O is for OBEY

 

In not quite 3 months, I've gone from being an independent, new senior to a doting and exhausted "Mommy" of a yellow Labrador puppy.  Now I remember why we have our children when we're young and why we get the kids a puppy when they're old enough to look after it.  It has been a grueling few months. Every night I moan as I get out of bed in the dark of night to let the pup out for a quick pee. Thankfully, I'm so exhausted that I quickly fall back to sleep, only to waken with a start as I hear that yip-yip "Yoo-hoo, are you up yet?"  But then in the evening, when she falls asleep while we're watching TV, I can't help but look at her adoringly, especially when she's on her back spread-eagled for all the world to see!

However, we seem to have fallen into a routine, and she's now trust-worthy enough that the hubby brings her upstairs to the bedroom when he leaves for work around 6:30 am.  She settles down on a blankie in the corner of the room and is quiet until around 7:30 or 8:00 when she lets me know in no uncertain terms that it's time to play!  I am not a morning person, so she knows now that while I check my emails and a few other important sites, she is allowed to sit in the chair and watch any goings-on outside.  Then we go downstairs for our breakfast, the morning news, and the newspaper with coffee.  Then it's shower time, and she's become very good about lying on the bath mat to wait and then watches as I go about my dressing  rituals.

Downstairs again and if I'm in the mood, I'll take her for a walk.  Sometimes I take her out both in the morning and the afternoon but I always take her at a time so she's pooped out when my students come between 3:15 and 6:30.  At first, I had to keep her in the family room behind a baby gate, but now I've trained both her and the students so she can now meet and greet each student before settling down under the table until we're finished.  Obviously, I have other chores to attend to during the day, so I take her everywhere with me, whether in the car or on foot.

This week's slideshow is about what she's learned since we brought her home - how she has learned to OBEY all the rules.  We're both absolutely thrilled with her intelligence, except that because she's so smart, she also knows how to be obstinate.  And that's the phase we're in now!  *Sigh!* 

Oh well, when I look back at all the photos I've taken of her, I must share this one.  It shows how much she loves us and we love her!

Opulent thanks go to our official leader, Mrs. Nesbitt for creating ABC Wednesday, and to the omniscient Roger, our current administrator of the site.