Friday, February 29, 2008

The problem with puppies

The other night we were watching the news and I was knitting. I had to get up and do something, and when I came back, I couldn't find my reading glasses. I looked everywhere I could possibly have set them down, and even on the floor in case Jackson had grabbed them, but they were nowhere to be seen. I finished out the news knitting on the Sonnet without them (it's just garter stitch; nothing fancy or difficult).

The next morning while eating breakfast, I heard an odd sound. When you're a mom, you notice odd sounds (or silence!); "mommy radar" applies to puppies, too. I got up and looked in the living room, and there was Jackson crunching on my missing reading glasses. Sigh. If I was keeping a list of damaged goods due to this puppy's propensity for chewing, I would probably be alarmed at how much our Aussie has cost us over and above his purchase price. I know, all puppies chew. But I've had my share of teething canines, and NONE of them have chewed as much as Jackson. (He hasn't been ingesting many rocks these days, but mostly because we don't give him unlimited access.)

On the other hand (one must focus on the postive, right?), he is handsome, smart, affectionate and athletic. Doesn't he look like he knows it?
Two days ago, my crocus were at their most glorious ever, with all three colors showing off at once under a dormant Japanese maple. It's raining right now, and they look like wet tissue paper. But thanks to digital photography, I can revisit their beauty whenever I want - and share it with you!

That's it for now at . . .

8 comments:

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Becky Utecht said...

Oh Michelle, seeing those glasses brought it all back for me! When our Aussie, Ozzie, was a pup he chewed up my glasses, several TV remotes, one of my favorite Minnetonka moccasins, and a handknit handdyed sock. The absolute worst was when he started chewing on the sheetrock in the walls. OMG, that was annoying! We patched up a LOT of holes in the wall that year. The good news is that he grew out of it. He's got a good chew toy and doesn't bother our stuff anymore. Like your Jackson, our Ozzie is so lovable and very handsome. He's a great companion and guardian for our place. My only problem with him now is his barking at every little noise - which is good sometimes and bad at others.
Your flower photos are so beautiful, I can hardly wait until things warm up around here too.

Lauren Dorsee Dillon said...

We've had so many things destroyed by dogs, I could probably buy my entire family a trip to Scotland with the monetary value of what we've lost. Usually, they stop after a while (ours love plush toys now, I just love picking up all the white fluff!)

The flowers are lovely as always and, yes, I am an envious wannabe gardener.

Kath said...

Love the purple crocuses....Spring in the Pacific NW is prettier than anywhere in the US. I have lived a lot of places, so I know.

As to Jackson chewing....well no dog can beat our Sally when we brought her home. I have heard that Rottie pups are the worst. Do you remember how bad she was? She chewed a steel reinforced garden hose that was 100 feet long and it was in thousands of pieces on the back lawn. It took days to clean it all up. She chewed up our bird bath and destroyed it. She actually chewed junks off the deck and thoroughly destroyed the door frame around the back door and breezeway door. She chewed her dog house. And she demolished 3 cedar dog beds (not cheap), several rugs, carpets, blankets, etc. that I had put in her dog house. She would chew thru the largest braided dog rope in about 15 min. That girl has teeth. But after about 2 years she doesn't do so much damage. But I did notice that she has chewed on the entry of her new big dog house. And when we were building the house, she chewed every scrap of wood she got into thin slivers like tooth picks. Her gums would bleed, but no matter to her. But even tho she is dumb as a rock, she is beautiful and we love her.

Sharon said...

We too have had our share of puppy destruction. Glasses, shoes, handspun yarn... It's so brown here - nice to see your flowers.

Karen said...

Michelle-
Thanks for the wonderful photos of the flowers, I'm afraid we're a long way from such prettiness! Sorry to hear about the glasses...sounds like he'll have a long list of chewed up goods by the time he matures. Once I had a pup that shredded all of my lawn chair cushions and spread the bits of foam around the farm. Hang in there, Jackson looks to be a really fine dog.

Jenny Holden said...

Jackson is a handsome little horror isn't he! We were so lucky with Fox, he never chewed anything but his toys. The extent of damage amounted to one box of tissues: he was very pleased at the way a new one popped up every time he pulled one out.
Those crocuses are just beautiful. There are masses of them on our lawn at work at the moment and they always make me smile. They're so cheery :o)

PerfectTosca said...

Aw Geeze! You got an Aussie. Now The Woman is drooling all over his picture. I can't get ahead.

Listen, I ate The Woman's glasses too when I was a puppy. I also ate an entrie pillow off a leather couch. So Jackson has a lot of catching up to do. Just be glad you can still see out of those glasses. I mean he left the important parts, right?

Jackson is sooooooo lucky to have sheep even if they are scaring the bejesus out of him right now. He's gonna get bigger and he will catch up! Me? I'm Sheepless in Upstate NY. How fair is that???