The Puppy Experiment

I don't know why when i mean to say "Dog", I feel I have to say "Puppy". Dog seems like such a stiff term, like calling a person a Human or your mom as "Mother".

Anyway, thanks to Sonya leaving for the weekend, she made the great suggestion to petsit Mikey for a few days and try out what it feels like to LIVE with a furry four-legged friend. Mikey is a lovable 8 year old Maltese, but don't let the age fool you. His youthful energy and constant need for attention makes him just like a PUPPY. :) However, he is housetrained (thank goodness!) and he doesn't run around chewing or scratching things. (At least not anymore...) :)

The first night was probably as close to an experience of living with a baby as it could get. Mikey would whine and bark if you were out of his sight for more than 2 minutes. Because my home is mostly UN-puppy-proofed, I tried to keep him in the kitchen area (floors are easiest to clean there) and barricaded the entrance by flipping a foldable table against the wall. It's about a 3 foot 'wall'. Following the 'Dog Whisperers' advice of being Calm and Assertive and giving Dominant Commands to Go To Sleep - Mikey would be quite for short bouts, and the second I was almost asleep he'd start whining and barking and probably waking my neighbors too. (Not the thickest of walls here in this condo.) So i made a few drowsy trips to the kitchen to scold Mikey and he'd quiet down for a bit before starting up again... it lead to scolding him by yelling from my room because i didn't want to get up anymore... and somehow I got about 4 or 5 hours of sleep before he woke up and started crying at 5am the next morning.

Ah, the joys of going outside in the cold to take your puppy out, while looking lavish in your pajamas and bed hair. But not as great as scooping the warm poop up with plastic bags before heading back into the house. :)

Other than an additional 'peed on my backpack while at the park' (I learned never leave your stuff unattend in pee-ing distance) and him escaping the kitchen while I went out for dinner and discovered a minor mess when I got home - Mikey was a great puppy that - as long as you compromised with his needs - things were great. But you're constantly worrying... constantly planning around what he can and can't do with you... unable to do things because he couldn't be there... it was definitely a realistic learning experience.

At some point, I'd like to think that if i got my own puppy - it would eventually be trained JUST as I'd prefer... but i'm sure it takes YEARS before that happens. And time! The ideal situation is to be HOME all the time... but how many people want or get to do that and still afford the bills?

Yes, this Puppy Experiment (a whopping 2 days) definitely let me 'feel' what I'd only read or heard about. I think if i petsitted Mikey in the future, it'd probably be a lot more enjoyable because I can apply what i learned from the first time around. AND it definitely helps to have help... Single parents - I commend you EVEN more.