Puppy Love

I was exhausted last night and fell asleep on the couch. After waking up around 10:30, I dragged myself upstairs and fell into bed. I was sound asleep and didn't even feel Michael come to bed.

At 1:30 a.m. I sat straight up in bed, gasping for breath. It felt like my heart had literally stopped. It took me a few seconds to realize that I had jumped into Michael's arms and Kodiak was barking. Not his usual "I'm happy to be in my yard" bark either.

This bark was more of a howl and a growl in one. He was standing in our doorway looking out into the hall. It was scary. He ran out into the hall and stopped at the top of the stairs, looking down and continuing his aggressive noises. I was straining to hear what he heard, but couldn't decipher anything. After a few minutes he calmed down, but I was AWAKE now and couldn't sleep.

Kodiak usually sleeps in his crate, but every now and then we let his sleep upstairs with us. I was really glad we had made that decision. I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling and hoping that I would get tired again. Just then he was off into the hallway again, growling and upset. This time Michael heard noises that we determined were probably the neighbor's kids and their car. I was still on edge, though, and tossed and turned. While I was lying there I realized how far Kodiak has come in the year we've had him. He's always been a Daddy's boy. I was a good second if Michael wasn't around, but the minute he came home I was pretty much forgotten. Now I am showered with kisses when I come home, he lays next to me when I watch tv and most of all, he's protective. Newfoundlands aren't aggressive dogs, but they are very loyal to their families.

As I tossed around thinking about how far he's come, a cold, wet nose touched my arm. I looked over to see the big, fluffy head I love so much. He rested his head on the bed and looked up at me with his big, brown eyes, as if to say "are you OK, Mom?" I scratched his head and the he lay down on my side of the bed. Something he never does. He stayed there the rest of the night until he woke me up with kisses in the morning.

I really do love that puppy.

Weekend Recap

Preparing for my lunch with Sass was much like getting ready for a first date. I changed my outfit three times. I made sure my hair and makeup looked good, but not like I was trying so hard. I was nervous, but I was excited.

And I was late.

I, always irritatingly compulsively early, was late. But with good reason. I got stuck behind and old woman at the ATM that I swear had never used one before. Eleven minutes we sat there (ELEVEN!) while she punched at the screen and hit cancel over and over and over again. It was to the point where I wanted to get out of the car and be like, lady, seriously.

By the time I made it up to Providence I was a good 15 minutes late. Maybe 20. Is torture for me to be late. I'm surprised I wasn't twitching.

I met Sass at the Cheesecake Factory and it didn't really feel all that weird. I had a really good time and I hope we meet up again. And by the way, her ring is stunning in real life.

Sunday we woke up to a HYPER dog. He usually has a "play date" of sorts twice a week with a german shepard, but Michael's friend was away for the weekend so they didn't meet up. This made a serious impact of the dog. Every time the phone would ring he would run to the door and look at you expectantly. Like, "Dad, let's go see my friend, Dad. Dad? Dad? Friend!"

We took him for a walk on the bike path, which turned into a jog. Running along side of him seemed to be the only way to keep him from stopping to sniff (and pee on) everything. While I don't especially enjoy running in the cold (hurts my ears and throat) it did feel pretty exhilarating.

Afterwards I took a ride to the local book store and spent $50 (man, I need a library card) on new books. And proceeded to spend eight wonderful hours reading through one and starting another. Eight glorious hours.

And now it's back to work. And the thermometer said 10 degrees this morning.

FUN.

Company

One thing I've learned from having a dog is privacy goes out the window. Especially when the bathroom door doesn't lock.

Imagine my surprise the first time he pushed open the door as I was sitting on the toilet. He walked right up to me, squeezed himself into the tiny area between my feet and the wall and lay down. It's amazing how vulnerable you feel, even in your own home, with the bathroom door wide open and a big animal at your feet.

Or the time no one was home and I was taking a shower and nearly DIED when a big black nose suddenly thrust itself past the shower curtain. Trust me, nothing prepares you for that.

As time went by, having Kodiak in the bathroom became more and more routine. We actually wait a minute before undressing or sitting on the toilet because we know it's just a few second before he pushes open the door and does a trademark FLOP on the floor.

To non-dog people this might sound gross or annoying, but to us it's perfectly normal. He's a love, a real people dog. He just wants to be where we are. When we take a shower, he takes a steam. When we do our business, he takes a nap.

It's actually very cute.

Except for that nose in the shower thing. I don't think I could survive that again.

Let It Snow?

I was so happy to see snow falling this morning. Everything was quiet and the trees sparkled with white. Big, fluffy snow flakes were falling. It's finally winter! Kodiak ran outside and pranced around the yard. He loves the cold. It was very cute.

The magic of the first snow quickly disappeared when I went to start my car. That beautiful snow? The snow that sparkled and came down like soft, white feathers? Was attached to my car in the form of heavy, wet slush. Bleh.

But it still looked pretty. But I guess Connecticut didn't get snow because work is snow-free.

