Monday, January 19, 2009

My Marley..


I recently saw the movie Marley and Me and the local movie theater. As I watched the mischievous dog I couldn't help but think about my Maltese back at home.
Last April I pulled into my driveway and notice five tiny puppies playing in the neighbors yard. I'd never really wanted a puppy. I knew with a puppy came tons of responsibility, and at seventeen I could not say that I'd be home enough to take on that role. However, when i watched these small puppies I couldnt clear the "I WANT IT" from my brain. I walked over and spoke with the neighbor and played with the puppies. I carried it over to my house to show my family. Everyone in the family thought it was precious. Yet, as I asked if I could keep it my mother said, "No." I begged. She wouldn't buge. Then her boyfriend pulled into the driveway and I had a plan. I ran out into the rain and begged him into letting me have it. I knew it would work! :]
The puppy wasnt old enough to leave her mother yet, but I went over everyday after school to play with her until she could finally be mine. A couple of weeks later I hurried home after school and ran over to the neighbors home to claim my prize! As I walked in the neighbors couldnt find her. All the puppies played in the living room but mine wasnt there. We searched everywhere. Finally we found her on the back porch curled into a ball asleep in a child's tennis shoe. I scooped her up and we headed home.
The next few days Bella slept a lot! Our household schnauzer had began to love Bella just as much as the rest of us. Though he was ten times her size. At night I tried to put her in the kennel. Not a good idea. She cried. All night! The next day after serious lack of sleep I decided to let her sleep in the bed with me. She found her way right to the edge of the bed and whinned... All night. I had began to seriously question her cuteness. Weeks passed and my two pound dog started to get more hyper and I would occasionally let her run around the bedroom floor. Ten shoes and three stuffed animals later I decided that wasn't the best idea. I read articles about how to get her to stop chewing my stuff. At this rate, in a couple of weeks I would no longer have a shoe selection.
Different articles had different solutions for my problem. The first article said to place tons of chew toys throughout the house, and she would chew those rather than my personal items. Little did that person know that my Bella was not interested in chew toys! Plan B. I was told to roll a newspaper and pop her on the bottom when she chewed my things. Well, that would be a good idea if she didn't enjoy biting the other end of my newspaper and growling at me as frustration filled my face. I had decided she was impossible.
For the next few weeks we worked on the chewing and the sleeping arrangements while still trying to get down the bathroom situation. I took her outside plenty of times yet she still didn't catch the concept. Many days I would open the back door and she would run all the way to the back of the yard and do circles. Lack of energy was never one of Bella's characteristics. I would scream for her to come back after a while and she wouldn't slow up. I would have to run all the way to the edge of the yard. Then, the chase was on! She thought it was a game. At six thirty before I left for school and my bare feet were freezing from the morning dew I wasnt the happiest person. Eventually she got a little better. Until it rained. Little miss priss refuses to get her paws wet. Therefore when its raining outside and i take her out, she stands on the back porch like, " Woman, your crazy if you think im going out there." I even sometimes walk out into the pouring rain in attempt to show my crazy dog that its ok. Then continues to look at me like, " look at you now, all wet."
Now, almost a year later she whins at the edge of the bed, chews up anything she can find, stands on the porch in the rain refusing to move, and occasionally have an accident in the house. Most mornings you can find me straightening my hair, doing my makeup, and hollering," No Bella!'', "Give me that hair brush." and "Stop it."
But you got to love her.

3 comments:

  1. Aw....it's funny how the things that annoy you can seem cute and funny to other people.

    My mom did this when we got a ferret years ago: mix hot sauce with water in a spray bottle, then spray all the things that the dog chews on (as long as it's something that won't stain) It might smell weird for a while, but eventually the animal quits biting things.

    Unless it LIKES the taste, then I don't know what.

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  2. super sweet. somehow our pets just make everyone smile...

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