Ah, the joy of having a young, and energetic pooch in the house has rekindled the vestigal art of “puppy-proofing”. Strictly speaking, this is the need to protect household goods from a teething puppy who is chewing everything to help work the puppy teeth to fall out so that the adult teeth can grow in. Typically, this is a temporary period, but many dogs enjoy chewing, so we supply them with Nylabones, rope toys, and other things to occupy their gnawing jaws.
Of course, there are other household goods that are also victims. The aforementioned Tivo remote was an early sacrifice. The Nob Hill coupons that are snatched off the counter. An ancient pair of sunglasses. Papers, and who knows what next.
Lizzie is both increasing her confidence in her home, and exploring boundaries. That means trouble at every step. I had mentioned before her affinity for homing in on tags and labels, destroying them right off on new toys and her beds, but as she becomes Queen of the Castle, her horizons expand.
Alas, for Barbara and me, it will be a game of whack-a-mole, trying to pre-empt the threat, and dealing with the fall out. We went through this with Oliver originally, and while he never totally grew out of it, he did finally calm down.
Alas, Lizzie has a lot more energy than even a greyhound. At least today, she slept past 3:00 AM.
Small victories will be celebrated. It’s a good thing she is totally adorable.