The Clumsy Side of Missaroo

I so wish I had a picture to go along with this story, but sadly it's just not the case. I thought I would share anyway. Last night on our midnight walk, the Missaroo became very distracted outside one of the apartment complexes down the road. There was a guy getting out of his car to get his mail. She had her head turned staring at him as we walked past. I did my best to keep her chugging along but she wouldn't turn her head and then BAM right into the flag pole she went! I laughed the whole way down the block. She's fine, minus the blow her little doggie pride took. It was truly a fail moment. Oh how I love my Missaroo.

I Finally Caved to that Adorable Face

After a year and two months of a firm no people food, only people crackers for the Missaroo, I caved. She received her first bite of chicken last night. I hope I haven't created a begging monster.

Missy is a Forgiver

The older I get the more I've started to realize there are very few things in life that I'm actually certain about. In fact, there might only be three: Jesus is Lord, my mom will always love me, and dogs are loyal. I was once asked if you were to lock your dog and your boyfriend in the trunk of your car for an hour and then opened it back up which one do you think would still be happy to see you?

 

Apparently everyone I work with was born in March. I've been out quadruple the amount of times as usual in a month. My social life may have picked up a bit for the time being and there's no one less happy about it than the Missaroo. The other night she was thrilled when I came home from the latest birthday bash. She runs around all crazy and jumps on me to do the fast paws, but then I have to head to bed. This is the part that really doesn't go over well with her. She wants to play! I want to sleep! When we did head for bed, she was mad. I can tell because she actually sighs and sleeps at the foot of the bed staring out the window like a bored little kid. But Missy is also quick to forgive. By the time I woke up in the morning we were sleeping back to back. She had forgiven me sometime in the middle of the night.

Relying Too Much on the Missaroo

I think sometimes I rely too heavily on the Missaroo to fill the void of being a single, non-kid woman. I really do think as the Missaroo as my child and the more my heart gets broken, and the more men turn into scum, the more I rely on her to make me feel like a kid-mom. I know that Missaroo leads a pretty good life for an apartment dog. She receives plenty of exercise, goes to the vet regularly, goes to daycare, is groomed, and eats pretty expensive dog food. But am I doing her a disservice by thinking of her as my kid? Does she need to be treated more like a dog?

Now don't get me wrong, she won't be wearing clothes anytime soon, eating off the table, or posing next to me for a Christmas card. ((All things I think are beyond silly)) But when we're curled up together watching TV I'm the happiest. Since Missy is a dog, I'm pretty sure her happiest is on a walk or running around the apartment. I just sometimes wonder if I put too much pressure on her to be more like a kid than a dog, but maybe I'm putting too much pressure on myself to be a more like a kid-mom when all I have is a dog.

A Happy Healthy Missaroo

The Missaroo and I moved to Spokane seven months ago this week. That is very hard to believe for a number of reasons. This month ((I realize there are a few days left and I might be jinxing it)) is only the second month we've been here that Missy hasn't been to the vet. Back in September, she needed a final booster shot for DHP. We drove all the way back to the Tri-Cities for that one. Then we found a new vet and it was a new patient exam and vaccinations for Kennel Cough in October and November.

She took the month of December off before coming down with Kennel Cough in January. The vet also discovered Missy had worms she picked up in the Tri-Cities when we went back for a visit around New Years. A week of medication later and she was finally cleared up but Kennel Cough was scary. She coughed so much the vet was worried she might rip her trachea! She had to be tranquilized to get her to stop. The poor Missaroo never seemed so out of it. She just lay on the bed with her eyes all red and rolled up in her head. It was definitely a scary dog mom moment for me.

Then in February her rabies vaccination was up and it was back to the vet. I'm hoping for both my wallet and her well being this is it for a while. All of the vet visits also reaffirmed the "thank God she is not a child" thought. I'd be filing for bankruptcy if I had to take a two year old to the doctor that much. And of course like any good dog mom I have all of Missy's vet bills and records on hand and organized in a binder. I love my Missaroo and I'm glad this month has been a happy, healthy one for both of us.... knock on wood.

Does Missaroo Know She's a Girl Dog?

