The Birth of Spotthedogblog

Today I made a big decision. After being pet-free and loving it for ten years, I decided I want to adopt a dog. I am cautiously optimistic that I have made a good decision. There are some who will tell me I am making a big mistake, including my best friend, and some members of my family. If things don't turn out well with this decision, I will have to admit that they were right and I was wrong (and oh, boy, I hate it when I have to do that); but for now I think I've made a good decision.

Why do people want dogs, anyway? They are loyal friends. They are not judgmental. They are glad to see you when you come home. They are cuddly. They growl and bark when an intruder is near. They can help lower your blood pressure. They make you take walks, which is good exercise. They make you happy. I had a dog for many years so I know all this is true.

So, to those who are focusing on the expensive vet bills, the cost of dog food and toys, the time it takes to groom a dog, the noise it might make that annoys the neighbors, the messes it could create, and any other reasons NOT to get a dog, I say, "We'll see. You may be right; I may be crazy. But let's give it time."

Now, about Spot the Dog.

I've known this dog for a while. She showed up in the backyard of my son's house a while back looking very sad. She was so thin you could see her ribs; she was wet and dirty and hungry, and very shy and skittish. My son tried to find the dog's owner, but soon came to the conclusion that she had likely been dumped there, probably after having been abused. Although my son and his family already had one dog and a cat, they took this poor dog in, too. My first-grade granddaughter named the dog Spot. (As in Dick and Jane and Spot and Puff, of course.)

Spot has been living a life of luxury for a while and is now all filled out, dry, clean and frisky. She is house broken and crate-trained and she has been spayed. The only problem is she is very needy. She wants attention all the time; and since the newness has worn off in her new home, she is no longer the prima donna of the residence. She is bored and a bit resentful of the attention the other pets get, so sometimes when there are toys or slippers or other chewable items left around, if no one is looking, she takes her frustration out on whatever is handy.

Anyone with two little children knows there are ALWAYS toys or slippers or other chewable items left around, so it follows that more than a few things have bitten the dust. Until now, my son and his family have just tried to deal with this, but I guess when the little yellow stuffed ducky that my grandson can't sleep without lost his wings today, that was the last straw.

Today on Facebook I noticed my daughter-in-law's posting: ". . . trying to find a FAST good home for Spot. Let me know if you want her or want to see/meet her."

And so it was destiny that I would offer to adopt Spot.

What's in our futures?

I don't have Spot yet. I need to do a little "Spot proofing" (Get it? Spot proofing?) in my house and yard before I take her. I want her to feel at home and I don't want to have to keep yelling "Get out of there!" And "Put that down!" I also want to be sure the backyard fence doesn't have any spaces where Spot could squeeze through and take off and become lost or stolen. I'd hate to have to put her face on a milk carton.

And finally, I have to make sure the grandkids are OK with me taking Spot. I think they will be, since it would be better for me to have her than a total stranger. At least they can come and visit her here!

Once I get Spot, my intention is to make regular updates in the Spotthedogblog to record our adventures together for posterity, and let everyone know whether or not I've made a wise decision.

Stay tuned . . .

Spot the Dog!

Spot arrived at my house on Sunday, January 15, 2012. She spent her first few hours with me by investigating her new home. Once she had sniffed every room and peered through every window and made a trip around the perimeter of the backyard, she settled in right away, making herself at home on the rug I had designated for her in the living room. When it was bedtime, she begrudgingly but obediently went into her crate and promptly went to sleep. She did get up at 3:00 a.m. for a trip outside, but I figured that was the least I could do for her considering all the excitement she had been through that day.

On Monday, January 16, we spent the day getting to know each other better. Spot finally ate a little, letting me know she was accepting her new home. We went for a walk that afternoon so she could see her new neighborhood. She was impressed with the number of fire hydrants, and the many other dogs in the vicinity who barked their hellos as we passed each house.

That night there was a storm, complete with thunder, lightning, hail, wind, and hard driving rain. She seemed to have known this weather was on its way because about an hour before the noise started, Spot began to whine and pace in her crate. Being soft hearted, I let her hop up on an extra blanket on my bed for the duration of the storm. She shook so hard it was like having a lawn mower engine with me on the bed. Once the storm passed, she finally went to sleep, so I let her stay on the bed. By the time I woke up in the morning, she was hogging the whole bed. I don’t think she’ll be sleeping with me again anytime soon.

Because of the rain that night, when I let her out the next morning, her paws were muddy when she came back in. I tried to wipe them with a towel and she set up a whining, writhing, fussing fit. Must find a way to solve this problem in the future.

