Roxie's Tail

Things I've learned from owning a dog:
1. Everything is edible
2. Sleep is a luxury
3. I'm not ready for children.

Roxie is the first puppy (or dog for that matter) that Rusty or I have ever owned. (Rusty claims his mom's old dog, Sugar, doesn't count because he said that dog hated everyone except his mom...) Needless to say, the last two weeks have definitely been an adventure for us.

We got her the Thursday before July 4th, so we had all day Friday through Sunday with her. She got to make her first visit to One Oak on that Saturday, as that is where we spent our 4th of July with a few friends. Our first weekend was surreal, in that we were both just having so much fun. The middle of the night poo breaks weren't that bad (we got to take naps during the day) and the daytime was fun because we got to play all of the time.

Then came Monday... that was when I realized (although deep down I always knew) that I require 8-9 hours of sleep a night. It's not an option. Period. As Rusty and I were trying to adjust to owning one dog, my dad calls and arranges picking up another pup from the same litter so he can surprise my mom with a puppy for their anniversary. Rusty and I picked her up and kept her for the longest 3 days of my life. The breeder we got them from said, "Having 2 puppies is no different than having 1." He seems like a nice guy. I trusted him, until we got home that is.

Everything that we worked with Roxie on for the 4 days prior to "the other one" joining us was undone by the unexpected arrival. (Not to mention, the cats were TICKED.) They were both always in a "pedal to the metal" mode when they were awake, which was very exhausting. The first night of having Belle I only got 3 hours of sleep. Please refer to the prior paragraph to understand why this was a problem. All in all, having both pups was an adventure, although I was happy when my parents came to pick her up. My mom was super surprised and loves her little Belle.

The afternoon after Belle left, Rusty, Roxie and I slept and laid around all afternoon. Of the three of us, I'm not sure who was the most tired. The next morning we started working with Roxie again to rid her of the bad habits her sister made her pick up. She does really good about not pooping in her kennel, which is a huge plus to me. I can deal with the pee. The poop, not so much. I've actually thrown up a little bit in my mouth from having to pick some up once. Not a fan... So not ready for kids.

Roxie is growing alarmingly fast, but she's so adorable. She's pretty good with the cats, although they aren't fond of her. She likes to chase them, but won't actually bug them. She knows where "home" is. On her walks, once around the block is enough for her. As soon as we get to the corner across the street, she plants her little bottom down and pulls her leash the direction of home. I try everytime but there is no fighting this. It's really annoying, but actually really cute.

The good news is that nothing valuable has been destroyed yet. She's found some "weak corners" of the carpet and has managed to pull those up. Everything else is going really well with her though. She knows how to sit, and she knows her name (when she wants to that is). Rusty and I adore her, and can't wait for you all to meet her and to share more "tails" with you.

Here are some pictures of her...

TTFN!