Crazy Dog Lady

Puppy= small fortune and changed life.

When everyone I knew warned me about that, I genuinely meant it when I said, "I know." Oh how naive...

I drive a 1998 Chevy Cavalier with no heat and a cracked windshield. I have stubbornly decided that I will buy a new car when I can pay in cash. But I think if you added up the amount of money I've spent since November on vet visits, dog food, treats, puppy classes, puppy playtime, puppy accessories (a good dog bed is important), not to mention puppy itself, I think at this point I could have bought a stretch limo.

But I have a small garage and clearly a limo wouldn't fit, so obviously she is a better use of my hard earned dollars.

And despite the fact that my best friend thinks I'm INSANE, she's been worth every penny. Yesterday I took her to a school on a recruiting visit with me. I was a little bit worried because the day before, I'd had meetings all day so I left her at home and from the time I got home until bed, she was a monster. She followed me everywhere I went, biting my feet and getting in my way. She didn't want to play because every time I sat down, she just wanted to sit in my lap (or bite me). She cried constantly and refused to listen to anything I said (smart but stubborn is typical bulldog behavior but frustrating because I know she knows all of the commands I was attempting!). So I was worried about bringing her into a school. But she was a rockstar.

Not every dog can handle being surrounded by kids, 15 little hands grabbing at her at once, while other little kids aer throwing their arms around her neck. But she was in heaven. She wiggled and kissed and let everyone pet her and ooh and ahh over how cute she is. She sat quietly when she was supposed to and was friendly when I wanted her to be. She was perfect. And hopefully memorable enough to make kids go home and beg to go to camp! If this recruiting strategy works out, she will be well worth the limo- worth she cost.

But today I officially became a crazy dog lady. I have been on the edge for a while now, but today was the day. It's too bad, because I was a normal, well-adjusted person just a few months ago. It's amazing what a little dog can do to a person...

As I said, leaving Olivia home alone doesn't go well. I have a lot of meetings and a crazy schedule coming up and she just won't be able to come to my office every day. And so today was Olivia's first day of Puppy Daycare. On the days she can't come to work with me, she will spend her days playing with other dogs, napping in a suite (I was concerned that she would have to be in a kennel for nap time but they told me she could go in a suite since she's claustrophobic), and having fun. She will come home happy and tired and I won't have to worry about leaving her while I'm busy at work. Today was just a half day trial so she could get used to it and they could evaluate if she would be a good fit. 4 hours of fun.

However, after a short tour, it was time for me to leave her and I burst into tears. I talked so many crying camp parents through separation anxiety this summer, and I had said everything the daycare staff told me as they patted my shoulder and assured me she would be okay. But still, I walked out in tears and almost tuned around to get her once I left.

In the end, she was fine. She had a lot of fun and has been passed out since I brought her home. The staff told me all about her day and which dogs she played with (oddly enough she played most with a lab puppy named Guinness who she was friends with in Puppy Kindergarten). And everything went well. Now if I could go back to being a normal 26 year old and not a crazy dog lady, life would be perfect...