How was y'alls Christmas? Ours was pretty relaxed! Cooking, baking, gift wrapping and a little sewing - a dog bed! We went to the shelter Friday, as we did every day, to walk Max and spend some time with him. After our walk one of the staff members asked me "So are you ready to take him home today?" I was puzzled because she told me the day before they were going to let us know Friday which decision they've made. I guess she thought it was so obvious who was chosen that I already knew....I had secretly bought a few things for Max in the hopes of him coming home with us but not the big items, no bed, bowls, leash and collar, food. I discussed the good news briefly with Joseph and we decided to bring him home after Christmas to make the transition easier for Max and for us. I'm not sure he would've handled the Christmas craziness of unwrapping and cheerful screaming too well as his first experience with us.
So I checked all the available dog beds, bowls, etc. The beds I liked were either not in store and with Christmas and a weekend in between none of them would've made it to us on time. Or the ones that were available in store were expensive. I purposely avoided checking Pet Parade, a local pet store because I knew even though their selection would more than likely have something I like, it would also have a price I wouldn't like. Don't get me wrong, we like Pet Parade, the staff is friendly, the have a decent selection (especially for Minot, lol) and best of all, I can take Max inside the store. I had previously pinned a tutorial for a 2 piece dog bed that I liked. It wasn't exactly love at first sight but it was cute. I had at some point purchased a piece of super soft flannel with a dog print that I intended to use for baby shoes but the print was too big and would not have shown the way I wanted. It's been sitting in my fabric cabinet ever since. Now was the perfect chance to use it! Only, it wasn't big enough to make up the entire pillow bed and I didn't have any coordinating fabric yet. So off I went to Hobby Lobby. And here is the finished product:
Max is in love! Well, the first day he only humped the living daylights out of it but the second day he actually took a nap in it. I just need to make him a blanket and let the kids snuggle with it for a while because he loves Nia's blanket and she's not always in the mood to share it....The beds are available in my shop now too ;-) you can go here or to my Facebook page to order. There you can also view two more dog beds I have made as well as how it looks without the tube.
Max has been wonderful, especially considering that it's only been a few days and that he has been a stray before coming to the shelter. The first night was decent, he's been very attached so he didn't quite like the fact that he wasn't allowed in the bed. He kept trying to jump in our bed so we had to kennel him next to our bed. Before I put him in his kennel he whined a lot, poor thing had to go pee. I wasn't sure if the whining was just a cry for attention so he went in the bathroom and peed on the floor. I wasn't mad. For one, I failed to interpret his whining right (though in my defense the only times he had whined were for attention, lol). Plus, he didn't go on the carpet but specifically went in the bathroom and peed on the vinyl tiles. Smart dog! So I knew better the next day. The second day he slept downstairs in his bed, snoring. Haha! Joseph thought it was me and the kids! Max is a scaredy-cat, or shall I say scaredy-dog? When I took him for our evening walk he was so scared of our neighbor's snow blower he didn't want to walk past it. Not even after he turned it off! So I had to carry my big baby....he's also scared of loud trucks, but in his defense our neighbor's truck does sound like a plane taking off. I kid you not, my dad seriously asked me if there was a plane taking off every morning! At first he was also scared off the washer, dryer, dishwasher, my sewing machine, ironing board and the stairs! We have cured all of those fears, thank goodness. Last night he barked at my reflection in the window and wouldn't stop til I closed the blinds....smh. He will also stop walking whenever he hears a noise. He won't move til he either knows what the noise is and that it's safe or til the noise has stopped. Fun, fun, fun....not. I'm guessing it's from his time as a stray. Every noise bared a certain danger. I don't think he was a stray for a long time. He's doing so very well with us. I'm assuming he was kicked out either because the owners moved, traveled or because of his nipping. I have seen it here a lot. Yes, you see it everywhere but believe me, it's bad here! Especially with the military here. I constantly see posts about people giving their dogs away or selling them for the dumbest reasons. Well, in my opinion they're dumb reasons. "We're moving" And? Take the dog with you. Or "We're moving overseas", same response, take the dog with you. Unless of course he isn't stable enough to survive the journey. They will even through in that they can't take them overseas which is nonsense. You just need to make sure they're up to date on their shots. "I can't give him/her the attention and time they need" is another classic. Maybe you should've thought of that BEFORE getting the dog! "We're expecting a baby", ok, so do you get rid of any older siblings too??? Yeah, I know, a little drastic but seriously, these people act like the pet is a family member and then out of a sudden it isn't any longer. The best one was someone who said she would like her alone time back! Lord have mercy! Good thing I didn't see that post! I have a lot of friends who have dogs (or other pets) and we all agree that these people are ridiculous!
The shelter asks you what would be reasons to bring the pet back. We wrote down "biting". However, only if the problem persists after working with him and it's getting harmful to us or the kids. I'm not talking about nipping, you know, that playful biting, the love bites. In that case we wouldn't have brought him home. There are obedience classes out there for a reason! If you can't do it on your own, sign the dog up for a class! We did. Joseph isn't exactly familiar with training a dog and teaching him commands and good behavior and how to deal with bad behavior. Even I only know the very basics! I've never had a dog that showed behavior which needed to be stopped. The most I ever had to do was teach a lab how to walk heel. I'm sure Max will get the hang of it. He stops pretty quickly when I tell him no but Isaiah playing rough with him confuses Max so he just needs to learn that even if Isaiah plays rough nipping is a no-no.
You can tell he's getting more and more comfortable with us. Now the only other thing is finding the right food for him....I got him a brand that doesn't use any fillers or by-products because he wouldn't eat the beneful. Well, he won't eat this fancy brand either! I wish I could get different sample packs of every brand!!! I have a feeling I will be making dog food cause almost every brand is full of fillers (insert me rolling my eyes!). Can you tell, I'm a little on the green side, lol. Anyway. So much for our first couple of days with Max. I hope I'm not boring you...As always, thanks for following.
Love,
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