This might seem like an irrelevant question to ask, but it's been something I've wondered for quite some time. I've written before about how Missy likes to play aggressively. She also enjoys barking and spazing out around other dogs. She's happy to play bite and be wrestled to the ground. Not very lady like of her. That's when I wonder, are all female dogs like this or does Miss have a bit of an identity crisis going on? If there's one thing I've never claimed to be in this blog it's an expert on dogs.

But then the Missaroo has a change of heart. Along with the sad face she also works the eyelashes better than I can. And she has some great, short lashes that almost make her look like she has makeup on up close. She is a very beautiful dog. Then Missaroo also knows how to work the men. They instantly fall in love with her and tell me what an adorable dog I have. Sometime I wish she'd let me in on her secret.

So here's what I've decide not only does Missy "get" that she is in fact a girl dog, she's the best kind of girl there is. The Missaroo is smart, adorable, beautiful, strong, and a survivor. ((She did hold her own on the streets of Pasco for God knows how long)) She can play rough and have a great time but she's also so sweet and loves to smile. She's what all girls should be. I like to think she gets it from me, I mean I am the dog mom after all, but like most adoption situations once again it's the parent who's learning from the "child." Oh that Missaroo!

Enough with the Sad Face Missaroo

Almost every activity that keeps the Missaroo entertained involves me exerting energy. I only have so much of that these days. The recent two weeks of stress and worry have taken their toll on me. To top it all off another weird work schedule change isn't helping my energy level. Don't get me wrong, the Missaroo is still getting her hour long walk and numerous potty breaks a day, but after a long walk I'm done for. Typing this post is painful. So Missy sits in the house and stares at me with the sad face. Sometimes she wines and barks on top of it. It's more than one dog mom can take. The hardest part about playing any type of game with Miss is she needs constant interaction from you. You cannot just throw the tennis ball, have her fetch, and then throw it again. It doesn't work that easily. With Missaroo you throw, then chase, then wrestle said tennis ball away from her. It's exhausting! Today I just couldn't do it. My legs and arms hurt. I tried to tell her, enough with the sad face Missaroo, but once again noise was all she heard. Thank goodness it's at least sunny out. That might by me a few minutes here and there of balcony patrol. I just can't take the sad face but I'm too tired to do a whole lot about it.

It's Not Easy Being Missy

The Missaroo on Patrol

Along with Spring, comes the excitement of having the balcony door open. The balcony is Missy's territory and woe to anyone who comes within sight of our apartment. This includes neighbors opening their garages, wheeling their garbage cans, and checking their mail. I must admit, I enjoy sitting out there almost as much as she does, but really the best part for me is she will sit out there all by herself! ?It's the one activity that entertainers her for long periods of time that doesn't involve any effort by me. Happy Spring! :)

You Could Never Disappoint Me Missaroo

Disappointment might be the worst feeling of all. In case you haven't been able to tell by my recent blogs, the last month or so has been a rollercoaster ride of emotions for me. The ride is almost over because now, on top of everything else, I have been disappointed and stabbed in the back. I'm not sure there's a faster way to ensure I will cut ties with someone. The last time I was this disappointed I was a senior in high school. Sadly enough, it was also alcoholism that was the cause of the disappointment, although I think the alcoholics in both cases can take some of that blame as well. I came home beside myself with a plethora of emotions on Sunday that ranged from anger, to hurt, to complete sadness; Mixed all together, those emotions equal disappointment.

So what does this have to do with the Missaroo? I realized no matter how many times I get frustrated with her disappointment is not in our emotional range. How can you be disappointed in a dog? It's just not possible. The best part about Missaroo being a dog and not a person is that she can never disappoint me. She could never stab me in the back. Missaroo can't lie to me. All she knows how to do is love. Dogs are by nature happy creatures. She's happy to walk, to sleep in the sun, to eat, to lick my face off. Sitting next to me on the chair is one of her favorite things. Not only that, but when I am disappointed, it is the Missaroo who comes running at me just happy that I am home. She doesn't care what happens outside of our cozy little world. I wish I could be like that too. Another life lesson learned from the Missaroo. 

