Sunday, March 20, 2011

Thor update...it's been a crazy few weeks.

I've meant to post a bunch of times since Thor got here, but it's been really hard to get away from him so that I could sit down at the computer and write. The cats are living upstairs, and every time he comes up here, he gets into it with Tubby. She just swiped him across the nose so he has settled down under my desk at my feet...for now. I'll try to get in as much as possible, but may have to jump off quickly if another offensive starts.
Thor is great. Everyone who meets him abolutely loves him, and he's a really good boy. The problem (and there always is one) is that he doesn't get along with the cats. As I've mentioned NUMEROUS times, Tubby is a bully. She's just awful. The first time I brought Thor home, she wouldn't let him in the house. She literally blocked the front door and wouldn't let him come in. When he was finally in the house and we were making our initial tour of the first floor, she attacked from the rear by jumping on his back. Welcome home Thor.
The first day was a little rough, actually. I've never had a dog before, I don't have kids, and I don't take care of anyone besides myself (well, a little bit when my father was dying, but not what I'm about to relate). If I'm being honest, I have limited experience with certain bodily functions and accidents related to said functions. Okay. So Thor came from Arkansas, which was a two day drive. The men who drove him up said that he hadn't been drinking much during the trip, he hadn't peed and he hadn't taken care of other business. This other business issue wasn't really surprising because of the stress related to the trip. I took water when I went to pick him up and got him to drink. I walked him when we got home and he peed, so I'm thinking "I've got this." No prob. We then come into the house where he is NOT welcomed by the cats and then attacked from behind. I make the mistake of removing his leash so he can get a feel for the smell of Chateau Hol, and he wanders into the dining room and shits everywhere. Bad. Really bad. Now I am the first one to admit that I was totally unprepared for it, but now that I know him better, I have to say in my own defense that what happened in the dining room was not just healthy defecation in an inappropriate location. So here we go...are you ready? (*Edit note: Gina DID offer to clean up the mess, but I knew I would have to deal with this eventually and would not accept her offer of assistance. Thanks G.*) Hol goes into the dining room and immediately begins to gag. Mind racing, I don't even know how to begin, but I'm going to have to come up with something. Gag. Gag. My room mate G had Thor in the living room saying, "If you can't clean up after this dog, we're going to have to give him back." I was pacing around (while gagging) trying to come up with a plan. Okay. Doggie poopie pick-up bags...I'll start there. I get the bags, go back into the dining room and throw up everywhere. No joke. Thor's accident was eclipsed by my own. Now I'm mostly crying. I wail, "G....I threwww uppppp!!!!" She says, "I'm out of here. It's all you." and takes Thor outside. (*Edit note: Oddly, G didn't offer to clean up after I puked all over the place...*) Yes, you heard it here first. This is what really went on the day I got my first dog. Believe me, Thor seems no worse for wear, but the experience has left me scarred.

So here are a couple decent pictures of him. Doesn't he look sweet? I had him to the vet yesterday and he's tipping the scales at a solid 77 lbs. I think he's a big baby, but it turns out that my cleaning lady is afraid of dogs and won't come in the house if he's here. That's a problem. I decided that on the days the cleaning lady comes, I'd send him to doggie day care. Good plan...unless it's raining. He was all set up to go on a field trip last Wednesday so that it wouldn't interfere with her coming to do the house. She's scheduled to come at noon. The day care calls at 9:30 to tell me his field trip is cancelled because it's raining. What? Now, I'm sitting in a cubicle in Needham, nowhere near a window, and I say, "It's raining? Was it supposed to rain today?" And then panic sets in. Oh god. My cleaning lady is supposed to come today. That is a whole 'nother thing. She doesn't speak English, so all communication is relayed through her husband. The whole concept of doggie field trip being cancelled due to rain is totally lost on him, so I'm pretty sure they think I'm insane. I think the main issue is that I'm just not used to the additional layer of logistics yet. I feel like I've been thrown into the deep end of the pool and I don't know how to swim. As far as the house goes, no need to fret. I took him on a field trip yesterday so the house could be cleaned in our absence; it looks decent right now. Thor is as messy as about five people I think.
There are so many more things I wanted to write about, but I have to leave for a baby shower in an hour and I need to find something to wear. I was hoping to write about my terrifying trip to Babies-R-Us, but I'll save that for later...except for one thought. If you ever want to have an anxiety attack, go in Babies-R-Us. Jesus. It's like the friggin' Costco of baby shit. It's a whole world I've never been a part of, and the store practically makes me twitch.
I know this is supposed to be a knitting blog, but I haven't knit much of anything since Thor got here...
Bye for now!