Laina’s sleepover weekend
with friends left only two of us to take care of the dogs. Because they cannot be left home alone, we
take them with us almost everywhere we go.
Saturday morning I ran Lexi to work, and Sam and Thorin rode along.
A friend
suggested I take them to the dog park at Wickham Park, so I decided to attempt
it, though I was scared. Would they get along with the other dogs or
would they fight? What would
happen? Would I ever get them back in
the car again?
I parked and let them out.
Thrilled with new smells, nearby dogs, and a novel place, Sam pulled and
jerked, trying to take off. I held him
tight and got them into the large waiting area where signs told me to take them
off of their leashes. Concerned, I
followed the rules and opened the gate into the big dog park. They galloped off.
Sam spent an hour exploring, sniffing, and playing with
other dogs, though one smaller dog kept barking and nipping at Sam. Altogether, he was a good boy and played
nicely with his new friends.
Reincarnated, Thorin ran
like a five-year-old dog and, undaunted by size, proceeded to hump any large
dog he could find.
Both dogs had a blast, and I was shocked that they
willingly and quietly left with me. I
stopped to hose them down before we picked Lexi up from work.
That afternoon, we wanted to go to the library for an hour,
so we decided to put both dogs in the large kennel. We wouldn’t be gone that long but long enough
for Sam to destroy something in the house yet too long to leave them in the hot
car, so kennel it was. I had to pick
Thorin up and carry him in. Once Sam
noticed, he hid beneath the benches, and I had to upend them to get him
out. Then, he pushed and pulled until
his collar came off. He did not want to
go in the kennel at all and wanted only to go with us. If I were president, I would make a law that
pets could go anywhere, anytime. Not
really, but the dogs would sure love that!
In order to get in him the kennel, I had to literally grab his skin and
push him in. So not fun.
On Sunday, we stayed home from church so that the dogs
wouldn’t be left alone and again took the dogs for social and activity time at
Wickham Park.
Once Laina arrived home, we went to a family friend’s house
to introduce him to the dogs. His house
sits on a golf course, so he got out his golf cart. Laina rode with him, carrying Thorin on her
lap, and Lexi ran behind with Sam.
Finally, she let go of Sam, and he raced alongside and then pulled
ahead. Once he was in the lead, he took
off; however, once he saw the cart again, he returned for more fun. Thorin peed in our friend’s house.
That
afternoon, we found out that Sam would not
be moving to the Gulf, and while glad, I felt stressed about another week of
trying to figure out what to do. Lexi
was excited and set about finding someone to pet sit on Tuesday and
Thursday. It relived my mind to have a
plan in place for the next week.
We’d been so busy with
work, school, and spending time with the dogs that the house was an
embarrassing disaster, so we spent the early evening cleaning. While folding clothes, I left the bedroom
door open, and the cats ventured out. We
watched carefully, but the cats and dogs tolerated and were even curious about
each other. The cats peek around the
corner, stare at the dogs, and then race to a spot on the couch where they sit
until they decide to brave it again. It’s
hilarious to watch. Sam wags his tail
when the cats risk getting close, but Thorin mostly ignores them. Finally, the cats, dogs, and teens are all
together in the condo.
This week’s Nehemiah study begins with confession and
having a faithful heart. I confess that
I am grateful for this experience and for all those who have helped, that I
have learned so much, that I have struggled and despaired, and that I have not
been patient. Yet I also confess that I
have never doubted God’s help and plan.
I trust that a positive solution will come in the end, even if it’s not
on my timetable.
No comments:
Post a Comment