On Tuesday, January 17, we took a ride in the car to visit the Vet. Since I didn’t know anything about her health or medical history, I wanted to get off on the right foot in that area. She was examined for everything under the sun and came out with a clean bill of health. She also got all her injections, and is now current on Rabies, Leptospirosis, Parvo Virus, and Distemper shots. She got a dental cleaning, and medicine for flea and tick control and heartworm prevention. She also had her nails done professionally. I told the Vet that Spot wasn't very good about anyone touching her feet and she said, “Oh, we're used to that. We have lots of tricks to keep her calm and we can do it OK." Shortly after the Vet took Spot to the manicure room, I heard the same whining and fussing that had happened when I had tried to wipe her feet. I also heard the Vet and her assistant saying, “It’s all right, Spot.” “Calm down, Spot.” “OK, Spot”. After several minutes of that, the Vet had to admit they were going to have to sedate her to do the nail trimming. Spot was still wobbling around the house a little, kind of walking on a slant when I finally got her home.

I had mentioned to the Vet how much Spot enjoyed a doggy massage on her shoulders. The Vet suggested I could try gradually moving the massage downward on her front legs, a little bit at a time each day, until I came to her feet. Then I should try to massage her front feet and see if she would let me. After that I could try the same procedure on her back legs. At that point I might be able to trim her nails myself in the future, or at least wipe her muddy feet. I am anxious to see if this will work.

I was very proud that the Vet complimented Spot on how pretty she was and how smart she was and, other than when they tried to trim her nails, how well behaved she was. The Vet said based on Spot’s test results she is somewhere between five and seven years old, and probably part Beagle, Border Collie and Blue Heeler. The Vet also confirmed that Spot has been spayed. I told the Vet if Spot got pregnant, she was getting the puppies!

By the morning of Wednesday, January 18, Spot was her old self again, feeling fit as a fiddle. She ate a good breakfast, had a nice playtime in the backyard, and was ready for a nap when I shuttled her into the crate before I left for a shopping trip. However, by the time I returned three hours later she let me know she was not pleased to have been left that long by sitting around and pouting. I spent an hour apologizing by giving her a doggy massage on her shoulders. She forgave me after that.

Later, I heard Spot whining and scratching at the patio door. When I looked out to see what she found so interesting, I saw a squirrel in the back yard. I opened the door and Spot sped out after the little animal. When the squirrel saw Spot coming, it ran to the nearest tree and scampered up. Spot ran to the tree, too, and stopped dead in her tracks, doing a double take. Where had that squirrel gone? Spot ran around the tree over and over, sniffing and looking in vain. Meanwhile, the squirrel sat on a branch high above Spot’s head, no doubt laughing at the foolish dog. We are going to have a fun time together!

Thursday, January 19 we woke up to a winter wonderland of soft, flaky snow. It was coming down pretty hard so we took our walk early to avoid having to tromp through deep piles of snow. When we came home, I knew Spot's feet were probably pretty cold, because mine were and I had worn boots! So I put a big soft towel on the couch and invited her to hop up beside me to warm up. I started the doggy massage thing again, and she made little contented noises thanking me for my attention. When I stopped, she put her paw on my hand and pulled it back over toward her, indicating she wanted me to keep it up. What a tricky little dog!

Our entire family was very excited because a cousin of ours was getting married January 21. Another cousin and her husband came to town for the wedding and stayed at our house, so, Spot and I had company for the weekend. Spot enjoyed the extra attention from having visitors, but she did not appreciate having to be put in the crate while we went to the wedding. She was so upset, in fact, that after I had let her out to play in the yard after the wedding, when I tried to put Spot back into the crate before we left for the reception, she refused to cooperate. It took quite a while to urge her into the crate, and as we left for the reception, she was whining and pawing at the crate door.

I let her out into the yard again when we returned from the reception. When she came back in the house, she slept on the floor in the living room until it was time for bed. Then Spot was so agitated she would not get into the crate again. It took quite a bit of trickery to finally get her settled.

The next morning I let Spot out into the yard again but she wanted to come back in the house right away to see what was going on. We were getting ready to go to Mass and when Spot saw us putting on our coats, she ran and hid in the bedroom. She would not go into the crate no matter what trap I tried. I ended up letting her have the run of the house while we were out; at least she did behave.

Since then, no matter what kind of treat I try or what kind of stern voice I use, she has refused to go back into the crate. But especially when I have to be away from the house, I feel that I need to put her in the crate so she doesn’t get into things while I’m gone and perhaps get hurt or eat something she shouldn’t and then get sick. So I need to find a way to fix this.

Apparently Spot thinks she can sit anywhere she wants.