Backpacking Through Spokane

Today was another beautiful day in the Inland Northwest. The Missaroo and I decided to take advantage by heading to River Front Park for a wonderful walk. I loaded Miss down with water and food and we hiked it all the way along the river. I especially enjoyed the part when she peed on GU's campus. I mean she went a lot of places but I found that to be the funniest. Anyway, I thought we'd do it tourist style and take pictures of the landmarks and such. It was a good idea in theory until my camera died. Oh well, we still had a great time. Missy received a lot of compliment on the backpack as always. The only thing she wasn't too fond of was the status. She barked at them. That's what I was taking a picture of when the camera died. We then took the long way home and did a little "sight seeing" on the way back up the hill. At home, we enjoyed the sun via the balcony before taking a nap in the bed. It was a nice way to spend the day.

It's Spring Time Mr. Briggs!

Despite all the Missy fits that come with Spring, in the end we're still happy it's here. This is especially true for the Missaroo!

Missaroo, Are We Coming or Going Today?

The Missaroo is very confused this afternoon. On Monday she went to daycare and had to spend the night, only to be picked up Tuesday afternoon, weird. Then I was home with her on Wednesday, also weird. And today we got up at 3am, I got ready for work right away and Missy went back to bed in the crate, super weird. Needless to say, my schedule has been anything but routine lately. I pride myself on my schedules. I need them really. Now, I can't say I mind the filling in thing too much, but for Missaroo she doesn't know if we're coming or going. She had that look on her face this morning like, "ok so let me get this straight, you got ME up and now you're getting ready right away, what the heck!?!" When I came home at noon, I asked her honey are we coming or going? She barked a reply that said, "well I gotta go so hurry up and get me out of here!" Poor Missy. It will be over soon and we'll be back to our more hectic, yet normal routine soon enough.

Life Without the Missaroo

WARNING: Our little funny blog, gets sad and serious.

Last night as I threw Missaroo's bone out from underneath my pillow and I watch her "re-burry" it under a blanket before she circled down into bed, I thought, the day I don't have her anymore will be the worst day of my life. Since I'm pretty sure no one who lives in Spokane reads my blog, let me fill you in on some background. Recently, about five dogs have died here on the South Hill just blocks from where we live. Vets have found meatballs laced with strychnine in yards. The dogs, in their own yards, ate them, went into seizures, and died. If something tragic like that ever happened to the Missaroo I wouldn't be able to handle it. It also made me realize there is a very good chance I will out live her. When I first got Miss, I thought, wow this dog is going to be with me for the next 10 years or so. She could see me though a few more moves, marriage, kids, and who knows what else. That's quite a commitment I thought for a 23 year old to take on. A year later I think, Wow only 10 years with the Missaroo! How Sad!

Then I thought about the flip side of all this. What if I died before the Missaroo? What if something tragic happened to me? I honestly laid in bed last night and cried about it. Not because I thought about my own death, but I thought, What if I died outside the apartment one day while Missaroo was in her crate. Would she know that I hadn't just abandoned her? How long would she be in there helpless before someone came to take care of her? And who would take care of her for the rest of her life? The saddest part is I don't know the answer to the last one. Maybe my family in the Tri-Cities would take her. I sure hope so.

It's starting to make me cry all over again. Right now the Missaroo is sleeping on the bed, still very tired from two days of daycare. I can't wait to take her for a walk when it warms up today and enjoy the time I have with her. I'll try not to think anymore about life without the Missaroo.

I Wonder If I'd Be A Good Kid Mom

I like to think of myself as a pretty good dog mom. I mean, the Missaroo is healthy, happy, adorable, and spoiled. How many dogs have their own blog! But I'm horrible about making her actually behave. She's my dog and I love her and we've been through A LOT! At the end of the day I just don't kick her in the butt and make her less annoying. I always think, if she were my kid that would be different. Mostly, I don't like the fact that I can't reason with Miss.

I often times find myself using phrases that are unnecessary for dog moms. Whenever I open up the oven I say, "Step back Miss, you don't want to burn yourself." Or when we're getting out of the car I say, "Ok Miss out of the car, wait for mommy." Miss hears Charlie Brown's teacher. I wonder if that's part of my maternal instinct coming out. There have also been times when I've pulled the old "soccer mom arm save" in the car with her.

