It's a Good Thing

I'm looking forward to Greek food tonight - home made by hundreds of little old Greek Grandmas as a fundraiser for their church.

I'm looking forward to seeing my in-laws tonight and introducing them to Dexter.

I'm looking forward to hanging out with friends tonight and possibly watching a movie or playing some games.



Though, if I'm completely honest, there is a pit in my stomach.

Today is the first day that we are crating Dexter in the morning AND the afternoon. I put him in there with a kong of peanut butter and his rope bone, and I left. I did it resolutely, but with a little ache in my heart.

You see, there is good reason the little monster must be caged while we are away. Those first moments when I open the door to find something wholly weird chewed up and strewn about - those days need to end. Being greeted with the masticated remnants of the very first throw pillow I ever made is not the sort of excitement I need in my day.

Up until a few days ago, I could deal with it. I saw it as an almost necessary evil - something our dog would grow out of - but a necessary part of owning a dog at this point.

Then, a few days ago, he sudden decided the items on the couch end table were up for grabs and he chewed up his grooming brush and a bottle of styptic.

It was cracked open and powder was spilled - I have no idea if he ingested any. I was a little upset to say the least. It was a bit of a wake up call, because the thing with Dexter is that it's not one item he keeps going back to chew and destroy.... he just keeps picking the next thing --- Today, should I jump onto the kitchen table and rummage in the fruit bowl? OR should I pull all the coats off the coat rack and deposit them all over the house? Choices. Choices.

The choice to chew up a bottle of styptic was unnerving. So we got a little more intense about what to leave accessible.

Then he chewed up one of my sandals WHILE WE WERE HOME IN THE SAME ROOM TOGETHER. I guess he knows the difference between chewing softly and chewing loudly. And once again we placed another order for another pair of my favorite sandals. This time though, I drenched the damaged suckers with Bitter Apple spray and left them out as bait. He hasn't touched them since.

But yesterday was the final straw. A few weeks ago I noticed a dark red spot on his belly by his back legs and so we took him to the vet. The vet didn't know what it was, but they had us give him some pills and apply some topical medicine. He loved the pills because he got them with a yummy beefy treat. The topical medicine - not so much. We had to start using a cone to get him to leave the area alone. Boy, did he look pathetic with that cone on - walking into things and getting stuck in places.

Yesterday I came home and found that bottle of topical medication completely chewed up and empty. Pieces and parts were all over the house. He hadn't touched that bottle for weeks. It has been on the coffee table for weeks. But ALL OF A SUDDEN it's MEDICINE FOR BREAKFAST!

Once again, no sign of sickness - no lethargy, no vomit, no lack of appetite - But NO MORE. I will not tolerate another surprise like this. He cannot be trusted, and therefore, we will be crating him from now on.

If you've been reading this blog, you know we've had this puppy for about 2 months - he's 11 months old now. We got the crate a few days after we got him. We've been getting him used to it for weeks and weeks. These days, he sleeps in it of his own volition all the time. He also sleeps under the coffee table, preferably on my foot - but he chooses the crate too. We crate him sometimes while we're home, and we crated him the other day when we went out to dinner....

But this is different.

And as much as I know it's for his own good... I feel a little shitty about it.