Monday, January 23 I needed to go to the post office to mail a package. Since Spot and I were still feuding about her going into the crate, I decided it would be easier to take her with me in the car than to have another round about where she would stay while I was gone. So I put her on the leash and took her along.

When I got to the post office, I locked Spot in the car, thinking I would only be away from her a few minutes. As it turned out, there was a long line in the post office lobby, and it took over half an hour for me to finish mailing the package. When I returned to the car, Spot was sitting in the driver’s seat and would not budge for me to get back in. I imagine anyone who saw me trying to make the dog to move over and let me in the car got a pretty good laugh from it. I finally had to back myself in little by little, pushing her over out of my way as I went. She whined and fussed through the whole ordeal as if to say, “Hey, I wanted to drive.” Then she sat in the passenger seat trembling as though I had beaten her, which I had not.

Next stop was the Vet’s office where I needed to stop to pick up the rest of Spot’s supply of flea and tick medicine. When I parked the car and let Spot come with me on the leash, she was very happy not to have to sit out in the car alone again. She was happy that is, until we got to the door of the building. She must have realized by then where we were and wasn’t too happy to be there, because she sat down, dug her heels in, and refused to go in to the office with me. So here I was, practically dragging her kicking and screaming into the waiting room so I could get the prescription and get out of there.

Then it was another battle to get her back into the car because I still wasn’t going to let her drive.

By now she was panting and trembling and doing her best distressed dog act. I stopped at a fast food restaurant and bought myself a soda and got her a plastic cup of water, which she quickly lapped up. The rest of the way home she seemed content to watch out the car windows and bark at other cars as they went by.

Wednesday, January 25 I needed to be gone a few hours and knew Spot would not be able to be alone in the house that long, and I was not going to take her in the car again. It was not raining or snowing or terribly cold outside, so I left her out in the yard while I was gone. I was hoping this would work very well, with no arguing about the crate, and no worrying about “accidents” or such. The only problem with this approach was weather-related. You know what they say about Indiana . . . “if you don’t like the weather now, just wait a few minutes.” Well, just as I was getting home it had started to sleet. Since I don’t want to have a Popsicle dog, I will need a new strategy at least for the winter months. (BTW, there is a dog house in the back yard which would provide shelter from the elements, but a dog has to be smart enough to go into it.)

Since then, there have been no more car trips, no more frozen puppies, and no more attempts to get Spot into the crate, either. I have discovered that I can coerce her into the bathroom if I put her rug and a bowl of water in there for her. Then I can shut the door so she is safely corralled and comfortable when I need to leave the house. And at night she sleeps on her rug on the floor by my bed rather than being penned up.

I guess this is peaceful coexistence for now.

After a week of no cooperation from Spot about going into the doggy crate, came a truly remarkable turnaround.

My grandchildren came to visit on Saturday, January 28. As soon as they walked through the door, Spot started jumping up and down, whining, and spinning around each of them like she missed them terribly. And they were just as happy to see her. Soon there was a big ball of children and dog rolling all over the living room floor, giggling, yelping, and spinning around and around in one noisy, joyful reunion.

Once things had calmed down, the children urged Spot down the hallway, and remarkably, right into the crate. It was totally amazing; Spot just went right where they told her to go! They let her out right away and then took her outside to play. There was much running and shouting and more happy jumping and laughing. When they all came in the house again, Spot was so exhausted she spent the rest of the evening recuperating on the living room rug.

At bedtime, the grandkids once again let Spot into the crate with no problem at all. During the night, Spot whined to be let out. I opened the crate and she went to the back door for a visit into the night. When she came back in, after I gave her the obligatory doggy treat, she marched right down the hallway and right back into the crate!

Since then, there has been no more arguing from Spot about being crated when it's necessary.

There were a few tears when the grandkids left Sunday evening, both from the kids and from the dog, but at least the children know they can come back for a visit any time they want.

Friday, February 3 I had some errands to run that would not keep me away from the car very long, so I took Spot with me. Our first stop was the gas station. While I was filling the tank, she watched intently, sniffing the air. I guess she likes the scent of unleaded. When I went to the drive up window at the credit union, the teller sent a doggy treat out in the pneumatic tube with my receipt. Spot thought that was most excellent. On our drive back home, we were stopped at a red light as a man and his little son were walking down the sidewalk nearby. Spot got a look at the little boy and must have thought he was someone she knew, because she started trembling and wagging her tail and whining as she watched him go by. She was very disappointed when he and his daddy got into their car and drove away.

Wednesday February 7. I have put Spot's dog tags for her rabies shot and her city registration on her collar, which means she jingles when she walks. It's like tying a bell on the old cat's tail; now I always know where she is!

