Climbing Back In
(Photos coming soon)

As most of you know, we raise our puppies in a 'kiddies pool' in our back room. Easy to clean, I can crawl in it with them, and Moms can't accidentally squish babies against the wall. Works great.

Then, once the babies are big enough that they start climbing out of the pool on a regular basis, it is time for them to move outside, usually between 3 and 4 weeks of age.

Then came Casey and Finnegan.

Their 3-week birthday came and went and, although they were hanging over the top edge of the pool on a regular basis, they showed no interest in getting out. Hmmm…. that was odd. I began to suspect they were up to no good.

Sure enough, seemingly overnight they mastered climbing out of the pool – and at the same time, something no puppies have ever done before – climbing back into it. This allows them to terrorize the house and then be curled up sweetly in the pool when we walk in the door.

Now actually, that is not proving to be an unworkable situation, as we have a door that I can lock them in the back room when we are out or sleeping. And, with our new floors (why exactly did I talk about doing this for 9 years before actually getting it done??) it is so easy to clean up after them that I don’t mind them having run of the house. In fact, we are completely enjoying having them underfoot.

Then the little brats discovered Kara’s dog bed. This instantly become the most coveted spot in the house and when I free them from the backroom each morning – all three of them (Casey, Finnegan and their Mom) beeline for it.

I haven’t told Kara yet. I’m sure she will be appalled.

I can’t talk about the puppies without mentioning the one problem we are having with Sprite living in the house.

As you all may recall, a doggie door joins the MASH unit, which is the back room and the secure kennel outside, so adult dogs can just let themselves out when they need a bathroom break. It is working great and I don’t think Sprite has had a single accident in the house while living inside.

However, she is a bit of a pack rat and insists on squirreling a lot of treasures – mostly doggie toys outside. The last few nights, I’ve had to turn on the back yard lights after feeding and go collect an armful of stuffed toys from the outside house. And the other day while I was working on the computer, she trotted past my office carrying a framed photo of Mark and I, which she had stolen off the bookshelves. As soon as she heard me coming after her, she bolted for the doggie door.

Nice that she wanted to decorate her outside space with a reminder of us <grin>, but she is now only allowed supervised time outside of the back room. And that works fine, although that is where we keep our footwear. I wonder why it is I can’t seem to now find my other running shoe???

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In closing, today is November 11 - Remembrance Day for those of us here in Canada. My father would be appalled if I didn't take time to say 'Thanks' to all those that have so bravely fought for our country in so many conflicts over the years. Please, take a moment at the 11 hour of the 11 day of the 11 month, to stop and remember the sacrifices these folks have made and are making today, so we can continue to enjoy our freedoms and ways of live.  Lest we forget.

Karen