Our dog has truly made himself a part of our family. My son describes him as mischievous and that’s a pretty good word.
When we first got him he was really well behaved and I thought he was too good to be true for a one year old dog. But he obviously feels more comfortable with us so his true nature is gradually being revealed.
I was on the phone to mum one day, sitting out in the back room. Phoenix had been into JJ’s room and was sneaking one of his soft toys outside. He knew he shouldn’t be doing it by the look he gave me as he slinked past.
He’s also started taking dirty socks and JJ’s shoes to his bed, or outside where he can lick and sniff them. While he doesn’t actually chew the shoe he will get the insert out and chew on that so now JJ has to put his shoes away. Clean clothes hanging on the clothes drier are okay, it’s just the dirty clothes he likes.
We never used to let Monty on our beds, but somehow Phoenix accompanies JJ when he’s going to sleep and I get him out when I go to bed. No doubt one night I’ll forget and wake up to someone creeping around in the hallway, and freak out until I realise it’s the dog.
JJ likes me to give him a tickle and whenever we’re mucking around on the lounge room floor there’s inevitably a dog trying to muscle his way in to the fray as well. We’ve nicknamed him the attention seeker because when he does that I start patting him and am therefore distracted from the tickling my son duties.
We took him to the beach a few weeks ago and he had a great time biting the waves and running up and down the beach. He even came in the water because we were all in there. He had that wild look in his eyes like Monty used to get when she was swimming. I think it’s because he wasn’t too comfortable being out there but it was better than being left out. I’ve still got a scar from where Monty’s claws got too close to my hand so I avoided his mad paddling front legs.
He still gets car sick which is frustrating for us, and no doubt for him. I’ve tried the expensive tablets the vet prescribed and have am now trying ginger tablets as a cheaper alternative. I need to give one to him more than half an hour out from a car ride because the last time we tried that we’d nearly arrived at our destination and he started doing the madly licking his lips thing that he does before he’s about to be sick. Luckily I was able to pull over and get him out the car before he threw up. His ginger tablet and the piece of salami I’d wrapped it in was still evident which is how I know that half an hour isn’t long enough to digest something.
On the way home that night he was fine so I wonder if night time car rides are fine and day time ones are the ones that make him sick. I hope this is something he gets over. We can’t always go somewhere when it’s dark.
But we put up with this because we love him and couldn’t imagine our lives without him now.
