I think I'm ready to see the movie Marley and Me; I needed the proper perspective before viewing the film. For two months we've been dog sitters for my sister's 18 month old chocolate lab Jedi. She's a great dog. Patient. Sweet. Obedient-mostly. Easy going. Gentle. Playful. Energetic in spurts but content with lying around the house. She's the ideal "practice" dog. We get to live vicariously through the experience of pet ownership without the lifetime committment. (Kristin's coming down in April to retrieve her beloved.) Yet even this good dog has demonstrated that we are NOT ready for a dog.
Growing up we ALWAYS had a four legged friend. 'Course my memories of our string of pets are all idyllic since they are from a child's perspective. I remember romping in the leaves with Ginger, rolling around the living room with Josie, playing fetch with Sunset, cuddling and hiking with Tori, napping with Asia... Yet none of these experiences are colored with the responsibility of feeding, walking 3x a day, picking up poop twice a day or cleaning up torn and shredded sundry items.
Take, for example, our second day with this doggy wonder. Wanting Jedi to feel welcome in her new home, Jake and I bundled up and took her to the local dog park twice that day. I wore her out with countless ball throwing exercises. That evening Jake ate early. Since I neglected to garb him with a bib, his clothes were covered with leftovers. So as Jess walked in from a long day at work, I stripped Jake naked and let him run around the living room while we sat down to eat a hot meal. Meanwhile, Jedi was cashed out by my feet. Totally sacked. Eyes closed and quietly snoring. Suddenly Jake walks over to the dog with a determined gait and proffers her a tasty morsel of something to eat. Jedi didn't even open her eyes. Her mouth opened and closed and she swallowed the mystery item whole. Jess and I eyed each other curiously. Wonder what THAT was. Daddy decided to go check it out. Meanwhile, Jake made it back to the source and scooped up two more fistfuls of the mystery meat. Jess hollers for some help as he scoops Jake up and holds the child an arm's length away from his body. Yep...for some mysterious reason Jake decided to feed the dog his freshly dropped poop. Not sure why this notion crossed his head but he certainly wasn't happy with Daddy for the interruption. That was day two.
While she resisted the temptation of the retention pond for nearly a month, last week she finally succumed to the allure of the pond. Yes, I was slightly annoyed but it was hard to be mad for very long as she clearly was having a great time swimming about. I let her get her fill before heading home to ANOTHER bath.
Today I came home to what looked like a crime scene. Shards of broken glass littered the kitchen floor. Spots of dried blood dotted the room. Not sure what was so compelling but Jedi must have put two paws up on the counter and scooted the bowl to the edge.
