Animal House

I am completely partial to people who like my dogs. If you walk in my house and make a fuss over my pets , pet them and tell me how cute they are, I like you better.

When people come over and look a little disgusted and freaked out, I make a mental note of it.

My children's friends who like dogs are invited over far more often than their dog hating cohorts.

When a child takes one look at my dogs and starts screaming and running away, it seriously bums me out.

I know it's wrong, but it's just the way it is.

I've lost that bloggin' feeling! (and I hope it comes back)

It seems that my attention has shifted a bit from my major leisure activities, blogging and tennis. For the past 6 weeks I've felt myself sucked into the puppy, Facebook, Christmas preparation vortex.

I haven't had a puppy since I was childless, so the degree of difficulty has quadrupled. Not only do I have two children, a cat and two other dogs to deal with, I also have tons of other people coming and going from my home, each of them leaving doors and gates open. Did I mention that my 10 year old Chocolate Lab was hit by a car last Saturday night? Yep, she sure was.

SOMEONE was bringing in the Christmas tree and forgot to shut the gate. Miraculously she's okay.

It's driving me nuts, trying to keep all the pets and children safe. I can't be in five places at one time.

I'm like a safety Nazi. Seriously, you should see me, blocking doors and bungee cording the gates shut all day. It's kind of pathetic. I want to get an Invisible Fence, but that idea was vetoed by the head of household. After all, I created this mess, so it's MY responsibility to secure the premises 24/7. I might just take my Christmas money and install a Home Depot generic Invisible Fence myself. I might have bought to many dogs, but I'm sure as hell not going to let one of them get killed if I can help it!!!

Okay, on to Facebook. I am loving it. I have reconnected with some awesome people who I haven't talked to in years. I get to see pictures of their children and keep up with their whereabouts through status updates! I'm sure the novelty will wear off, but having Facebook on my BlackBerry has become my newest addiction!

Finally, tennis. Ahh yes. It was once the love of my life. Then things got a bit ugly with my team last year, and I'm still feeling some bitterness. I've been burned and it will take time to heal. I'm still considering taking up a non-competitive sport like yoga. In the meantime, I'm playing in a doubles tournament on Monday, and hoping I can keep it in perspective. (Even though a nice shiny trophy would look FAB on my mantle!!!)

Wow, that was fun. Maybe I WILL get back into blogging.

Oh and have I mentioned that my husband is setting me up with a new business? He is bound and determined to have me bring in some cash, whether I like it or not. Details to follow.

Don't we already have this?

This is the NUMBER ONE (literally) gift on my four-year old's Christmas list!

The Rescue Pets Train and Play Puppy

" A perfect first pet, he really drinks water, he burps too, and even lifts his leg to go pee-pee!"

Wow, he burps and pees! Super. Why buy it when we have three animals that not only burp and pee, they also throw up, poop all over the yard and occasionally have diarrhea!? If you're into that kind of stuff, here's a shovel-go out back and help mommy clean up!

Oh and Merry Christmas sweetie.

(I'm not a total Scrooge-I'm actually a SUCKER and I'm sure Santa will bring her one!) :)

"All my dogs have been scamps and thieves and troublemakers and I've adored them all."

-Helen Hayes

The way it SHOULD be...

I took Catherine to the beach for a walk this morning after dropping Meg at school. It was perfect. What a difference a month makes! Labor Day Weekend is such a zoo. Today it was unbelievably quiet. All we could hear was the sound of surf and seagulls. The only people there were the fisherman and a few runners.

The kids love the beach club and they have a ball. My husband and I joined for them. Everyone who goes there is very nice, but it's constant chit-chat. It's really relaxing to just walk and not say a word.

When my chocolate lab, Abby was younger I used to take her to the beach for runs all the time. There's nothing better than watching a lab in her element swimming in the ocean or sprinting full speed along the shore. There's nothing worse, however, than the ensuing sandy mess in the mini-van! Sand and stink be damned. I owe that dog a beach run and she's goint to get it!

Urine Trouble

This is my favorite time of the year. I love fall. The air is crisp, it's time to go apple and pumpkin picking. My kids are excited to be back to school. But there is something someone tarnishing, or should I say stinking up my bliss. My kitty cat. He has recurring bladder problems and it's back with a vengeance.

He seems to favor my eldest daughter's room and our dining room This time he chose the dining room rug. In between fun family activities I have spent the day treating, blotting, scrubbing and repeating. I have gone through two bottles of very expensive enzyme cleaners and rented a professional grade carpet shampooer.

My husband has had it. If he had his druthers Mickey (my cat) would be on death row. The kids and I love the cat so much-and I can't stand the thought of terminating the life of such a wonderful pet. I won't even get into all of his positive attributes. Let's just say that other than this recurring problem he is the best cat I've ever had.

News flash: As I was typing the last sentence-I noticed an odor. I thought it was my imagination, but upon further investigation I discovered cat pee on a coloring book my little one left on the floor. GROSS! I'll admit, I'm freaking out. Tomorrow, if I can manage to get him in his cat carrier, Mickey is going to the vet. Who will ask for a SAMPLE of my cat's urine. (Fat chance of getting that.) I will then receive medicine that will require me to tackle my cat with a towel, wrestle him like an alligator and hold his mouth open while my husband attempts to squirt said medicine into his throat. Oh the joys of pet ownership. Maybe it worked out okay that I only had two children. These pets are wearing me down!

Back to work.