Two Kids & A Dog- Part Two

It is 7:30 A.M. and the house is relatively quiet. The interminably long spring break ended last Friday leaving the house devoid of human children. Now it is down to the man child called Jack and his canine pal.

We're a few days in to our new adventure and I am reminded in so many ways of what it was like to have a baby in the house, except there are a number of significant differences beyond the obvious.

This baby is agile, mobile and came equipped with a set of teeth that he likes to use on whatever catches his fancy. He is being crate trained and is gradually coming to understand that his new home is a cool place to hang out. It hasn't taken long for him to decide that the crate is a cool place to store his toys and he often spends time in it of his own accord.

But he isn't quite ready to sleep in there for a full night and has woken us up several times. So I have taken to sleeping on the couch so that I can be next to his crate. This seems to have provided some comfort to him but he still wakes up in the darkness and expects me to play with him. I find myself using some of the same lines that I used on the children with similar results.

I don't expect that this will continue for too long or should I say that I hope not. Lack of sleep makes a grumpy father even grumpier.

Overall the transition has been relatively smooth and he is a most welcome addition to the family. The children love him and freely tell him so. This eases the sting of fatigue somewhat and I am hopeful that he doesn't manage to eat too many valuable possessions. I say hopeful because I grew up with dogs and no matter what you do, they will always find something.

As for myself, well I am just as taken with the guy as everyone else. He'll be my companion throughout the day so we'll have plenty of time to develop a friendship. With any luck his training will progress quickly and I'll find it easy to work. It will be good for both of us if I don't have to lock him the crate too often.

But even if that happens he'll be in the same room with me so I hope that this will help him realize that he is not being abandoned or punished. I'll explain to him why he is in there and that I can't have him chewing up the house while I try to work.

The thought reminds me of a Far Side cartoon I saw many years ago. In one scene it shows a person speaking to a dog and in the next it shows what the dog understands. An understanding that consists of "blah, blah, blah, blah..." Yep, I don't really expect him to understand all that I say or why he is in the crate beyond a very basic level. But I'll feel better telling him so...

In the old days when the kids were babies that were breastfeeding I used nursing time to take care of things around the house. They were little moments in time in which I couldn't participate but they don't exist here. So I have to be more diligent about taking advantage of quiet moments. Since he is currently asleep at my feet I am going to sign off again and try to get some work done.

Bark atcha later.