All of these things make me wonder if I really do have what it takes to be a good kid mom. I mean, like a GREAT kid mom. Maybe. Sometimes I wonder though what is a bigger fear I have, not being a great kid mom or never having the chance to find out. I don't mean that in a "whoa is me" kinda way either. I mean that in a very "this is my reality" kinda way. I honestly believe there is something that I project that men pick up on as me not being "wife and mom" material. The two times in my life I have wanted to be in a relationship with someone I've always gotten the, "you're a really great person" talk. AKA I don't think of you as a woman, dude. The last month certainly brought that back into the fore-front of my mind. Maybe it really will just always be the miss-adventures of me and the Missaroo. But, hey that's ok. Miss is not big on sharing anyway. :)

The Missaroo is Home!

Missy is home from her overnight stay! After polishing off an entire bowl of food, she's pretty content to sit down and chew on her favorite toy. Now this place is really home again.

Feeling Like a Guilty Mom

So I had to take a few days off from the dog blog. I've been a pretty busy gal. Today I had to work all day before heading off to class to present my term paper. Class got out late and I didn't make it home until 10 pm. I almost didn't even recognize my apartment when I finally walked back in. Since I was gone for about 12 plus hours the Missaroo went to daycare and is staying the night at their doggy hotel. Another way to say I boarded her. I started to miss my little star while I was sitting in class around 8pm. I thought, wow it's been more than a year since we've spent even a day apart! I'm so sad. But then as I was driving home after my long day I realize, HEY! I don't have to go home, take her out of the crate, walk her for a half an hour, feed her, and then spend the rest of the night trying to clean myself up and get ready for tomorrow while she wined, barked, and clawed at me. What a relief! No Missaroo equals time for ME! Something that hasn't happened in the last week or two. I celebrated by taking a shower and throwing my clothes on the floor. No Missaroo to chew them up! And then got back to blogging. I feel guilty being pretty darn happy she isn't here right now. Ok WAY guilty. BUT like kid moms, dog moms need some time alone. No barking in the car the whole way through the drive-thru. No coming home and cleaning up dog throw up. ((She's definitely a puker)) No freezing cool walk when all I want to do is collapse. AWWWWWW! SO NICE. It will make me a better, happier mom tomorrow when I go to pick her up. Even dog moms need to take some time for themselves every once in a while. We'll be better moms for it!

My Not So Good Little Passenger

The Missaroo comes with me EVERYWHERE! It is a lot of fun to get up and go and know my little bud is right there with me. Drive-Thrus are pretty fun for her because she usually gets a treat. Walgreen's, Wendy's, the bank, all places that ask if they can give her something when I pull up. "Yes please!" I say. Not only is it great that she gets free treats but really it's worth it for what happens next. Missy takes the treat  to try and "burry" it in the car. Not only is this adorable, BUT it mean her head is DOWN. And if her head is down and her mouth is full, guess what she's not doing!?! Freaking out at motorcycles! The moment doesn't last very long. And yes the treat usually does make it out of the car at the end of the trip. She's pretty good about bring it up the stairs and into the apartment when we return home. If it weren't for the treats she might not come with so much. She practically tries to claw her way through the back passenger window during one of her spaz moments. She also barks uncontrollably sometimes, which is equally as awesome by the way. And when she's not doing any of that, well then she's on the lookout for something to bark and spaz out about. No joke. She sits with her front paws on the middle contraption and stares straight ahead very intently, waiting, watching. And then BARK.... BARKABARKBARK.... right into my ear! Ouch! Oh the Missaroo, my not so good little passenger.

