Dog Sitting

We have had the distinct honor to watch my parent's dog, while they went to Florida for three weeks.

She is a daschund, slightly overweight, and knows only two commands..."peeps" and "poops". I kid you not....it is a little embarrassing saying that out in the communal cul-de-sac, but it makes going potty easy, and our dog (a 90 pound chocolate lab) pees pretty quickly since he goes where she goes. Hopefully after she moves.

Now, it really is not a problem watching her, since they watch ours when we go away, but there are certain things that she does that tends to irk me and throw us (meaning our dog too) out of our daily routine.

First, she tends to bark...a lot.

A slight creak in the floor. Woof, woof, woof.

The high school band practicing across the neoghborhood. Woof, woof, woof.

A loud fart in the other room. Woof, woof, woof.

Second, she will go into her crate to drink or eat a snack, but then won't come out, because the door is not open fully...BUT...it is open the same width as it was when she went in.

Third, she likes to sleep in the bed. Now this is not too much of a problem, but our king size bed already has the two of us, and our lab (remember he's 90 pounds and likes to sleep on his side with this legs out). She likes to sleep under the covers..all the way down at the bottom of the bed. I have no idea how she does not suffocate, or we don't roll over on top of her. Plus, our dog is not happy about it either, and has been sleeping on the floor most of the night.

Lastly, she is an instigator. Point blank. Our dog will lay on the floor, minding his own business (or licking it), and all of a sudden the little one will run up, jump at him and run away. He lays there knowing he should not be running around the living room. Then, the little one, not getting her satisfaction of getting the lab to chase her around, runs back up to him, sits up on her hind legs, and bats him with her legs. Then the lab decides enough is enough and chases the little one around the livingroom....then he gets in trouble. See, an instigator.

All in all, though, she is a pretty good dog, and makes us want to get another one to keep the lab young at heart. It just so happens that neither set of grandparents want to watch two dogs at the same time...we will just have to convice them otherwise.