Monday, August 03, 2009

Dogs, thunderstorms, and free dogs

While we were on vacation Carrie watched our three beagles. She was telling me they were really good except for one morning when she went over and they had gotten an onion off the pie safe and a zuchini off the table. That would be Maddie. Maddie may be ten in dog years, but is still going through her terrible twos. That dog can get onto a bar-stool high chair and get up where no dog should be able to get.

Last night Molly was acting up even before being put in the kitchen for the night. I wondered then if there were storms in the air but I didn't hear Ed Wilson mention any overnight thunderstorms, so I didn't give Molly a Nervoheel pill. Her heavy breathing and pacing kept me awake until around 11:30 when I finally fell asleep, only to be awaken at 3:15 by her doing her best to tear the gate down. Fortunately for us it is a new gate and not as easy to pull down. Unfortunately she has figured out how to open it up so we bungie cord it shut. While on vacation earlier this month she chewed through the bungie cord and Jeremy tied it together and we have failed to replace it. I yelled at her a few times and dozed back to sleep. I was awaken once again at 4:15 by her heavy breathing/panting in the bedroom and two other dogs jumping up in bed with me. I listened for a moment and heard thunder off in the distance. I dragged their sorry butts back into the kitchen, gave her some Nervoheel. When I tried to fasten the gate again saw it had once more been chewed through. So in my lazy/sleepy frame of mind, I saw the cooler, still filled with cold beverages and icy cold water and thought I'd just move it in front of the gate so she can't pull it open. I went back to bed only to hear a thud and went back to the kitchen to find Molly had removed the lid to the cooler and using all her strength, tipped the cooler over. Now I had a small flood on the kitchen floor to clean up. After doing this, I dragged her sorry butt downstairs and put her in a kennel, came back upstairs to go to bed. I wasn't able to get back to sleep, but did stay in bed until 6. I went out to the kitchen to feed the dogs and let them out only to find that Maddie had gotten into the lazy Susan and got a pasta salad mix and ate all the dried pasta and seasoning. She also got a box of spaghetti and ate them.

With threats of thunderstorms again tonight, Molly and Maddie are both being put in a kennel tonight and I'll let the "good" dog sleep with me.