The Gross Side of Missaroo

Yesterday Miss went to daycare all day for the second day in a row. The day before she also had the chance to see the love of her life and was actually jumping on her back legs. She's also been spending some time on the balcony running around and barking at the neighbors. So when I had to leave for class on Tuesday night I decided to leave her to roam the apartment for a few hours since I figured she'd just sleep. When I came back everything looked in order at first, until I saw the paper trail. Or more correctly, the Kleenex trail. Miss had gotten into the bathroom garbage again. I forgot to put it up on the counter before I left. Missy loves dirty Kleenex. She's also a fan of chewing on my used makeup sponges, GROSS! It's so weird. And hold on, it gets worse. If I didn't have the Missaroo I would normally just throw my clothes on the floor when I go to hop in the shower. Can't do that anymore. Missaroo also loves to chew on dirty underwear! YIKES GROSS! She has destroyed more pairs than I care to admit. Moments like those truly remind me she's a dog. I usually have to say it out loud too, "Missy Mae what have you done, this is gross dog, what's wrong with you!" Well actually nothing is wrong with her, she's a dog. I'm just thankful she doesn't eat dog poop.

Attached at the Hip

Missaroo and I have been inseparable since the first day I took her home. As obsessed as I am about my dog, I think the truth is she's pretty obsessed with me too. In fact, I think she started it! I took Miss home on a Saturday and by Tuesday she had her first vet appointment. The vet told me Miss should be socialized because she was way too attached to me. Really!?! It's been three days! The first week together I slept out in the loving room for a variety of reasons. I would sleep in the recliner and she would sleep on the floor. As soon as Missy would hear a strange noise not only would she bark uncontrollably, she would also jump onto the chair and straddled me! I would wake up with this barking dog on top of me. She was protecting me from the noise.
One day when Miss was having a motorcycle spaz attack she managed to slip her collar. She then high tailed it after the motorcycles as they barreled down the street. It was one of the scariest moments of my life. I immediately took off running after her yelling. I knew if she hit the intersection she'd get hit by a car. As I was running I thought "ok, I'll take my sweatshirt off and wrap it around her real tight to try and stop the bleeding, maybe I'll be able to carry her to the vet" I mean we were on a walk, I was no where near my car and I was in panic mode. When I finally turned the corner I saw Miss running full speed AT ME! Oh my gosh! I dropped to my knees as she ran into my arms! That little dog turned around and didn't see me and decided to start heading back. I can't tell you the relief I felt. Thank God she was so attached!

Ever since, I have used her attachment to my advantage. She's slipped her collar a couple more times after that and every time instead of chasing her I just turn and walk home and sure enough she comes right back to me. It also worked great in training class. She was the only dog that could stand on one end of the aisle with food and treats in between her and the owner (me of course) and not get distracted. She would BOLT down the aisle and slid right into my legs!

At night Missaroo sleeps in the bed with me. She no longer just sits at the foot of the bed either. Nope she sleeps so close to me I can't move. She circles a couple of times and then lands somewhere on my arm; typically her head it on my elbow and my hands it on her back. If I do move, she moves too. It's as if she thinks, MUST.... TOUCH.... AT... ALL... TIMES.

Because of all of these instances, plus her overall adorableness I'm now equally attached to her. When ever I need to be comforted the Missaroo leaning on me sure does help. Seeing her smiling face when I go to pick her up brightens my day. Don't get me wrong she annoys the crap out of me a lot, but I wouldn't want to go a full day without her. We're too attached at the hip.

We Lived in Sprinkler Hell

Another sure fire sign of spring, at least in the Tri-Cities, is the mass amount of sprinklers. For those of you unaware, the TC is a high desert climate. But they have greener grass there then we've ever had in Illinois. This is because of the mass amount of sprinklers. In the neighborhood Miss and I lived in last it was ridiculous! We were actually trapped inside our apartment once because of it. We just both sat by the window and watched them. We would be forced into the street during walks to try and avoid them. Crossing the street was pointless because more would just pop up there. Right when I thought I had had enough, we were walking down the street and heard a hissing noise. Both of us stop, until I realized it was the sprinklers popping up out of the ground. Before we could move one shot me straight in the butt. I had to kick Miss in hers to get her to move while I'm yelling, "move it, move it, move it!" Thank God I was wearing my navy blue shorts and not my light gray ones! Luckily, it was also about 90 degrees that day so my butt dried rather quickly. Anyway, the moral of the story is I hate sprinklers and use to live in sprinkler hell. Hopefully Spokane isn't as bad. Considering we seem to have a semi-hippy, green mayor I'm not expecting it to be a problem. But let me tell you, if I see a sprinkler watering a staircase or parking lot I'm calling it in.