In the Doghouse

My usual pithy comments have been missing for the past few days. I certainly apologize, but I have been busier than normal since Friday.

We have a new arrival at our home. It weighs about eight or nine pounds and is cute as a button. Without holding you in too much suspense, our new family member is a ten-month old Lhasa Apso. We brought the boy home from a shelter on Saturday and he has fit right in with most of us.

My wife is head over heels in love with the puppy. She gave it a bath last night and is taking it to be neutered today. If the last is not a sign of affection I do not know what is. She spent two weeks searching local shelters and not so local shelters trying to find a dog that would fit our family. Since we brought him home she is studying the computer and checking out library books in an effort to make the transition smooth and understand how best to take care of the pooch.

My sixteen year old daughter loves the dog too, but is careful not to let it interfere with her social life. My eight year old son loves the dog, but is also careful not to let it interfere with video games and other pastimes. Our five year old cat is still clinging to the hope that if it hisses enough it will go away.

My wife is the best pet owner in Central Illinois. She loves the dog, which is the most important step. I am probably a poor pet owner. The old school pet-owner approach fits me better. Give it a place to stay and some food and it should be fine. I like to take it outside and go for walks, but I try to solve other issues on my own.

Here is an example of my goofy way of pet care compared to my wife’s thoughtful approach. Since bringing the dog home Saturday, we set him up in a small room for bed time. The first night, the dog pawed at the door and whined, but eventually slept. The next night was more of the same.

My wife and I agreed that we should probably get a crate. We both work and the crate would keep the baby dog from destroying the little room bit by bit. My wife went out Monday night and found a great crate.

Just a side note, I don’t like crates. Crate is just a nicer name than cage. The whole point of giving the dog a home is so it does not have to live in a cage. You never see “Old Yeller” in a cage. “Lassie” is never seen in a cage. Still, after owning a basset hound for twelve years, I understand the value of a crate.

So Monday night was our dog’s first night in its crate. It was the first night I heard the boy bark repeatedly. Sure, there was the occasional yelp, but Monday night was a call for help. It did not want to spend the night in the crate.

What did Alex do? In my old school wisdom, I grabbed a pillow and slept on the floor outside the dog’s room, inches from the crate, where the dog could see me. Within minutes he settled down. After a half-hour or so, I moved so the dog could still see my feet, but not my head. The dog got up for a moment or two, but spun around and lay back down again.

An hour or so later, I moved to the living room couch, which was still within sight and sound of our new border. At first, he whined, but when I told him to go to sleep, he did.

I did not get much sleep that night, but it seemed like a victory. When morning came, I realized that, in some ways, I spent the night in the doghouse.

Yesterday, my wife combed the internet and learned that Lhaso Apsos hate to be left alone. The best thing would be to let the dog sleep in our room. The boy is not fully housebroken, so we were worried about doing such a thing. Now we had documented proof that it would be okay.

Last night, we slept nearly straight through the night. The boy got my wife up early to go outside, but otherwise it was a successful experience.

If my wife had not been looking for the best solutions, we would need to replace a door in our house, or I would have spent another night on the floor downstairs, if not for the next week or two.

Instead we have a living situation that is comfortable for all of our new family. My wife is wonderful. She found a new companion for us all, and knows how to use modern technology to make it work. I like the internet too, but my wife is more fun to be around. I am a lucky guy.

Now that I am rested, I can write again! Thank you for reading. We will talk again soon.