Dogs still inside, WWIII has not happened.

So, a week and a half later and the dogs are still inside and still alive, so all is well on this front …

There have been very few issues, actually. One little bathroom mishap the first time I let the dogs in my home office, but I made sure to spray all kinds of pet carpet cleaner on it so they wouldn’t “learn” the scent and think it could happen again.

Other than that:

= Kishin (the doberman/border collie mix) seems to have claimed me as “his” human. This happened when they were outside dogs as well, but he follows me absolutely everywhere. In fact, this morning I was organizing a closet and watched him run past me 4 times, panicking, looking for me, until he finally found me in the unlikely spot. This seems to make Breanna (the beagle/daschund/shepherd/whatever she is mix) uncomfortable,  so she hangs back a lot. This makes me feel guilty, and I try to “make” us all hang out together. It’s worked a few times but for the most part she runs off every chance she gets. One time Kishin chased her down in a not-so-nice way, but he didn’t do anything but stand there once he “caught” her.

= The neighborhood dogs off their leashes have got to stop. I walk these guys several times a day now (on leashes of course) and the amount of loose dogs I have seen is uncalled for. And everyone seems to think their dog will listen – that is, until their dog goes running down the street after my dog. I have to walk my dogs one at a time because of this. I could handle them both at the same time if we were only dealing with fenced-in dogs (which Kishin ignores and Breanna howls at, but only if they bark first). But I can’t control them both if an unleashed dog is approaching them. Shoot, I can’t control Kishin even by himself if an unleashed dog is in the “leash space.” The kicker this week was when the 15lb dog with an apparent death wish ran down his driveway and tried to attack Kishin (80 lbs) from behind. Not cool, dog owners. I put myself between them and yelled at the little dog’s owners to get their dog. I’m sure they think I’m a bitch (pun intended) but I’d rather them think that and save the poor little dog’s life.

= Both the dogs snore. They both bark in their sleep. They both do this cute little twitchy REM sleep thing. Not nearly as bad as this dog, but you get the point. Kishin even growled at and tried to attack a blanket in his sleep/half sleep stance the other night. It was slightly scary and very funny all at the same time.

= I never thought I’d say this, but very rarely and for just a few minutes at a time – sometimes I feel like I need time away from the dogs. With Kishin especially right next to me at all times, occasionally I’ll feel the need for some breathing room. But it never lasts more than a few minutes before I start missing them again.

= They need to be bathed frequently. At least once a week. They need to be brushed all the time, and still, the dog hair is everywhere. The robot vaccuum is doing a great job with the daily maintenance, and I’m about to do my first Dyson vaccuum since getting the Roomba – I’m curious how much it will pick up that the Roomba left behind.

= I absolutely love watching their reactions to new things. I was doing a workout-on-demand in front of the TV the other day and Breanna came running over to me, trying to lick my face as I’m doing crunches, wagging her tail and so excited for some reason. Let’s just say that set of crunches probably didn’t count for much: I couldn’t stop laughing. Kishin loves to watch TV, and he especially likes the howling wolf at the end of “Law and Order” reruns.

A week and a half later, and I’m still the happiest girl ever with my dogs beside me. Even if I do have to walk them in the rain.