Kids vs Dogs

I know I've discussed this topic before, but I just need to revisit for a bit.

As I type this, that dog of mine, Rudy, is barking at the back door, because the neighbor dogs are barking.  Rudy loves to bark.  He barks to go out.  He barks to play.  He barks when we throw a toy in the pool and he can't get at it. He barks to go to daycare.  He barks at other dogs.  He barks at people.  He will lay down or stand in the backyard and bark at seemingly nothing.  That seemingly nothing sometimes may be other dogs far away that I cannot hear, or not.

Kids don't bark.  They talk and yell.  If other kids yell, they may also yell.  But if kids yell, you can't grab them by the collar and shove them in a crate.  Kids will tell you exactly how they feel (I hate you mommy) while with dogs, there is a lot of guessing (I hate that you don't feed me all day long and aren't hanging out with me 24/7).

Dogs can be as expensive as you let them.  So can kids.  If you don't spend enough on kids though, there is more of a chance of you getting in trouble for it.

I've spent a lot of time training this dog, but not nearly enough.  If he was a kid, it would be even less quality time than what would be acceptable.

I like sleep.  This dog, who is not yet a year old, sleep soundly enough most nights.  I don't have to worry too often that he will wake me up in the middle of the night to go potty or whatever.  Not like babies and kids.  I see so many facebook posts about people being tired because the kid kept them up all night.  Those first few months of having to get up a couple of times a night to let the puppy out were so exhausting - and that was only a few months.  Now this guy has a bladder bigger than mine.  I have to get up in the middle of the night sometimes, way more often than Rudy.

Kids are nice, but so are dogs and cats and miniature ponies and pot bellied pigs, etc.  No one ever nags couples to ask them when they are going to get a dog, cat, miniature pony, pot bellied pig, etc, do they?

What Do I Do When I Don't Feel Like Posting?

I post a video of the animals...

Today was a weird day.  I spent lots of time with Rudy, and I realized, I never have enough time or energy to spend quality time with him.  He needs a lot of work.  And lots of love.  The work... well, it's a work in progress.

The love, yes, that's also a work in progress too.  He doesn't like to be hugged.  He growls if we hug him.  And if we pet him or crowd him the wrong way when he's not in the mood, he growls.  He's high maintenance, because the reverse side of it, is that he doesn't like to be left alone outside or in a room when we are somewhere else.  He whines this high pitched whine like he's in danger or something.

But, we had a first today.  I was trying to rip the broken screen off the door, and Rudy was crowding me.  So, I pushed him away with my hip, and I might have inadvertently pushed his head against the door frame.  He looked a little stunned, but not hurt.  I felt really really bad.  I bent down to pet him, and he seemed fine, then he licked my face.  I have never let him lick my face.  He's such a dirty dog.  He eats shit and dirt and bugs and dirty napkins and licks the floor.  But I hurt him and I felt bad and I apologized, and he licked my face.  What a good doggie.

Anyhoo, on a totally different subject, I dropped my iphone for the first time today!  It was a horrible feeling.  That's what I get for using the iphone while driving (at a stoplight mind you) and then setting it on the seat next to me and forgetting it was there.  When I got out of the car, it tumbled out onto the ground.  Luckily, I had that big bulky lifeproof case on it.  I'm not sure if it would have faired quite as well with the cool smaller and slender transparent purple case.  It might have been okay, but it fell face side down. :(  I hate myself for doing something stupid like that.  I should know better by now, since I've had to live with myself for almost 39 years now.

Pricks

I was walking Rudy at the beach this morning.  He was jerking on the leash, so I jerked him a little, and I stabbed myself in the thumb with a cactus.  It's kind of funny, because when we first passed by the cacti, I told Rudy that those were prickers and he didn't want to get stabbed by them.  I guess he showed me.

Then, later, I was trimming the nonflowering bougainvillea.  I had Rudy hooked to the house with the three leashes.  That was just enough lead so he could go a little onto the grass if he wanted or needed.

So, when I was trimming the bougainvillea, of course he wanted to "help".  He was all in it.  Once again, I tried to pull the trimmings away from Rudy, so he wouldn't get pricked, and I pricked my hand.

Figures.

Rudy is a prick.

Not really, he's just a puppy.  Just a puppy who kept challenging Stinksy's right to lay on the bed.  Rudy kept jumping on the bed and barking at Stinksy, but Stinksy held his ground.

In other happenings of the day, I put my bra on backwards.  How is that possible?  I wear mostly sports bras.  They are easier for work, and you can get a 3 pack for cheap at Walmart or Target.  And, my bra size is always sold out when I'm looking for the more traditional cup bra.  So, also, I swear my tits are shrinking.  Like, if it weren't for my pointy nipples, I wouldn't ever bother with a bra.  Anyway, I had my swimsuit on this afternoon.  And I needed to go to the store, so I had to change.  I just threw some clothes on.  Later, I went to change for the evening walk with Rudy, I noticed that the bra was on backwards when I looked in the mirror.  So, obviously, it didn't even feel weird.  Why even bother with a bra?

I know why kids get fat

because they were annoying their parent(s), so it's easier to distract and entertain with food.

My babysitter was the TV and food.  Luckily for me and my doctor mom, I had the hyperactive skinny gene as a kid.

Anyway... I used food to stop Rudy from annoying me tonight.  We were trying to watch Breaking Bad.  The FP was eating popcorn right after Rudy ate his dinner.  So, Rudy was trying to eat the FP's popcorn.  So, it was my job to distract him with the laser light game.  But, the FP was taking forever to eat the popcorn.  And Rudy kept coming back to him to try to get the popcorn.  So, finally, I got out the deer antler.  And he went away and he stopped jumping on the couch and stuff.  He was just scraping his teeth on that antler.

It's kind of gross and weird when you think about it - a dog chewing on a deer antler.  Do hunting dogs see antlered game and think, "yum, I can't wait to chew on one of those antlers!"

Why is that not as weird as chewing on, say, a cow bone?  I guess because I don't eat antlers.

Anyhoo, it seems like a lot of dog toys are really about getting them entertained by themselves without human interaction.  Not all of them, but a lot.  And they make a disclaimer on the package by saying that the dog should be supervised when chewing on the plastic bone or whatever.  Right.  A plastic bone is so a dog will sit quietly while mommy or daddy is at work or busy.

So, I'm glad I don't have kids.  They would be fat and have all kinds of behavioral and social issues.  And The Fuzz probably wouldn't like all the disturbance all the time.

Pet Peeves

I have pets.  And I have peeves.  Here's another list.

1. I hate when I try to kiss or pet The Fuzz, and she backs away with this disgusted face.

2. I hate when I try to hug or pet Rudy, and he growls at me.

3.  I hate when I walk by Stinksy, and he swipes at me.

4. I hate when The Fuzz takes a shit and doesn't bury it - it's such a terrible smell.

5. I hate when Stinksy and Rudy both try to get our food when we are eating.

6.  I hate when Rudy tries to get at the cat food on the shelf.

7.  I hate when Stinksy tries to run out of the door and tries to get away when I try to wrangle him in.

8.  I hate when Rudy barks at everyone.

9.  I hate when Rudy bites me.

10.  I hate when I feel like I'm neglecting my pets.