DogWatch '09: The First Casualties

Scout has been doing unbelievably well for a youg pup with Labrador DNA and a mentor who took a year and a half to learn how to "shake". After about a week, she pretty much refused to go back in her crate and since it was there mainly for her to feel safe in our absence, she's had free reign of the downstairs ever since. She's also completely housebroken and plays really well with both Lucy and now Cassidy.

She had been doing so well that I just knew a slip up was coming.

Yesterday morning I was wary walking in the door from dialysis as I knew the dogs had not gotten their morning walkies. Ryan had left early to go to Waco for work and I don't walk them on the days I get my blood cleaned. On first glance everything looked in order. There were no sofa cushions on the floor, no area rug stains, no dead cat. I settled on the couch, grabbed my computer, went for the power cable and pulled back a mangled cord.

I sat staring at the cable for about 10 seconds and then looked at Scout.

"Scout, you are one lucky dog"

About 15 minutes later as I was quickly writing e-mail and scanning the news before my laptop died, I heard the scraping of doggy teeth. Scout was gnawing on the fireplace, which is made of this soft....stuff....look, I don't know what it is. Plaster? So yeah, she was in the process of sculpting a large hole in the base of the fireplace.

I thought all of this chewing was anxiety over not getting walked, so when we retired to bed last night, I made sure my computer (now being powered by Ryan's cord from work) was up on the kitchen counter and tucked Scout in with all of her stuffed toys.

This morning I awoke with Lucy making a flying leap onto my head and Ryan informing me: Scout chewed through the phone cord. And ate my shoelace.

I am on a mission to PetSmart today to locate that spray that supposedly deters animals and to buy the dogs some nylon bones. And off to the Apple store to procure a $70 power cord. I guess I need a new phone cord as well.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Scout sounds like Levi. Just ask Matt and Juan D what precious items they lost to his curious jaws : (

Hope the nylon bones and spray do the trick : )

Nicole
J.S. said…
I think if Scout gets a firm talking to (i.e., yelling at) and gets kicked outside for awhile when she does stuff like that she'll learn pretty fast. She seems really smart.
The League said…
She is smart. However, not smart enough to not immediately lick the spot on the fireplace where I'd just put the sour-apple spray this morning.

I felt no pity.

She ate the shoelaces out of my two pairs of work shoes this week. I'm wearing my lawn shoes to work.

I am becoming smart enough to not leave my shoes out.
J.S. said…
Yeah, I guess the sour apple spray thing must be clinically proven in some way to deter dogs. It just seems strange that such a product would share a common flavor with a tasty Jolly Rancher candy.
J.S. said…
It's been a week. Where's the new post, slacker?

Popular posts from this blog

October Update

Cardiac Update

Matters of the Heart, the Second Part