In other news, my puppy is not 100%. Turns out he did hurt his paw. He has to wear a bandage for about six weeks and although it breaks my heart, I think it looks so cute. It's bright yellow and since he's a black dog he looks very trendy. I call it his boo boo bandage, but Michael prefers Workout Band, as it is more manly. And we don't want to give the dog a complex.

Unfortunately, even with all the preventative measures we took, he was diagnosed with Lyme Disease. I know the pain that is Lyme, as I've had it twice. He was prescribed the exact same medication I had to take. My poor puppy.

I guess the paw injury was a blessing in disguise because we caught the Lyme early enough to prevent any damage to his system. He doesn’t even seem to be having an side effects. He’s just happy to be getting extra peanut butter every day. Hides the pills great.

My house is also Christmas-ized with the candles in the windows and a yummy smelling wreath on the door. I’m trying to convince Michael to go and get the tree with me, but he’s resisting until a later date. I will win this battle!

And also, there’s only three weeks till Christmas. I’m almost done shopping, but three weeks! I better get a move on.

Poor Puppy

I am not a crazy dog person. I love my dog, but I don't dress him up or carry him around with me all day. Especially since I would need a wheelbarrow to do so. But despite what people might say, he's part of the family. My big furry baby.


I got home late last night and noticed Kodiak was licking his paw. It didn't seem too unusual since he does that occasionally. I put him in his crate and went to bed.


This morning I went downstairs and just like every other morning, I went to let him out. Usually he's up and wagging his tail and will run at me with kisses as soon as I open the crate. Today he was lying down and licking the paw. A lot. I practically had to drag him out of the crate.


I tried to look at his paw in between him nosing my hand out of the way so he could continue licking. I thought it might be his dewclaw, the nail on the side of the paw. It seemed long to me. Could he have caught it on something? Is it stabbing him? My poor dog!


I went upstairs and woke up Michael. The two of us spent the next 15 minutes in our pajamas on the kitchen floor trying to figure out what was wrong. Michael trimmed his nails and we hoped that would fix the problem.


I felt awful. We had failed as parents. We didn't keep up on dog maintenance and now he was hurt. He had big sad eyes and my heart ached. We didn't take care of our dog! What about when we're parents? Are we going to forget something with our babies?


I spent the next 15 minutes petting him and brushing him and telling him he was a good boy. Then he went outside with Michael and from the way he was running around and fetching his ball, it seemed we had fixed the problem. I felt so relieved.


So maybe I am a little crazy about my dog.

Newfie-isms

If Kodiak could talk I'm sure he'd tell me:

The best spot in the yard is the wettest, dirtiest spot.

A ride in the car is one of life's simplest pleasures.

It's fun to hide biscuits under the couch, behind the door, in the dirt and under the bed.

Bringing all your toys to the door when someone comes home is a sign of love.

The best place to lie down is on your feet while you're trying to get ready for work.

It's funny to drink a lot of water, then come put my face on your leg.

My face is cute. Give me treats.

My farts smell worse than boy farts. Get used to it.

I really love peanut butter.

I get jealous when Mom and Dad hug and kiss. I will squeeze myself in between you and whine.

Speaking of squeezing....I like to fit my 120lb body in the tiniest places. Like between the desk and the chair.

And whining....didn't know I could sound like a little girl, did you?

I don't like lawnmowers. Or the garbage truck. I will bark at them.

Bark, Bark, Bark, Bark, Bark, Bark. It's fun to stand in the yard and bark at the sky.

Your hands taste really good. So do your feet. Licking them is fun.

That was a dumb move buying down throw pillows. They taste like geese. I like geese.

I will give you big sad eyes when you leave.

It's only because I love you.

Puppa Doo

It just occured to me that I haven't talked at all about the dog. Kodiak is our BIG Newfoundland. He's a little over a year and a half and is a big puppy. And I mean big. He's 120 lbs.

I had a dog as a kid but nothing his size. I was a little unprepared for what it would be like to have something so big roaming around the house. Michael has wanted one since he was a kid and Kodiak is really his dog. If Michael is home Kodiak doesn't pay too much attention to me.

Most of the time he is just a big baby who wants love and attention and lots of tummy scratching. Most of the time. Other times he is a HUGE butt head who likes to bark and run around the (small) house crashing into furniture. Five percent of the time he makes me nuts.

Like this morning. 6:15 a.m. Bark! Bark! Bark! Crate rustling. Silence. (I'll ignore him, he'll go back to sleep.) Bark! Bark!........BARK! (Fine! I'm getting up!)

I let him out of the crate. He proceeds to run around the house picking up all his toys to show them to me. (A daily routine.) I'd really like to squeeze an extra half-hour of sleep back in so I let him outside.

6:45 a.m. Bark! Bark! Bark! I hear him run a lap around the yard. Bark! Bark! Bark

This time Michael gets up and lets him back in the house. I finally get up to get ready and he's lying on my feet while I try to do my hair. He likes the hair dryer.

All of the sudden he's crazy man, running around and barking. This time it's not ok. I grab him by the collar and put him in his crate again. I leave him in there about 20 minutes to calm down. Just as I'm ready to leave I let him out. He comes over to me and rubs his cute head on my leg and I scratch his head. Then he lies down like a good boy.

He drives me nuts, but how can you not love that face?