Dogs and Shoes...

I came across this picture today and it reminded me of Malone, my sweet, obedient doxie. You've heard the story of Reba and her trash can escapade. Well, Malone decided he was tired of being the good one and rebelled.

I had taken Mom to the hospital at 5:00 am that morning so our normal potty-walk time at 6:00 am was moved up to 4:30 am. Most dogs love schedule and mine are no different, so the early rustling out of snuggled blankets came as quite a surprise for these furry little ones. Especially since they know their mama is a night owl and not a morning person!

I placed them in their safety zone, puppy-proofed things and made sure puppy pads were down in case they needed to go to the bathroom since I wouldn't be back until after 6 pm that night. Mom's procedure went well and she was giggling on the phone with her favorite sister (her only sister), so I felt good about leaving to tend to the pups.

I arrived home with my furry ones to greet me...and then I noticed it. A pile of something on the vinyl (thank goodness on the vinyl!!) and not on a puppy-pad. Yuck! Upon cleaning up the mess, a closer examination revealed this was not a potty break, but someone coughing up something that shouldn't have been in their stomach!

Then I noticed one of my leather boots, much like the one in the picture with the pup above, nestled on Malone's blanket. I reached over to pick up my boot only to find half of it missing!!!!! That stinker had eaten my boot! He's fine now and things came out in the wash, if you know what I mean...my little stinker! He's sooooo good, but when he rebels, he does it well!

My Sweeties...

Meet Malone (left) and Reba (right). These are my sweet ones, or scoundrels depending on the time of day. Never underestimate how an animal can change your life or inspire you. Let's take Reba for example. She's 10 lbs, 16 years, spry as a 2 year old, very determined, a little stubborn and never misses an opportunity to surprise you! Ah...so much like her mama! Except for the spry part!

Take a couple of days ago. There were several errands to run, so in usual fashion I secured the dogs in their crate, checked the rest of the house to make sure it was puppy proofed - just in case - and then headed out the door feeling quite comfortable that things were tightened down and put safely away from curious little paws.

Imagine my surprise when I arrived home to find Malone peering out at me from the front window, as if his job was to be the lookout! Oh my...what would I find inside? But I had prepared and puppy-proofed things so there should be no worries...or so I thought.

Upon entering the house I found my sweet pups running around the sofa in delighted play, oblivious to the fact that something had just occurred that mommy might not be too happy about. I then began to find evidence of foul play...the breach of garbage and recycling cans!!

Now, this was no easy task for Reba because my cans are all on wheels and have latching handles. As I stood there upset at first, my thoughts quickly shifted to appreciating what just happened here. A small, obviously disobedient, strong-willed pup did the unexpected. She succeeded her goals in the most challenging situation.

Hum...what can I learn from this moment? 1) More obedience training and 2) take a lesson from your furry low-rider!! Our pets are more our teachers than we realize (;