Just about one year ago today, my grandson Craig and I drove about 300 miles north to pick up a goofy-looking Boston Terrier puppy who was about 10 weeks old.
It’s been an interesting year.
I don’t know if 70 year-old fogies are really equipped to raise a puppy dog. Lots of pee, poo, vomit, slobber, chewed on moldings and drapes, illness, and noise. Lots of the latter.
But, we all persevered, and now we have a very nice member of the pack: Baby.
We had thought that she could be the “baby” that our precious Booger never had. We hoped that she and Booger would become best friends, and that the older dog would teach the younger one how to behave in the house, how to play, and how to get along with other dogs in the neighborhood. Surprise: OMG — it’s happened!
The two of them spend a lot of time together hassling over a bone or a ball, and they like to wrestle each other on the bed in the morning or play grab ass in the back yard or in the living room. Baby has loads of energy, and has seemingly given some life to Booger, who is 9 years older. It’s fun to see them enjoying each other.
JayJay, our only guy dog, who kinda does his own thing, occasionally plays with Baby…”fighting” over a bone or playing tug of war. He’s much bigger than her (26 pounds to 16), and could probably win every contest if he so desired. But, he will play the game, make a lot of noise like he’s mad, and, then, let her win. He’s a true gentleman.
Baby likes hanging out with her buddies.
She’s also learned how to beg from the Master Spoiler:
Baby is now house-trained, but it was a long journey, let me tell ya. We started the training during a nasty, wet Winter. She learned the “doggie door” incredibly fast, but it was usually pouring down rain outside, so she really didn’t want to go out to do her business. Hence, peeing and pooing in the house. We ended up taking her to the garage and training her to do it there.
Unfortunately, Baby came to us with a raging case of Giardia, which we didn’t know about until several months later. Because of that, there were a lot of loose poos and accidents, vomiting, yuck-ups, and such…in the house. Our house smelled like a commode at times, but we hung in there.
Charlie cuddling sick dog.
Just when we were starting to make headway with the illness and potty training, the five of us headed off on the RV Road Trip. That meant that Baby needed to learn a new routine for doing her business. We had some rough times in the rig, cleaning up dribs, drabs, and piles. We knew that Baby felt bad about this, but she wasn’t yet able to “hold it” until she caught our attention or got a chance to go for a walk.
“Hey, Boss, I’ve gotta go!”
When we got back from the trip, Baby was essentially trained. There have been a few mishaps here and there, but she’s figured out a routine, and holds her goods until she either goes out the doggie door or gets taken for a walk. She sleeps from 9:30’ish in the evening until about 7 a.m. now, with nary an accident.
“Look at me, no diapers!”
Yay!!
She is a very sweet dog who likes to lick, cuddle, and play: we couldn’t be happier. She’s now a card-carrying member of the pack, accepted by Booger and JayJay, and keeps things lively in our house. When Charlie is working in the office, Baby is most likely snuggled in a chair right next to her while the other dogs nap in their own favorite spots. If the doorbell rings, all three go airborne and fly down the stairs lickety-split to greet our guest.
Baby is very well socialized, and it’s a pleasure to walk her and take her to the park. Like all Bostons, she is friendly and playful, always expecting dogs she encounters to respond likewise.
She learned to play ball from Booger, and she’s great about fetching, retrieving, and dropping the ball right at your feet. I have met many frustrated dog owners who would give their left nut for that kind of obedience. I trained her using small pine cones, kicking them and having her chase them…just like I did with Booger. Now, Baby is obsessed with that game.
Unfortunately, we have a plethora of “toy” dogs in our neighborhood (like Chihuahuas, Bijons, Poodles, etc.) who bark incessantly and act aggressive when Baby approaches. I feel bad for her: she’s a friendly cupcake of a dog. All she wants to do is play. And, at the leash-free dog park, which is usually populated by medium-sized to big dogs, Baby is looked upon as a “rabbit” that mistakenly happened upon the pack…so she gets chased all over the 2 acre grass park. It’s all in fun for them (they’re not out to do her any harm), but she’s not amused. Luckily, she’s super speedy, and very agile, so they can’t catch her.
Baby usually cuddles up next to me at night, while Booger keeps Charlie warm and JayJay sleeps in his own bed. Luckily, Baby doesn’t snore much, unlike Booger (who makes all sorts of unusual noises) and JayJay, who sounds like a chain saw that’s hitting on one cylinder. If she had slept like JayJay, we probably would have given up on her: one’s loudmouth’s enough!
Anyway, Baby’s passed her 1-year probation with flying colors (at least lately!) and we’re keeping her. We’ll have to…because she’s tattooed on my arm!
Update: Ten minutes after I closed this glowing testimonial to our wonderful dog, Baby…and, after she ate her delicious dinner of kibble and chicken bits…I caught her in the backyard licking Booger’s pile of poop!!
Damn, that dog! Now, she’s on my Shitlist.