Thursday February 8 was apparently too busy a day for Spot. I had to put her in the crate while I went to the grocery store and when I returned home, she was particularly agitated and nearly knocked me over with her enthusiasm to see me. It was like she was trying to tell me something; but since she's not Lassie and I'm not Timmy, I don't know what it was. Later in the day I took her with me in the car to run several more errands. One of the stops was to get the car washed. All the way through the washing, rinsing and blow drying, Spot was a nervous wreck. She whined and trembled and tried to get into the front seat with me. I had made a barrier between the front and back seats using the big bag of dog food I had purchased earlier in the day, but she managed to hop right over it and soon was in my lap. I had to get out of the car and force her to return to the back seat. The rest of the way home she continued to make a big fuss. Once we were back home and she was finally out of the car and relegated to the back yard, she immediately started barking to be let back into the house. It was as if she was afraid I would go off and leave her out there, so I let her back in.

The rest of the afternoon was pretty peaceful, I thought, but when it was bedtime, I discovered Spot had wet on the carpet in the hallway. I called to her to "get in here, now!" She started down the hallway, but as she got nearer to me, she slumped down, bent her head, and wouldn't look at me. Instead, she slunk right past me, into the bedroom, and right into the crate, without me even mentioning it. She just sat in there and looked out at me with what could only be described as a guilty conscience face. When I just stared back at her, she stretched out flat on her belly and closed her eyes as if to say, "If I can't see you, you can't see me, either." I put paper towels down on the carpet and left them there to soak up the wetness. Later when Spot had stopped pouting and came out of the bedroom, she deliberately walked way around the paper towels, even though they were directly in her path and it would have been easier for her to have walked on them instead. I don't know if she still felt guilty about peeing on the carpet, or if she just didn't think the paper towels would feel good on her paws. Either way it was funny to see her go to all that trouble. Hopefully this carpet thing was a onetime occurrence and won't become a habit.

It's Friday, February 9 and we have to go to the Vet for a booster shot. I hope Spot doesn't think this is punishment for yesterday's behavior.

Thursday, February 14. Not much new this week. The trip to the Vet was uneventful. The weather has been rainy and cold so we haven't been walking much. When I go anywhere, Spot has been staying home, in the crate. She has learned how to make me feel remorseful for abandoning her. Each time as I leave I put a doggy treat in the crate with Spot. Up until this week, she had been eating the treat while I was gone. Lately, however, she has begun pushing the treat out of the crate as if to say "You can make me stay in here all alone and sad and depressed, but you can't make me like it." Such a drama queen.

Wednesday, February 22. When Spot first came to live with me, I had started by having her sleep in her crate in my bedroom. That worked unless there was a storm, or if she refused to get into the crate, or if for some unexplainable reason I let her hop up on my bed. Well, now she has grown accustomed to joining me every night, not only on my bed, but more and more right up in my face with her dog breath. Last night was the last straw. I had just washed the bed clothes and wanted everything to stay fresh and clean. So, I led Spot into the crate for the night. After over half an hour of her whining and panting and scratching at the crate door, I relented and let her out, just to have some peace. But I insisted she stay off the bed. I spent the rest of the night repeating, "No, Spot, get down!" Each time she did get down, she would paw at the side of the bed and whine. This happened nearly every two hours. By morning, I was still exhausted.

As an alternative, today I have moved the crate out of my room, vacuumed the carpet, and opened the window to air things out. I went shopping and purchased a soft, cuddly doggy bed which will go in the spare room and, since the spare room doesn’t have a real door, I also bought a sturdy baby gate to block the exit. I am looking forward to a peaceful and refreshing night's sleep in my bed by myself. Hopefully Spot will be comfortable and quiet in her new room and we can both wake up tomorrow all rested and ready to go.

Spot tries out her new bed!

Thursday, February 23, 2013. Spot is constantly impressing me with how smart she is. For instance, she has learned that if I put my hair up in rollers and put on makeup, it means I am planning to go somewhere. She will sulk around the house and try to hide so I can’t pen her up in the crate before I leave. And whenever I get the vacuum cleaner out of the closet, even before I plug it in and turn it on, she runs and hides under the bed for fear I will sweep her up. But last night she really amazed me with her thought process.

When I brought the new doggy bed home, I put it in the living room to give Spot a chance to try it out and get used to it. She seemed to really enjoy curling up in it while I sat and read on the couch nearby. When it was time to call it a night, I moved the doggy bed into the spare room. Then I put the baby gate together. As soon as Spot spied the gate, it must have triggered a memory of the gate they used to pen her up at my son’s house, because she immediately sped down the hallway into my bedroom and up onto the bed, trembling in fear.

