Gone To The Beach: 10.14.2016

Friday, October 14, 2016

Mo and the Terrible Twos

Hi! Oh boy, did Mo ever have me fooled! Over the summer he was so calm, so good, sitting patiently for hours when I could barely move from the bed to a chair. Here he is in the bin of recycled shirts, in my sewing room. He brought his blankies and built a nest by my side.

At age 2 and a half, I figured his puppy days were over!

That he had settled into classic pug indolence.

Ha ha ha. The cooler weather arrived and Mo perked right up! For the past month or so he has reverted to his over-active, excited, naughty state of puppydom.

Where do I start? Well the first incident was maybe the worst. On the day I had to get myself to the IV clinic, driving myself for the first time since May, just as I was leaving the house, I realized Mo had found my large pain relief/ icepack which I had been using while sitting at the computer. It was wrapped in a fleece throw and I forgot it. Mo found it, and proceeded to eat the damn thing! The item is a large flat piece of frozen plastic, like bubble wrap, but filled with something that freezes. It's wonderful for soothing large areas, like hips or lower back. Mo had chewed open many of the bubbles and spilled the freeze substance all over the floor. He was licking it greedily when I caught him.
OMG, is this stuff poison!? I thought frantically. Then I stupidly proceeded to stick my finger in the stuff to taste it. [Looked like rock salt.]. So now we're both poisoned? I couldn't stay, the IV treatments cost thousands of non refundable dollars. [Covered by insurance, but if you don't use it, it's gone til next time. And it was crucial to my healing.]

I finally decided that the bubble sheets are really meant for food storage, and therefore are not probably poisonous. I called Mo's dog walker who said she'd come and monitor Mo, take him to vet if needed.
So we survived.

Next is the barking! Mo never barked. Hardly ever. But nearby is some reno construction and Mo finds the men and their trucks deeply fascinating. The guys haven't helped by seeing and hearing Mo, and calling to him in return. It's really obnoxious. Here he is, lying in wait.

Mo has also found out that if he climbs up on my desk he can see out the window, where birds and squirrels are, in the ugly locust tree and the pines. And on the desk ''mom'' keeps yummy items, like hair rubber bands, cheap but delicious Bic pens, and the oh so tasty hand cream. Mo has eaten a LOT of hand cream tubes, sigh.

Then this past week, Mo decided something is living in the wall unit and/ or corner cupboard. A cat, a rat, a man, a bug? I don't know!

I got up one day and found this.

! All my best books!

Another day, he got the corner cupboard open.

I picked up my books for now and have created a chair barricade until Mo loses interest.

But this makes it easy for him to jump up on the dining table...

And here is Mo on what used to be one of my favorite winter throw rugs. Hand woven wool, vegetable dye colors.

Mo peed on it so much even the dry cleaner couldn't save it. It's out on the deck getting rain washed till I throw it away. I get that throw rugs kinda look like weewee pads, but still. He's been house trained for two years.

Then, today, the final straw. "Back to California for you, little man! One way ticket to Cali!" I yelled. Why? This morning I was doing a few mindless chores and suddenly realized Mo was nowhere to be found. Not in his bed[s], not out on the deck, not locked in the bathroom, where he enjoys peeing on any towel or throw rug left on the floor, [see above about the wee wee pad issue], and eating the contents of the wastepaper basket, licking shampoo he has spilled, and the always delicious chewing on used razors.

I was panic-stricken. Finally I found him. In the most forbidden spot. He was Up On My Bed! Sleeping happily, ignoring my calls. Absolutely forbidden! He knows better, and frankly I thought by now he was too chubby to jump up on my rather high bed.

Now here he is in his own bed, where he belongs. Looks guilty, doesn't he!

But he always makes me laugh. Though that wadded up black scrunchy on the bed gave me a few moments' distress, it sure looked like he'd left me a pile of poop.
The good news is he has not escaped from the dog walkers, and run away. Yet. Though it seems he does often expect them to carry him home.