I’m losing my patience today. Actually, I’ve lost it. Its gone. I can’t find it and you know what? I’m not even gonna look for it. If I don’t sit down right now, I know one more thing will happen and I’ll be pushed over the edge today. I know the saying goes, “God only gives you what you can handle.” Well, guess what? I can’t handle MY DOG anymore. Beau is driving. me. up. a. WALL. He adds so much un-needed stress to my day and I seriously need him out of here. In fact, so much so, I put him outside this morning and shut the door. Yep, I did. I shut the door. He stood there and I went upstairs to put Roman’s clean quilt on his bed. Then, I ran the vacuum on the 2nd floor. Rocco let him in. Lucky dog, he knew I had no plans of doing such a thing. I think people just think I’m kidding about needing to find another home for this dog but I’m not! Oh trust me, I’m not kidding. You see, as if you don’t know this: Our patience as mothers is already tested on on day to day basis with our children. In my case, one that entered the ‘Terrible Twos’ and another who is exiting the ‘Terrible Three’s’ and entering into the ‘I found my attitude’ stage. Its amazing, I’m obsessed with my kids, but they absolutely test me and my patience at least once per day. Now add my DOG to the craziness of 1046 and its enough to make me want to punch a hole in the wall (and then eat a couple candy bars).
So this is a glimpse of what happened. The other day, I bought BRAND NEW outdoor deck cushions for our long glider and rocking chairs. NEW. BRAND NEW. Haven’t had new cushions in years. What’s my stupid dog do? CRISTEN them by PEEING ON 4 of the 6 cushions. All I had to do was look at him and he ran faster than I could blink under the couch to where I could not reach him. I only fed him, gave him water, had him groomed yesterday, and let him out THREE TIMES this morning before the incident went down. I really almost threw him down the steps. I thought to myself, ‘we need fresh air’ – So, I cleaned the cushions and floor and took the boys outside. After breathing and having a little fun play-time with my kiddos, it was time to go in for lunch. I opened the basement door and Beau JUMPED onto Roman causing him to fall back and hit his back on the side of the door. Now I really want to beat this dog BAD. 15 minutes later – Lunch Time: Rocco dropped 1/2 of a 1/2 of his sandwich and Beau snatches it up gobbling it down his throat. I want to kick him. Stupid dog has fresh food AND water! What the heck! Fast forward to Nap Time: 2 solicitors rang my door bell and Beau went berserk! Honest to goodness, I don’t know who to hit. The dog? or The solicitors? I even have a SIGN on my door! Roman got OUT of his bedroom to see what was going on. And finally, when all is settled, a bird flew by the sun-room window (You know, because that’s what birds do. They fly outside in the sky.) It sent Beau in an absolute frenzy and I just couldn’t handle him. Not for one more minute. He will officially stay in the basement until Brian gets home.
I sent Brian a text message and told him he has 2 options: 1. Take Beau to work with him EVERY day. 2. Find another home for Beau. I’m waiting for his decision to be made. Otherwise, if he doesn’t want to make a decision, this is mine: I have decided that I’m purchasing a large cage, putting toys, food and water in the cage, and Beau will spend the day in the cage, in the basement while I’m at work. Because YES, being a stay at home mother and homemaker is WORK. Its my work day and I’m firing Beau from being in my workplace. So before I leave you to decompress with a little YOGA time, I’ll leave you with some lyrics to my new favorite ‘God’ song by Jon Foreman. Its speaking to me lately and I love it.
I repeat these words over and over to myself all day long and firmly believe the last line.
Two things you told me
That you are strong
and you love me.
So why do I worry?
Why do I freak out?
God knows what I need.
~
Click this link to listen to my new favorite song:
NOW TAKE A DEEP BREATH WITH ME… I’m ready to find my Patience now (especially since Beau is nowhere in sight for me to lose it again)
xo
PS. Ever had a day like this?
lol I totally understand! We had a dog, we ended up having to put her down before my youngest was born. With that she was A NUT, no joke.. Would go nuts when we left the house. She would tear the blinds off the windows and such freaking out. Had to have baby sitters for her.
We had to put her to sleep for many reasons, it was very sad. But we also had this cat. Sweet cat really, and I was ready to pop, as I was VERY prego with my youngest. And this cat decided to keep bring mommy LOTS of BIG gifts EACH DAY for the longest time. It’s not like I have enough on my plate with my oldest son and dealing with great fatigue from being ready to pop. He brought me half dead birds that could fly while dripping blood (I am not joking!), HUGE grasshoppers that were very much alive. And the biggest moth I’d seen in this state.. Ya I was done with him, I told my husband he had to go. I assured him, that cat is ADORABLE and seriously sweet, but I can’t handle these gifts each day and with a new born.. oh dear.. So ya I totally feel your pain!
Ever thought of trying him at doggy day care? There are a couple in Peters now (Fuzzy Paws and The Pooch Pit). It will get him out of your hair for the day, and he should come home tired enough to not get into any trouble for a while. Might be worth a shot.
Your situation sounds like many phone calls I recieve for help. Picking the right dog at the right time for your home is the most important decision to make. Some clients feel “stuck” and spin in circles with the dog. My advice is to have a professional training consult , make plans for training, exercise, behavior modificationand management. A proper eating plan will help with your housebreaking.
We are not sold on doggy day cares…”dogs gone wild”…is more like it…esp. when I read on sites that only have one person per 10+ dogs…what will happen when there is a dog fight??? Disaster. My dogs and many trainers will NEVER spend one day at a center. Dogs need a master…not a gang of dogs to hang with. Dogs should pay attention to their owners…it seems to me that many people have dogs shouldn’t have them …they need to wait for a time in their lives when they aren’t so darn busy. Dogs are a huge responsibility and not to be taken lightly. I am so shocked when a client calls …oh…they are so frustrated …they purchased a doodle of sort…then I tell them the reason the dog has so much energy is because they purchased a hunting dog…surprise…they didn’t do their homework!!!
So …if you are losing your mind…make sure the dog is in the right home. Be fair to the dog.
Good luck.
Debbie Miller-Gurchak
Trainer,fancier and competitor of obedience, rally, conformation, agility.
We gave our dog to my parents. He was having “stomach problems” non stop and we were spending soooo much money on the vet it was getting ridiculous. So, my parents offered to take him and it was hard to “give up” but we accepted. He’s been on medication now and at my parents house where they have a fenced in yard (that we don’t have) where he can run free. Toby is doing so much better and looks like a brand new dog. Don’t know if he’ll stay there forever but he’s seems to be doing so good there we aren’t ready to take him back. Maybe Beau needs to be in a place where he is the center of attention
My husband and I have an 11-month-old miniature schnauzer. For the first three months, my husband was absolutely miserable! Nonstop care and attention! I think we had to take her out every 15 minutes (still in an apartment with a communal yard). It is still a full-time job, and we don’t have kids. I love the little girl more than anything, but some days I can’t stand the responsibility. You aren’t alone!
I lol’ed while reading this. I should print this out and every time one of my boys asks for a dog let them read this and tell them that I am not as nice as you are….