A Little South of Sanity

A month or so ago when Marcel and I were away for the weekend, we made an appointment with the breeder (since we were in the neighborhood) to have him plucked. She really wanted to do it and we figured since we had to pass close to her town to get home, it would be more cost effective, since she’s much cheaper than the people here in the area. She mentioned that JJ would be going through doggie puberty sometime soon and that he’d stop listening and begin doing highly annoying things. At the time, I kind of laughed it off, but not anymore.

This morning I had friends over for coffee and it was their first visit. He acted like a complete fool and drove me NUTS. Needless to say, three hours later and I was completely stressed and I was ready to put him on eBay. Ok, maybe I wouldn’t put him on eBay, but I hope this doggie puberty doesn’t last long, because my sanity can’t take it.

Marcel and I were walking through a shopping area when we were out of town a few weeks ago, and we came across pop displays that were located outside of this particular business. I thought they were cute, but before I could get any closer, JJ noticed them and started barking like a dog with rabies. He went running towards them, forgetting that he was a tiny dog and ready to attack. It was hilarious. When he actually made it over to them, he wasn’t sure what to do, but he realized that obviously it wasn’t such a big deal after all and he was ready to move on.

Those little things always make me giggle and yet bring so much joy at the same time.

This afternoon our neighbor stopped in with her daughter and her daughters Cairn terrier puppy. The little guy is several months younger than JJ, and even though they didn’t come inside, I was surprised to see how agressive JJ behaved towards the little pup. JJ was pouncing on top of the dog and growling at him and obviously not playing, which is not typical of his behavior.

I’m not sure if he was being territorial and making sure the small dog knew who was boss, because last week my friend came over and brought her dog, which is a larger dog than JJ (and a female) and JJ loved her. Even though I know I’m not doing a bad job raising him, I still felt bad that he was growling at the dog the way he was. Marcel thinks it was pure jealousy, and maybe he’s right.

I was so excited that Marcel was able to get out and about today. Because it was fabulous weather, we decided to take JJ and head out to the beach. We wanted to see how he’d react to the water, and he absolutely loved it. He chased his tennis ball right into the water without any hesitation and since the beach was practically deserted, we decided to unleash him and let him run free. He was great and stayed close to us with the exception of when he saw a sea gull take flight and decided he wanted to chase it. Luckily, he understands the word “STOP” and the second I yelled it, he did exactly what he was supposed to do and stopped.

We walked about 3 miles- or shall I say Marcel walked about three miles and I ran part of it and walked the other part. I absolutely love jogging on the beach and I’m really wanting to build up some stamina. The running on the hard sand close to the shoreline is great on my legs since the sand gives, unlike the asphalt, and it’s a great alternative to the elliptical.

When we got home, both Marcel and JJ passed out. Ok, not literally but JJ is snoozing and after dinner Marcel followed him. Marcel is still very weak from being sick and doesn’t have his strength back, but it’s coming.

On the way home- I saw the weirdest thing- a full-sized bicycle hanging on a street sign. It was CRAZY, but unfortunately we were going to fast for me to get a picture with the ‘eye’ and there was too much traffic to stop. Needless to say, I will be going back to check it out, sooner rather than later and then I’ll get a picture.

This is a little gross, but yesterday while I was out having a little photo session with a friend and then having lunch at her place, Marcel called to tell me he was feeling worse than he has been. He also wanted me to know that JJ had decided to get into the cats litter while he was busy doing something else, and that he didn’t know how much he’d eaten of it.

I was not thrilled about it, but what can you do after the fact? Plus I was in another city anyway. The only thing I could do was sigh and hope that JJ was ok.

When I arrived home, he seemed fine all day, and yet this morning when he woke me up at 7:45 a.m. (obviously he didn’t get the memo to sleep late on Saturday’s), he wouldn’t do his puppy ‘bizness’. I walked with him for almost 40 minutes, and aside from having to pull a chicken bone out of his throat that someone had tossed into the bushes and he was about to swallow, he just wanted to run, play and bark as his reflection in the canal.

I hope this doesn’t mean that he’s going to have problems. He ate regularly, so that was a good sign, and he’s drinking water. I guess we’ll see what happens.

A few days ago I received a belated Christmas package from my dear friend Samantha, and inside there were presents for JJ and Mister M. as well. One of JJ’s gifts was some little rawhyde bones that he absolutely adores. He loves them so much, he doesn’t want anyone else to get the one he has, so when he wants water, or something else, he’ll dig and bury his bone under his blankets and hide it.

It’s the cutest thing ever.

I finally finished my work for this week and I’m ready to kick back and relax for the weekend. I am in serious need of some time where I don’t have to think. I do love my job, but I’ll admit that things have been a major challenge this week with him. He seems to want to sleep too much and then is bright-eyed and bushy tailed in the evenings.

One thing I do love about my job is that I learn about all sorts of things, such as best acne treatment, weight loss, and vitamins. Those who know me know that I thrive on learning new things, so it’s always great to see what I can add to this grey matter of mine.

One thing I do hope to do this weekend is catch up on emails and a few letters that I need to write and get mailed. Plus if the weather permits, I plan on walking JJ til he is exhausted. He needs it. He has far too much energy for his own good.

Just when I was getting settled into the routine of work and finally striking a balance, it was time for us to pick up Baby JJ. That was last night and today I’m finding myself feeling a little overwhelmed. Not with him, because he’s been absolutely perfect. He hasn’t had any accidents on the floor, but that could be because we are taking him outside every hour, or anytime he drinks or eats. It’s working well, and we are singing his praises when he does his ‘business’ outside.

I guess it looks like I’m going to have to strike another balance, although I suspect that won’t come until JJ gets use to being here and I can get some rest. I think that’s the source of me feeling overwhelmed. I can say that I have some interesting plans in the making for these little spaces, that I hope to implement in the next month or so, and in the meantime I’m going to add my sites to free directory submissions and see what happens. It can’t hurt.

Because I’m on my own, my traffic consists of people who know me and are friends, plus the occasional passer-by. I hope to change that in the future. We’ll see how things develop! Right now, I’ve got to finish dinner.

This weekend we went to see Baby JJ for what I knew would be the last visit before we picked him up at the end of the month. The breeder had told me that she wouldn’t know when we could get him until a week before, and I anticipated that we’d be able to get him around the end of the month. Because I was adoring him so much and really curious as to when we could actually bring him home, I asked if she happened to have any idea when we would be able to have him home with us and she said that she did. Rather than bringing him home at the end of the month, it looks like we’re going to be bringing Baby JJ home with us next week! I’m so excited. He is so precious and I can’t wait to have him join our family.

I just pray that he and Mister M. love each other from the start and that Mister takes pity on JJ because he’s so small. That’s what I’m hoping anyway I’ll keep yáll posted either here or at one of the other places.