Dog Sitting

::YAWN::

I'm struggling to remember why I keep asking for a puppy again.

Last night a couple of friends of ours dropped off their two dogs. They both leave today on business and we agree to dogsit. Our dog knows their dogs really well and in general everyone gets along great. Sounds like a breeze, no?

Well last night was no walk in the park. The dogs are 13 and 2. The 13yo and our Harley are a breeze. They're mellow, lazy and low maintenance. The 2yo on the other hand... She would NOT settle. She wanted to play, or jump on the bed, or bark at whatever was outside (they live on a rather large piece of property so she is not accustomed to seeing people walk by on the sidewalk outside). I don't think I slept longer than 20 minute increments the whole night. It was all I could do not to pitch her out the front door. The only reason I didn't is because I know it would have made her happier than a pig in the mud to run around uninhibited.

She's a sweet little thing. Her mama and daddy call her Wiggles because when she wags her skinny black lab tail her whole body gyrates. We knew she had a lot of energy, but we we're at their house she puts herself to bed by 8:30! Not last night, nope. She alternated between banging against the pantry door with her tail, barking at the nonexistent pedestrians, trying to get Harley to play (which only made him growl 'bitch, it's bedtime'), jumping on the bed (we don't allow dogs on the bed), or crying. A few times when she cried we got up to let her out just in case, but then she just ran around the yard trying to get us to chase her. Not so cute at 11:10pm, or 1:30am, or 3:45...

After 3:45 when we were not able to get back to sleep (I get up at 4 anyway, and J gets up at 4:40), we lay there and I asked him 'Now, why do we want kids and puppies again??' and we just laughed. You know, that delirious I'mgoingtolosemyshitoutofexhaustion kind of laugh.

Now, I just need to make it to 2:30. Then I'm going home to take a nap. Once that's done, we are going on the longest walk she's ever experienced. Then I'm throwing the ball in the back yard, and THEN we'll walk again. That should about do it. If not, you may be reading about me in the paper tomorrow morning...