor. Remembering the exception, I took her by the collar to make her go outside. As I pulled her, she planted her bottom on the ground, her collar came off over her head, my socks slipped on the wood floor, and I fell on my bottom.

• Later that night, I let her back in to see how it would go. She found a chewy bone in Koho's toys, squeezed her way onto Koho's bed next to Koho, and went to town on it. The next half hour was pretty pleasant and calm with Haley chewing on the bone and staying in one place. Not really paying attention, I suddenly heard the lapping of water. I had picked up the water dish before letting Haley in and then I realized it was coming from the bathroom. Haley was drinking out of the toilet. Before I could get a treat and get her outside, she threw up in my bathroom. She spent the rest of the evening outside.
• The next day, I tried it again. I was in the process of making chicken enchiladas that evening. I grilled the chicken outside while the dogs milled around inside and out. I brought the chicken in, sat it on the counter (you already know what's coming, don't you), and quickly went back outside to clean and cover the grill. When I came back in, Haley's two giant paws were up on the counter and she was eating one of the chicken breasts. Back outside she went.
• Koho has a dog house outside that she never uses but Haley loves it. However, my dog is about 45 pounds and Haley is a beast. She goes in the dog house, but has a little trouble getting out. This week I have often walked outside to see her and when she tries to get out of the doghouse it is stuck to her backside and she walks around with the house on her back - like a turtle.
• With the water put up, the toilet seats down, and no food in sight, I let Haley back in the next afternoon. She found the chewy bone and a spot on Koho's bed again. She finished the bone and started to walk around again. I firmly told her to go back to the bed. She did, and then got up. I snapped my fingers and said, "Go, Haley." She walked back to the bed and then I heard this rustling noise. I looked over and she was humping the bed. That's right! Outside again, and that is where she is staying put until she is picked up on Saturday.

I know, pathetic isn't it?

Koho

This is Koho.

She is my dog. I love my dog a lot. There was recently some concern over at Grandma J's about people who love their dog just a little too much by dressing them in clothing, carrying them in their bags, and bringing them to inappropriate places like restaurants, grocery stores, and boutiques. I assure you, I don't do those things. My dog weighs about 50 pounds so she is too heavy to carry around in a handbag and those doggy clothes don't fit her, besides she's a dog and although I love her to death, she's still a dog.

But, she's the best dog ever. Here's why...

• She's an Australian cattle dog which means she's super smart. She's so smart that she has taught me to stop trying to teach her tricks like rolling over and shaking paws. She looks at me like I'm the dummy. However, she does sit, stay, and do her business on command. Fetch and "Come here" are hit and miss. If she feels like it, she does it great, if she doesn't, she doesn't. Because she's a cattle dog, she also likes to herd things. Whether it be squirrels or small children, she's not picky. She really can't be picky living in the suburbs. I told you she is smart.


• She's a good guard dog. If someone comes to the door, even on TV, fits of hysteria come over her and she runs around barking her head off with the hair on her neck and back standing straight up on end. When we are invited over to the houses of friends, she barks when I knock on the door. "This is their house," I have to tell her.


• She loves routine. As soon as the alarm goes off to start our day, she has a schedule of what they day should be like. If something interrupts that schedule she is disoriented and has a hard time handling it.


• She's cuddly. She likes to be close to me at all times. That could be sitting on my feet, curling up next to me on the couch, or snuggling next to me in bed at night. I let her sleep on the bed. It's a big bed, so there's plenty of room, but I often find myself hanging off the end of the bed because Koho is sprawled out right next to me sound asleep. When I get up in the middle of the night, she usually has made my spot her spot and falls back to sleep. I have to push her out of the way so I can get back into bed.


• She's cute. She has brown freckles all over her legs and face. There is a black ring around the middle of her tail and the end of her tail is white, like it's been dipped in paint. Plus, when she lies down, she crosses her front paws like a princess. Some say that's a sign of intelligence.

She's just the coolest dog ever.

Here in sunny California, 104 is not only the amount it cost to fill up your gas tank, but also the temperature most days in the summer. As cute and cuddly as Koho is, all that hair sheds like a "motha" in the summer. So about June every year I have her shaved. Here she is shaved.

She sure looks funny and gets embarrassed when I laugh at her, but she seems cooler and doesn't leave white hair everywhere around the house.