Some Rest For The Wicked

"Well, what can I get into next?"

Today I got to sleep until almost 5:00 AM.  It was NOT uninterrupted sleep, but we did better than the previous night.   Ike seems to be resigned to sleeping in the crate (rather than on the cushion the pups have selected for their personal nest), but Mariah has not given up quite yet.  Ike is currently playing with his Dad and Aunt Josie while Mariah rests up from another night of protests.  I was hoping that she would be one of those "easy" pups who takes everything in stride.  No such luck.  Maybe I will have to start referring to her as "Bad Mariah", but we'll wait on that decision.  She's certainly a beautiful puppy, so hopefully she fits in well.

It's been interesting to watch how the adults relate to the pups.   Argus loves all small dogs and was absolutely delighted from the moment he saw them.  He plays nicely, but will discipline them mildly if they try to nip at him.  Watson is always good with pups, plays with them a little, but generally stays out of their way.  Josie mostly watched for the first day, and the pups found her a bit scary as she's so lively and the most likely to run right over them.  This morning it suddenly occurred to her that they might play, and play they did.  Josie will gladly keep Mariah entertained this winter, but will not discipline pups.  If Mariah nips Josie or swings from her ear, Josie will cry out but never protest.  Poor Josie.  Coral says, "What puppies?"  She ignores them completely, never looks at them or sniffs them, and stays out of their way.  She seems to feel that if she ignores them, perhaps they really are not there, or maybe they will just disappear.

House training is going very well, although doing two at a time is a lot of work, especially since they are not eager to go out into the cold.  It's a lot easier to carry one reluctant puppy!  They've done great though, and any accidents are just because someone was not paying attention. 

Hopefully the weather does not interfere with Ike leaving for his new home on Wednesday.  It will definitely be easier to have just one pup to deal with, but he's been an absolutely delightful guest.  So cute, and such an adorable personality.

Poor fish are getting neglected this week, but hopefully I will have some time over the long weekend to catch up on water changes.  Four days off and my other projects include getting Mariah out to some new places for socialization and walking on leash, plus cleaning and re-staining my kitchen cabinets.  Also need to do some reading on gastric reflux, which I suddenly have or at least I suddenly realized that was what my symptoms were indicating.  OK, I am not overweight, don't like very spicy foods, don't eat many greasy fried foods, but I do enjoy coffee and alcoholic beverages in moderation.  Hey, how much do I have to give up here???