No amount of encouragement, bribery or threatening could get her out of my bed and into the spare room. Finally I was able to coax her outdoors into the backyard. I was thinking that once Spot came back in the house, I could herd her into the spare room. Spot was thinking otherwise.

Normally when I let Spot outdoors, she takes care of her business, chases a squirrel or two, and returns to the patio door within a very few minutes, scratching on the glass to be let back in. This time, however, she lingered in the yard for a long, long time. I repeatedly opened the door and whistled and called for her, getting no response. Since it was dark outside, I got a flashlight to search for her and discovered Spot lying on the ground by a tree just staring off into space, looking deliberately in every direction except mine. As it turned out, Spot stubbornly stayed out there for over half an hour until she finally relented and came back inside.

 

 

By now I had given up any hope of having Spot sleep in the spare room. By using the notorious gate, I did manage at least to get her penned up in the kitchen, which was a big improvement over having her right up in my face all night. The kitchen adjoins the spare room, so she could easily have toddled over to her new bed and slept quite comfortably. Instead she stubbornly stretched out on the floor on her side of the gate for a long winter’s nap.

And that’s where I found her when I got up this morning, still right by the gate, wagging her tail in anticipation. She was so glad to see me, she didn’t want to be let outside or eat her breakfast or even get a drink of water. She just wanted to be right next to me on the couch while I watched the morning news. Every time I petted or scratched or rubbed her, she made little whimpering noises and snuggled closer. How nice to be loved!

I wonder how things will go when it’s bedtime tonight?

Friday, February 24. Day of compromise. Spot is now sleeping in her new bed, but instead of having it in the spare room, it is in my bedroom. This arrangement works perfectly. I am happy because Spot is not in my bed; Spot is happy not to be banished to the back of the house. I am still using the gate to pen her in the kitchen whenever I need to leave the house, but I think having her sleep in my room at night is a great solution to the bedtime battle. May we both live happily ever after!

Saturday, February 25. Company! Spot loves to meet new people. Today my two grandchildren whom Spot had not met came for a visit. They enjoyed petting her and watching her jump and roll around with her chew toy. When they took Spot for a nice long walk, they sealed the new friendship for good. Spot is very pleased to have two new buddies.

Sunday, February 26. All that attention and exercise yesterday must have worn Spot to a frazzle because she slept almost all day today.

Monday, March 12. Spot and I have fallen into a routine by now. She sleeps in my room at night in her cozy doggy bed; but she does get up several times a night to be let outside. It's like having a newborn baby and having to get up for feedings every few hours. This is still better than having accidents to deal with the next morning. so every time she comes back in the house she gets a doggy treat as a reward.

Spot spends her days either on the blanket on the couch, or running around in the back yard. Once in a while if I have to go to the post office or the bank, I take her for a ride in the car. After countless times of stopping the car and putting her back in the back seat, she does stay there better than she used to. She really enjoys going for walks in the afternoons, sniffing over every lawn and barking at every dog she sees on our route. If I try to get her to go outside when it's raining, though, she cowers in the corner.  She behaves pretty well most of the time, but once she got into the trash basket and tore up some papers.  When I found the clutter all over the floor, I called for Spot to "get in here this minute." When I hollered, "Did you do this???" and pointed at the mess, she ran and hid. This goes to provie she knows better.   Since then I have learned to keep the trash baskets empty so we don't have to have this discussion again.

I have been trying to teach Spot to "shake hands" with me. I am hoping that by touching her paws this way, I'm preparing her for her next nail clipping. I've also taught her to fetch her chew toy when I throw it out into the yard. She runs and picks it up and dashes back to me with it, but finds it great fun to stand there with the toy in her mouth and dare me to try to take it away from her. Just as I reach for it, she bounds away, wanting me to chase after her. This is one way we get our exercise; I hope the neighbors are amused.

Whenever I get the doggy gate out, Spot has resigned herself to slinking into the kitchen to pout, knowing I am going to abandon her for a while whenever I have to be gone. As soon as she hears me pull the car back into the garage upon my return, she immediately starts barking and jumping up and down as if I have been away for days and days.   Once I get in the house, she insists on me petting and hugging her while she makes all kinds of welcome home noises that sound like a braying donkey.  She does the same thing whenever I have company, like a spoiled child that has to be the center of attention.  She won't eat or drink anything if I'm not home, so I have to be sure not to leave her for so long that she'll starve, although I doubt that would really happen.   I imagine that she only fasts to prove a point that she's not pleased to be left alone.  Yes, Spot is spoiled alright.